The Surfer

Going by Phadke’s account, one might say it was Sachin Tendulkar, who, for much of his career, has had to bear “this strange burden of popularity and responsibility”, to score hundreds upon hundreds to maintain his fame and keep his team afloat. But one can also make a case for Rahul Dravid. For one thing, his style is more akin to Hazare’s, sound and orthodox — coming in at 5 for one, which soon becomes 10 for two — he seeks to patiently rebuild the innings, whereas Tendulkar would seek rather to play some flashing shots and immediately take the initiative away from the opposition.

Not only because he believes sustained success in the first-class arena is still the best way to earn respect, but because he has realised that he derives as much pleasure from batting for three hours as he does from the pyrotechnics with which he lights up the Twenty20 circuit.

Day Five: The Commentator, Henry Blofeld, Test Match Special

Incumbent PCB chief Ijaz Butt had a modest record as an international cricketer, but his brother-in-law Ahmad Mukhtar is a defense minister in the present government of the Pakistan Peoples Party. It was no surprise when the then 70-year-old Butt got the PCB post when the government came to power in 2008 under Asif Zardari.

The governing board includes eight direct appointees of the president with six representatives of associations and departments. Even the appointment of the associations’ and departments’ representatives required Zardari’s approval.

So, who is Jonathan Trott? South African but English, fiery but calm, famous but unknown. This enigmatic mix is held together by an indomitable desire to make the very most of his talent. The result is a cricketer who has taken the international scene by storm. Who knows where this journey will end? He may become one of the greats. If he does, I really will have a claim to fame.

The lack of an intimidating aura could be because of the historical baggage of India’s four winless decades while touring England since 1932, the year India got Test status. Plus the fact that the Indians, over the years, tend to pussyfoot into a land where the ball swings more than it spins and batsmen edge more than they middle too hasn’t helped. Mind games or pre-tour war of words hasn’t been the Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s style anyway.

But its time the Indians threw their weight and let their reputation check in much before they do. They have been the World No.1 Test team long enough and ODI World Champions recent enough to have an attitude that sees the meek surrender without a fight and the mighty grapple with self-doubt.

Giving a competition your best is an essential contract — and of necessity it involves risk-taking ... This is not about a win at any cost — it is about being true to the possibilities a sport offers. This time, India have showed themselves to be unequal to their rank as the number one Test side.

Nobody had a better record against Don Bradman than Verity, who dismissed him eight times in 17 Tests. "With Hedley I am never sure," said The Don. "You see, there was no breaking point with him." There can be no higher compliment to a cricketer than that.