Testing Times- India XI Minus Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman

Come Thursday and Indian cricket would begin its 2012-13 season with the first test against New Zealand. For many it’s nothing more than getting back into business but things would no doubt be different this time around thanks to a gaping void left by the absence of a certain Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.

A Very, Very Sad Exit

A few months ago the fourth test between India and Australia that ended with a 298 run defeat for India would have been just one of those matches where nothing went right for India. Seven months later that one single test becomes one of its kinds as it marks the exit of two of the greatest Indian cricketers- Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. 

Of Men and Golden Eggs

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has decided to resume bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan after a gap of almost five years. So, what has changed since 2008, when the ties were snapped following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to warrant such a change?

Goodbye Again

Now that Pune Warriors India (PWI) is done with the current season of Indian Premier League (IPL) it’s in the process of reimagining and as expected Sourav Ganguly isn’t likely to feature in PWI’s future. Unlike most who walk this earth Sourav Ganguly has always had to prove his worth twice over in everything he did.

Sachin Tendulkar 39 Not Out

Every time Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his birthday it seems like a generation has aged. Unknowingly thrust with the responsibility for the last 23 years Tendulkar has epitomized just about everything Indians are about. The one question that plagues many minds these days is what next now that the boy wonder has finally aged.

In Virat We Trust

It might be a little too soon to proclaim Virat Kohli as the new King of One Day cricket but that’s the general direction of the wind. Unlike Sachin Tendulkar’s valiant 100^th century a few nights ago against Bangladesh, Kohli’s heroic 183 against Pakistan got us one of our best wins ever. Enjoying perhaps the best form of his still young international career, Kohli is very much in the zone.

The Greatest Second Best

A great debate divides the world of cricket and Sachin Tendulkar fans. Always used as the last resort, Tendulkar fans take the recourse of statistics to prove that he is, in fact, the greatest cricketer to walk this earth. Tall as it may be there is no denying that claim but if stats are the tools then they are the very first instruments to augment an equal greatness for someone like Rahul Dravid.

Out of the Blue

In these air-time obsessed days of cricket where events like the IPL are discussed in greater details than any other format could there be hope for cricket to survive in its pristine form? Chances are that you’d say ‘no’ in the blink of an eye but if you happen to read Out of the Blue, Aakash Chorpa’s book on Rajasthan’s road to the Ranji Trophy, you’d take a moment or two before answering. Better still after living the journey along with Chopra and the others who scripted Rajasthan’s maiden Ranji triumph, you’d think there’s hope for cricket’s purest form.

Rotating Ride

There is a popular saying that suggests why fix something when it isn’t broken. The Indian cricket team seems to have come to a stage where it seems to be eager to fix things before they go wrong. Rotation, the newfound buzzword of Indian cricket, is throwing up situations that no one anticipated and yet every one seems to be okay with it. Or so it seems.

Conversations in the Dressing Room

Perth. Windy conditions. India is so used to losing now that they are convinced that Australia didn’t win the toss, they continues to lose.

The mood in the Indian dressing room is somber. There is a difference in the attitude. For once no one’s worried about Sachin Tendulkar’s 100^th century. They are focusing on how to make use of the vital training they underwent on the go-karting track.

Dhoni Done Away?

A few months ago no one would have thought of such a thing but the cat’s out of the bag now- is it time to do away with MS Dhoni as the Test captain? The man and the tactics that led India to more pinnacles than any other captain- T-20 Champions, ODI World Cup, Asian Championships and the highest-ranked Test Side- are now being questioned. Is it curtains for Dhoni, the Test captain then?

Fall from Grace

Nothing seems to change even after six straight defeats for a team that was supposed to be the best Test side in the world. India’s overwhelming losses seem to become a standard operating procedure now but what troubles more is that there seems to be no spirit to reverse the trend.