Watching from the Sidelines: February 2011

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Season of Cricket Experts

India is a land where every cricket fan is an expert analyst and most wouldn't like to hear otherwise. Twitter, at the moment, is the congregation of cricket fans with minute-by-minute, ball-by-ball updates and witty, funny, critical comments. Watching the match live at the stadium is an experience, so is watching the match on TV with family and friends offering commentary with the official commentary on mute. Match preview shows with 'expert panelists', in a nation of cricket experts, are another experience, usually bound to be looked at with great interest (and scorn).

Competing with the sports channels and the official broadcast channel of the World Cup for expert preview panels and in-depth post mortem analysts, are our news channels. Times NOW is ever-ready to remind us of their expert panel hosted by Mandira Bedi and Anand Narasimhan featuring Barry Richards, Shane Bond, Graeme Hick, Sanath Jaysuriya, Arun Lal among others. Times Now, of course, took it upon themselves to cheer for Team India with their 'Good Luck India' campaign.

Almost every Indian cricket fan is an expert analyst himself

CNN IBN boasts of having the likes of World Cup winning Pakistani captain Imran Khan, one of the greatest legends of cricket Sir Vivian Richards - 'Kings of Cricket' on their channel to analyze and predict the matches as they unfold. Headlines Today had Sourav Ganguly and Nasser Hussain share their expertise to preview the India-England encounter at Bengaluru. And then there are the usual suspects who offer their take on the World Cup - Harsha Bhogle, Charu Sharma, Navjot Singh Sidhu and the like.

All this, without counting the constant commentary from Rameez Raja, Sanjay Manjrekar, Tony Greig, and the ever-predictable Ravi Shastri etc. This, of course, is just the TV media and its cricket obsession. Online, things are more varied, with general bloggers, dedicated cricket bloggers, retired cricketers on Twitter, almost everyone with a Twitter account and a Facebook account, famous cricket websites like Cricinfo, offering their views on the game.

Expert views abound, fan commentary is rampant and I, for one, cannot imagine cricket without its analysts. I may not appreciate many of their opinions, I might find some retired cricketers-experts annoying, but cricket without its fans and experts who are ever-ready to offer their commentary, is unimaginable. One month of expert analysis of matches, however, might take me to the end of my tether. But here's to every fan enjoying the matches and sharing their views. Cricket is pointless if you cannot have an hour-long discussion of The Curious Case of Overrated Ajit Agarkar or share Yuvraj Singh jokes. Enjoy and may the best team win!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

A Dutch Delight!

I confess I hadn't heard of Ryan ten Doeschate till this week. Of course, I remember reading a fleeting mention of him when Kolkata Knight Riders picked him for their IPL team during the auctions. I remember wondering if he was worth choosing. Ryan ten Doeschate has proven in the best way possible, with a sparkling century against England in the World Cup, that KKR's choice was an excellent one.

Ryan ten Doeschate is a South African-born cricketer who plays for the Netherlands due to his Dutch ancestry. He has, apparently, been the stand-out player for the Netherlands for a long time now. Watching him play against England was a delight to every cricket fan. The saga of the underdog performing well, is one that can be overwhelming and amazing. The Netherlands team, their blazing orange jerseys and distinctly tough-to-pronounce names, played with heart and soul in a match that most people predicted England would win comprehensively.

Ryan ten Doeschate is a talent to watch out for

While the Netherlands' excellent performance in a match they didn't win could be attributed to horrid bowling and even more embarrassingly bad fielding by England, there is no denying the fact that the 'minnows' played with a lot of passion. It was ten Doeschate who lead the way for his team, while other batsman contributed their share to the team's challenging total. But there was no doubt who the most inspiring player was, not just with the bat, but also with the ball. Ten Doeschate picked two valuable wickets to put England on the backfoot.

An all-rounder of his talent is a prized possession and I hope he continues to inspire his team to perform even better and cause an upset or two in the World Cup. After all, to quote a Ravi Shastri cliche, 'Cricket is the real winner' when the underdogs perform exceedingly well. Ten Doeschate's brilliant century has already helped turn more eyes towards the Netherlands team. Not only will matches played by the team watched with more interest and expectations, sponsors have already come their way.

All of this is a tremendous boost for the Netherlands team and one hopes that it will reflect in the team's performance and the sport's popularity in the country.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Let the Cricket (Craze) Begin!

Of the many things that happened in 2003, I can remember only one significant detail: I fell in love with the Cricket World Cup. No, it wasn't just about cheering for Team India or about staying up late at night to watch an excellent match.

It was about the entire experience: the tense final overs, learning the difference between a short leg and a silly point, breaking into tears when India was thrashed in the finals, guessing the Man of the Match, arguing with Mum about who will win the match, not watching a particular player fearing that I will jinx him, putting the volume on mute and giving my own commentary. Those were the days that made another cricket-obsessed Indian.

The 2003 World Cup, therefore, was my definitive cricketing experience. The T20 World Cup that we won didn't even come close. It was too snappy and short and while the result was delightful, it just didn't equal the amazing passion and emotion of the ODI World Cup in South Africa. The 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was probably one of the most boring, tedious tournaments in cricketing history and most people were just glad to see it get over without further mishap. But this year promises to be special, for cricket's biggest tournament is back to its biggest fan base.

When the Indian team plays, a nation unites

Jokes abound on Twitter about all scamsters being the happiest people with regards the upcoming World Cup, for it means that the attention of both the people and the media will squarely be on cricket. That is certainly not far from the truth. As February 19th nears, India gets ready to drown in the ocean of its favourite game. 'Breaking News' will soon mean results of matches and in the case of some channels, every wicket. Score updates will be received with frenzy via SMS, Twitter, Facebook while on the move.

It is a lost cause to try and ignore cricket in India. Unless one plans to live in a rock for the next few weeks, cricket is inescapable and omnipresent. Prayers for India's victory, homa or rituals for Sachin Tendulkar's century and offerings to Cricket Ganesha will get underway. Chale Chalo from Lagaan will be played by many news channels in their feature videos wishing good luck to the Indian team. Politicians will comment on the team's performance - good, bad or ugly. Betting rackets might be busted. Teachers will make mandatory statements about the timing of the World Cup and how it distracts students from their final exams.

I'd recommend that we all take the plunge and enjoy every moment of this wondrous sport, for few things unite India the way cricket does.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

A Pressure Test!

One can safely assume that Indian cricketers are quite used to playing under pressure. After all, as TV channels remind us regularly, they are always carrying the 'expectations of a billion people'. If that's not pressure enough, we are constantly reminded of the fact that 28 years after the epic triumph of David over Goliath in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, India has another chance at ultimate glory.

We have 'Good Luck' campaigns underway, Mandira Bedi is back, reminding us of the seriousness of the event, and what's best this time (or worst, depending on how you look at it) is that India is playing at home. So that means, playing before a packed stadium that will cheer every ball, every shot. That means playing when you know a billion people are constantly monitoring every over. That means playing at a time when it's possible the Lok Sabha will discuss the performance of the team. If the Lok Sabha is functioning this session, that is.

India go into the World Cup as clear favourites and history shows that Team India play well when they go in as 'underdogs' in a tournament. Why? Because that means less pressure is foisted on them. Nobody really expects them to do well, so they can just go out and play their game without the perilous load of expectations hanging to them.

The upcoming World Cup is likely to be Sachin Tendulkar's final World Cup

There's an extra element of pressure this time around: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is, in all probability, Sachin Tendulkar's last World Cup. M.S Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir have both spoken about winning the World Cup for the legendary cricketer as a farewell gift of sorts. While the thought is no doubt noble, I asked myself why on earth the Indian team would pile up more pressure on itself!

Now it's not enough that they play exceedingly well since they are 'carrying the hopes of a billion people' and repeat the feat of Kapil's Devils, they also have to present the ultimate gift to a man who has come to define Indian cricket. If pressure on a sporting team could be measured, this one would make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.

I sincerely hope that the Indian team is able to just go out and play their game, temporarily forgetting the pressure they're under though that is definitely easier said than done. I would also recommend that they not read this post, which serves as a compilation of the overwhelming expectations on this team. Anyway, here's hoping for a wonderful world cup for all cricket fans, especially the ones in India!