First class, first person
Character over cover drive
Three domestic players have displayed rare courage and are still doing a good job for their sides
Sanjay Bangar
25-Feb-2013
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If we look around, we will find many people on the street going through enormous upheavals in their personal and professional lives, but they battle it out with smiles on their faces. I have been fortunate enough to be closely associated with some such players who have stood up to hardships, both personal and professional, and have shown immense resilience in overcoming their challenges.
Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred in a 1999 World Cup match after returning from his father’s funeral, and Anil Kumble’s turning out to bowl with a broken jaw in Antigua have been inspiring and well-documented. But here, I would like to elaborate on how three domestic players have displayed rare courage, and are still doing a good job for their sides. They are my team-mates: JP Yadav, Santosh Saxena and Kulamani Parida.
We have all read about how Lance Armstrong won his battle against cancer before he conquered the cycling summit. But very few know that Yadav was diagnosed with a tumour in the area above his heart around the year 2000. He was referred to a cancer hospital in Mumbai by his doctors in Bhopal, where he underwent three cycles of chemotherapy. During this period he had to suffer all the after-effects and hardships of chemotherapy. He lost nearly 15 kgs, and was advised to stay away from the cricket field for one-and-a-half years even if the tumour didn’t recur.
Full postRanji v Duleep
Duleep Trophy is an individualistic tournament, because – whether players accept it or not - everybody focuses on his own runs and wickets, being so close to selection
Paras Mhambrey
25-Feb-2013
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Everyone has a reason for playing cricket. Some play because their friends also play, some start with a single-minded focus of playing for the country. There are various steps one goes through before getting to that ultimate goal.
In Mumbai, cricket is big at junior levels: even playing for a school like Shardashram, where Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli played, is a matter of pride. Harris Shield, Giles Shield and other such tournaments are very competitive. After having played at those levels, one moves to age groups and then becomes one of the probables for Ranji Trophy. For a youngster that is a big thing, because that is one step below playing for the state, becoming a first-class cricketer.
I remember when I got picked for the Under-17 side, I saw it with a lot of pride. When I was handed the cap with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) logo on it, it was a big thing for me. Every thing since then – collecting newspaper clippings, conversations with friends, et al – was a motivation for playing for Mumbai. With such a journey to playing for the state, one inevitably values every moment and success with the state team.
Full postNothing personal about it
Duleep trophy being an opportunity to catch the eye of the national selectors, the team spirit among players collected from different states is often missing
Sanjay Bangar
25-Feb-2013
The 2007-08 Ranji Trophy has just ended. As usual the team that claims the title ensures that their name will be etched in the history of Indian domestic circuit, which they richly deserve. I daresay that winning the Ranji trophy is as good as winning a Test match because of the toil that a team goes through for over six months of preparation and performance.
Most first-class teams start their off-season training camps in the month of August, when 30 probables are selected. These players have to undergo fitness camps; they go out and play some cricket in south India in events such as Buchibabu Trophy, Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup and KSCA Invitational, which are organised well by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) respectively. These tournaments are played in the last two weeks of September and the first week of October.
Full postDevil is in the basics
It's not enough to have talent to succeed at the international level
Paras Mhambrey
25-Feb-2013
In the first Test between Australia and India, the difference between the sides was much more than just skills. I enjoy watching Australia play for the manner in which they go about using their skills. Every session is meticulously planned and the plans implemented. They pay attention to small things when they practise: the throwing technique, the running between the wickets, the ground fielding, and minute details like sliding the bat while taking runs, relay throwing etc. More importantly, they implement them during the games.
A picture of contrast was Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman not being able to take threes even when the ball reached pretty close to the MCG boundary. Dravid got stuck at one end, strike was not rotated, and the batsmen came under immense pressure. Sourav Ganguly later nearly ran himself out while backing up and not sliding his bat back. And this is not an aberration; many more Indian cricketers have done that at the international level.
Full postA cricketer's green room
One may graduate from clubs to first-class cricket or to international cricket, but sometimes the fondest memories – apart from achievements on the field – emanate from the dressing room, be it a makeshift tent, an old-fashioned dressing room full of
Paras Mhambrey
25-Feb-2013
Almost every cricketer in Mumbai plays in the maidans in the initial stages of his career. One of the most memorable things about that club cricket is the makeshift dressing rooms. A small tent, with about 15 to 20 wooden or plastic chairs, generally serves the purpose of a dressing room. One has to do everything there only, including changing into and out of the whites. During the Kanga League, always played during the monsoons, it usually rains during the matches. The game comes to a halt, water rushes into the tent, both the teams are in the same tent and one has to stand on a chair with the kit. One may graduate from there to first-class cricket or to international cricket, but sometimes the fondest memories – apart from achievements on the field – emanate from the dressing room, be it a makeshift tent, an old-fashioned dressing room full of history, or a modern one with a gymnasium and all slick amenities inside.
We spend a significant part of our lives in the dressing room, hence it is important to have the right environment there. And if that is the case, it shows on the field. We come from different ethnic backgrounds and travel a lot with each other, spending months away from home, so obviously we have to bond. We celebrate a lot of festivals in the dressing room: Eid, Diwali, Holi, Christmas, when the whole team gets together. Often we are playing on the New Year’s Day, so while we miss home, we have a small family with us that keeps us going.
Full postNot money for nothing
Professionalism is the single biggest difference between cricket in India, and say, cricket in Australia, which should be the benchmark for all of us
R Ashwin
25-Feb-2013
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As a cricketer it’s hard to look at the positives when you are out of the game, but with my injury I’ve been able to watch more cricket and think a bit more about different things in cricket. I have been watching the Australian domestic cricket on TV and this set my mind thinking. I was watching Michael Hussey playing the other day, and realised that there were many people pushing for his place in the team.
That’s very much the case in cricket here too, but there is a fundamental difference: professionalism, a term commonly used but rarely defined at the grassroots level. Professionalism is the single biggest difference between cricket in India, and say, cricket in Australia, which should be the benchmark for all of us.
The mindset in India is to get an education that will secure a job, and then think about how to get a particular salary. We’re used to that kind of a life, and that’s how we bring up our children. Parents need to realise that cricket now offers a decent standard of living and earning potential, and not just for international cricketers. They need to stop thinking they are taking a huge gamble with their child’s life if they let a child pursue sport as career. After all, in India cricket is not like, say, tennis, where individuals have to get their own sponsorships for expensive coaching, and then have to fund their own travel to international tournaments. There are many companies working with cricketers, there are sponsors, and even individuals, who are willing to help those who need it.
Full postNo fringe benefits
Become such good and efficient players that you are picked in the playing XI quickly or stay at home as the longer you stay in the bench, the chances of progressing deteriorate, says Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar
25-Feb-2013
The announcement of a team by the selectors for a match or tournament is greatly anticipated by all of us. Usually, in India, be it the national team or a first-class team, a squad of 15 players is named. We all get to see 11 players in action and can judge their skills and character on the field of play. But have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of players who are confined to the bench?
Most captains announce the playing XI before the day of the match and explain the role of each player. Players who are not picked are talked into how only 11 can play and how one can make a contribution to the team, or how he has to wait for his chances. However, till the toss and commencement of play, these reserve players have to be in a state of readiness if last-minute changes have to be made due to fitness issues or overnight changes in playing conditions.
Full postRising after the fall
A good coach can help eliminate injuries that are the bane of a fast bowler's life
Paras Mhambrey
25-Feb-2013
Fast bowlers and injuries go hand in hand. They break down much more often than other players, and it has sometimes to do with lack of guidance at younger levels. For a youngster, a Shoaib Akhtar or a Brett Lee running in and bowling at close to 150kmph is an appealing sight. He wants to emulate what he sees; all he wants to do is run fast and scare a batsman.
When I was a youngster, I used to watch the India-Pakistan Tests and I only wanted to bowl like Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. At such a stage in one's career, there is a lot of enthusiasm and passion, but the skill isn't developed. This is where a good coach can help and eliminate injuries that are the bane of a fast bowler's life. At a young age, it is easy to get into bad habits, which may result in injuries at a later stage. For example if someone has a mixed action, when the lower body is side-on and the upper body is open-chested, he is only inviting the stress fracture of the back. Many careers have ended before they start because of lack of guidance at the foundation levels.
Full postDevil's playgrounds
To players, only the wicket and playing conditions are of utmost importance
Sanjay Bangar
25-Feb-2013
Having 27 first-class teams in our domestic set-up not only ensures that the talent from all the regions has the necessary platform to test its skills, but it also throws up challenges to play cricket at lesser-known venues. These venues are not used to staging first-class matches or rarely get a chance to do so.
When a first-class match is played at such venues, it generates a lot of interest among the local people and such games are well-attended by spectators. The local administrators are usually in a state of chaos as they try to shower upon the players their hospitality in a big way. They ensure that proper breakfast and huge lunches are served, which is fine but not healthy for the fitness freaks. At times, chhole-bhature, poori-bhaji, samosas, kachoris are served when all the players want are eggs, cereal or something else healthy.
Full postAdding agony to injury
Everything was not all right
R Ashwin
25-Feb-2013
It happened during the fielding practice ahead of Tamil Nadu’s third Ranji match – I had just returned to the nets after writing a couple of exams. It was the last catch of the day, and as soon as the ball impacted my wrist, I knew something was terribly wrong. I’d fallen down, and could not put any weight on my left hand to balance myself and get up. At that moment, I didn’t want to tell anyone, not even my parents. I just wanted to get an X-ray done and hoped to find out that everything was all right.
Everything was not all right. In 21 years of my life, I had never had a single fracture, and now when I was playing probably the best cricket I ever have, it just had to happen on my left wrist. I know injuries are a part and parcel of any sportsman’s life so I don’t want to moan about it. But the timing of it is crucial in my case. Just before that, we had had a pretty strong team meeting – I won’t say it was angry, but it was charged up. The coach [WV Raman] had a few things to say to us about how make things happen instead of waiting for them to happen. Overall, there was disappointment in the team at some of our performances and I found that meeting really inspirational.
There was a day when rains ruined practice and Badri [S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu captain], myself and the coach [Raman] were working indoors and we spent a lot of time talking about what went wrong, what each of us could do, and I was really pumped up at the chance to do something.
Full postMost Read
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