Buzzing Blogosphere: Conversations on Cricket – IND – SA Series and Virender Sehwag

Indians cannot get over the religion of cricket. There have been a lot of developments in cricket, both on the field and off it. The Indian Cricket Team witnessed carnage at Wankhede Stadium as the South African team took away a historic 214 run win. Indian cricket got another major blow as two of Indian cricket’s superstars announced their retirement. There were two collective sighs heard from Indian cricket lovers as both Viru and Zak bid adieu to the gentleman’s game. Here are some reactions, views, opinions and memories about these two happenings that are a must read for cricket fans!

 

Binu Thomas writes on his blog about Sehwag’s retirement. He writes about his inspiring ways of playing and dedication on the field and how he was more focused on the game than the commentary and opinions.

“An Indian cricketer who created a space for himself much against all odds, who was inspired by many. From being called as a lookalike of Sachin to proving himself as one original player, Sehwag has his craft placed on the grounds firmly.

If you want to bat the “Virender Sehwag” way, mug up the following steps –

• Completely trust your hand-eye co-ordination
• Do NOT look at the scorecard. Scoreboards contain some numbers pertaining to the game. There are other team members who will do the math
• Let your instincts talk on the pitch
• That’s it! No kidding, that’s seriously how simple it is to learn about Sehwag. The only challenge is to effectively utilize them on the pitch”

 

Rahul Oak tells us how he will store his memories of Sehwag. He minutely details how he was different from Sachin and why that mattered. Though he appeared like Sachin, there are many ways in he created his uniques style.

“Metaphorically tearing down every cricketing manual, page by page. Making bowlers seem helpless. There will be others with a better technique, with a more proper way of making contact with a cricket ball. There will be others who score more runs than him, make more centuries. But trying to capture the essence of Sehwag in numbers does the man a grave injustice. He was all about the junoon you felt (there is no word in the English vocabulary to capture that sentiment) while watching him bat. Carelessness, madness, arrogance, passion. He got bums on seats and eyeballs glued to the TV screen. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Thanks for the memories, Viru!”

Angikaar Choudhury in his column with Scroll writes about The India-SA series. Not easy to approve of a loss that too in a game like cricket in India. He took out the pain through his words.

“If it sounds brutal, well, it was. India’s bowlers were punched, kicked, hammered, trampled and finally thrown into a heap by the end of a South African innings where the score read 438 in the allotted 50 overs. Unlike the other matches, India never even had a ghost of a chance; South Africa hurtled off their bases and only kept on intensifying their attack. If India fancied a breather when Quinton de Kock mistimed a tired heave over leg side with South Africa at 183/1 in the 27th, AB de Villiers was at his devastating best, creaming 11 sixes and generally looking intent on dispatching the ball into the nearby Arabian Sea. And when Faf du Plessis realised that the onset of cramps would stop him from scurrying the quick single, he took the next best option – sending the ball into different tiers of the Wankhede Stadium. Of course, whenever any game sees a gigantic total of this nature, there are whispers about the batsman-friendly nature of the playing surface was, something which captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni alluded to in his post-match presentation ceremony when he suggested, “And we all know in Wankhede, there was a lot of runs.”

Rahul had something important to share, with our players. It was all about the bowling techniques and flaws. We lost and it was for our mistake, for our lack of dedication, hardwork and sincerity.

“The loss also exposed the limitations of India’s preferred bowling attack. On a pitch seemingly prepared by the batting Gods, India’s bowlers did not have the skill or ability to limit the damage. It is a problem Dhoni acknowledged at the post-match press conference, “There was no turn on offer for the spinners,” Dhoni said. “Our fast bowlers, yes, they can swing the ball but when it’s flat they are not the ones who can push the batsmen on to the back foot. Even if we have bowlers who bowl quick, they don’t get the same amount of bounce from the same areas, as we don’t hit the deck as hard.”

What Dhoni left unsaid is that India is built to win only under certain circumstances – ones that favour the spinners. It is a strategy that is also predicated on the opposition not having quality spinners of their own, as England proved in 2011-12 in the Test series.

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith raised the question on TV after the match was done. Why, he wondered, was India so caught up with the idea of turning wickets? Why not prepare good wickets and build a team that can win in all conditions?”

Shashank Shekhar in his column writes about the goodbye from Viru Paaji. Again an emotional and an issue close to heart, he expresses the wonders of having good batsmen every time in time.

“Seldom in cricket history, such brilliance has come together in one team. If one has to look for similar quality in one line-up, the mind goes to the feared pace battery of West Indies in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the Caribbeans used to field Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner with the likes of Colin Croft and Sylvester Clarke waiting in the wings.

The ‘Fab 5’ had almost everything that a true cricket fan could ask for. When playing, they were like a classical ensemble, profound, rich and in perfect rhythm. Yet, the orchestra was capable of changing gears and reaching buoyant crescendos as and when the situation demanded.

They pooled their resources to lift the team. But while they complemented each other, they carved their own distinct niche. Their purpose bound them, their styles separated them. They made you think of the great playback singers of yesteryears who were so different from each other. One line and you could know whether it was Rafi, Kishore, Mukesh, Hemant, Talat or Manna Dey.

Similarly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and Sehwag had refreshingly different styles of expressing themselves with the willow. Tendulkar was the supremo, the modern Bradman who was just about perfect in everything he did in the middle. Dravid was the epic hero who combined great technique with mammoth powers of concentration. Ganguly was the fighter who batted with flair and tenacity while also marshalling his resources as captain. Laxman was the silent assassin whose batting was poetry in motion. Sehwag was the enforcer who rewrote the rules of batsmanship with his exceptional skill and amazing audacity.”

MakeTimeForSports talked in the simplest manner for both the gems of Indian cricket.

“They are both modest and soft-spoken to the point of being self-effacing.

One is still single and obviously a catch for any young woman.

The other is married to Aarti Ahlawat and has two sons Aryavir and Vedant.

One promised—in his retirement statement—to return with the headline ‘Zak is back’.

The other quoted Mark Twain claiming that stories of his retirement were greatly exaggerated.

Indian cricket will surely miss them.”

Shwetank Bhushan Singh wrote an emotional piece about Sehwag’s resignation for the Swarajya blog.

 “Sehwag on the cricket ground was always totally relaxed and stress-free like a spiritual monk. His batting wasn’t from a manual and was unlike others’. The world has wondered how he batted with such ease, in such a carefree manner. But for Viru, it was an art of living. Keep it simple, stay cool and utterly confident, smile and do what you love doing. The roadmap for a better life was right there in the middle of the ground. Play to your strength, forget your mistakes, forget your success, just don’t forget to smile. Someone rightly termed it ‘Sehwagology’.

Sehwag grew up, playing cricket wanting to play like Sachin Tendulkar. He was selected for the 1999 series against Pakistan but could score only 1 run in his debut ODI match. Later he got a chance to fill-up for his injured idol against New Zealand when he scored his first one-day hundred. He could have been mistaken for the little master, there was the same back-foot slash towards cover, the thunderous straight drive punch and the wristy glance to the leg. On his Test debut on a fiery pitch of Goodyear Park, South Africa, he matched the master stroke for stroke as they both scored centuries. But soon he emerged his own man.”

For Indians, cricket is the great unifier, a game that has seen love beyond all logic. These goodbyes are certainly hard to bear for the average Indian cricket fan. Looks like it was a season of losing for Indian cricket – be it 2 gems of the Indian Cricket team or the series against South Africa. But knowing Indian fans, we’re sure they will dust off these setbacks and be there to cheer at India’s next game with the same fervor.