The Surfer
Cricket and Mahatma Gandhi
On Gandhi's death anniversary, Arghya Ganguly explores the little-known link between cricket and the Mahatma in the Times of India Crest .
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
On Gandhi's death anniversary, Arghya Ganguly explores the little-known link between cricket and the Mahatma in the Times of India Crest.
The Rajkumar College at Rajkot in 1880 was a training pitch for Indian princelings. Hailing from a humble background, KS Ranjit Singhji was sent to the college as an eight-year-old boy, by his wealthy adopted family. But much to their dismay, he turned out to be a backbencher, scoring more on the field than in the classroom. Ranji showed aptitude for both tennis and cricket but went on to take the latter more seriously. One of his fellow students was Gandhi.
When Gandhi first went to England as a student, "one of the three letters of introduction that he carried was to Ranji" . Cricket commentator Scyld Berry has remarked that the "eventual prince originated from a humbler background than the Mahatma, subsequent champion of the people" and that "both the prince and the self-made pauper were schooled in the sporting ethos of Rajkot and both probably went out to the world with ideas of British sportsmanship which they had internalized in College".
Full postTale of remarkable change gone sour
Although itself plagued by injuries, Indian cricket will be watching the events unfolding in South Africa with amusement
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Although itself plagued by injuries, Indian cricket will be watching the events unfolding in South Africa with amusement. Injuries heal, broken bones mend, bad backs improve, but the sort of self-inflicted hurt South African cricket has suffered can take years to remedy, writes Peter Roebuck in the Hindu.
In a trice South African cricket has lost its coaching staff and the entire selection committee. So much for stability! So much for the intelligent development of the game in a new dispensation! ... Admittedly the team had not won any silverware. For some reason the South Africans tighten up in finals. Perhaps it all means too much to them, stops being a match and becomes a mission. It is a heavy load for sportsmen to carry.
In this game of greed, no one is above board
It is time, people on either side of the [India-Pakistan] divide realise that IPL is all to do with greed and it is best not to get emotionally used and mix "lofty" sentiments like nationalism with this mean business, which gives money primacy over
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
It is time, people on either side of the [India-Pakistan] divide realise that IPL is all to do with greed and it is best not to get emotionally used and mix "lofty" sentiments like nationalism with this mean business, which gives money primacy over sport, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times.
One wonders as to how long it will take India and Pakistan to start regretting their part in the affair of the so-called Indian Premier League’s snub to Pakistani cricketers, for neither party can claim to have reason on its side, writes IA Rehman in Dawn.
Full postNine cricketers to avoid in a dark alley
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
As much as he loves a handy dark alley in which to hide, Luke Tagg draws the line at finding himself face to face with certain cricketers in the dead of night, with nobody but Dead Gran to hear him scream. Writing on boundaryrider.com, Tagg picks one cricketer from each Test playing nation who he would least like to meet in that dark alley. It is his fervent wish that you never meet them there either.
Full postThis one is a complete no-brainer. In case you haven't figured out why Viru may be a problem in a dark alley, allow me to elucidate: He'd hit you. With his bat. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again. He just wouldn't stop hitting you. If you died it would make no difference - he'd just keep hitting you and hitting you and hitting you and hitting you, until even your corpse begged for mercy.
Ssssh! Taylor's 'stand-by' captain
The secrecy which accompanied the appointment of Ross Taylor as 'stand-by' captain for New Zealand has intrigued David Leggat in the New Zealand Herald
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
The secrecy which accompanied the appointment of Ross Taylor as 'stand-by' captain for New Zealand has intrigued David Leggat in the New Zealand Herald. He believes NZC appear to have managed to efficiently plug any leaks on what's going on with cricket in the country.
It would be easier to get a one-on-one chat with Vladimir Putin on the inner workings of the politburo while sharing a couple of Big Macs in Red Square than get a clear idea of how things are progressing with this.
Taylor's appointment is a signal that the New Zealand selectors are readying for life without captain and talisman Daniel Vettori. Former wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Parore, writing in the same paper, believes the secrecy was more about not putting the previous vice-captain, Brendon McCullum, in an awkward spot, now that he been relieved of the job.
Full postThe cricket delusion
Picking up from the recent problems in Indian hockey, Karan Madhok on SLAM Online looks at cricket's shadow over other sports in India
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Picking up from the recent problems in Indian hockey, Karan Madhok on SLAM Online looks at cricket's shadow over other sports in India. The problem is the fact that all the glorious stories and figures in India belong to cricket, and if Indians do strike lucky and succeed in another sport, the successes are either quickly forgotten, or the newspapers find it tough to squeeze in the news amongst the barrage of daily cricket stories that the Indian audiences are overdosed with.
Full postWith all the attention and finances thrown around by the broadcasters, promoters, media and government authorities to make cricket the most lucrative business in India, there is little left room left to share with other sports in the country. It is perhaps no surprise then, that India, a country of a billion and a half people, has won a staggering ONE (1) individual gold in the history of the Olympic Games, and that too went to the shooter Abhinav Bindra at Beijing 2008, who was rich enough to self-finance his training, equipment and success, free from the meddling hands of the government. The Olympics, obviously, doesn’t feature cricket, or India would have raked in the medals and the positive vibes.
Youthful exuberance bodes well
Fearing that the game hereabouts is ageing, Australia is trying to find youngsters mature and gifted enough to chuck into the deep end
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Fearing that the game hereabouts is ageing, Australia is trying to find youngsters mature and gifted enough to chuck into the deep end. The success of the Under-19 team at the World Cup is ample proof that Australian cricket does not want to become old and crabby, writes Peter Roebuck in the Age.
Not that Australia needs to rush to promote these fellows. Performance needs to be part of the package. Arguably the selectors have been in too much of a hurry. Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes and David Warner count among players whose abilities took them ahead of their knowledge. Now they are consolidating until balance has been restored.
Hammad Azam, whose batting has been crucial to the Pakistan U-19s making it to the World Cup final, tells cricistan.com that the credit goes to the coach Ijaz Ahmed. Hammad's innings under pressure in the quarter and semi-finals were superb and reflecting on those crackerjacks he says there's hardly ever a reason to take wild slogs.
Full postI was only thinking of one thing. I kept telling myself that regardless of whether the team wins or loses, my job was to stay there till the last ball. The team needed me and what they needed the most from me was to stay out there and not give my wicket away. In both games I knew that if I was still batting at the end of the innings then Pakistan would have won the match.
In praise of extras
An editorial in the Guardian emphasises the importance of extras in keeping players on their guard on the field
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
An editorial in the Guardian emphasises the importance of extras in keeping players on their guard on the field. The heavy penalties associated with lapses prompt greater discipline, and the runs earned by a team - and not the individual - by way of extras, is a reminder that the playing XI is greater than the sum of its parts.
Sundries – as some Australians still quaintly dub them – are not some optional add-on, but are integral to the sport. If wides went unpunished, bowlers would be free to protect their side's total by sending the ball out of the batsman's reach. Byes, meanwhile, keep wicketkeepers on their toes, and punish the field as a whole for allowing the ball to drift away from the action, which would be a dulling waste of time.
'I never turned on Arthur'
Graeme Smith wishes he could quit, but he can't
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Graeme Smith wishes he could quit, but he can't. He's been trying to quit for the past two years, but each attempt has been rebuffed by his own conscience and decent upbringing. He'll probably carry on trying to give up caring what people think about him until the day he gives up playing, and he'll probably keep on failing, writes Neil Manthorp in the Mail and Guardian.
Full post'No one can match Pakistan's U-19 talent'
Pakistan's Under-19 captain, Azeem Ghumman , comes across as a confident young man in his interview with cricistan.com
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Pakistan's Under-19 captain, Azeem Ghumman, comes across as a confident young man in his interview with cricistan.com. Almost all the batsmen in the Pakistan line-up are openers, including Ghumman. Here's his take on switching to the middle order during the World Cup in New Zealand:
Full postI made 49 against the West Indies and got out trying to accelerate the run rate in the last 10 overs, I suppose I could have slowed down and got my 50 but then we wouldnt have got the big score that helped us put pressure on their batsmen. And the same thing happened against Papa New Guinea where I got out on 40 trying to increase our net run rate. I've always known that opening the innings is a tough job but now I've got a new appreciation of what a number 4 or 5 batsman goes through, it's not an easy job at all.
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