Cricket is a game that is discussed in every nook and corner of our country. And nothing in India is talked about more than Sachin Tendulkar's form. The frequently asked questions are diverse, ranging from has he lost his touch to why he no longer blasts away from the moment the umpire calls 'Play'.
I believe I have the answer to some of these questions.
As a former 'smasher' of the cricket ball, I know the thrills of hitting out from ball one. But there is something such as maturity that comes with age and makes one realise that the same number of runs can be scored with a far less amount of risk. That is what experience teaches you and Sachin is no different. Today he uses all his experience to bat according to the situation and that's exactly what he did against Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Chasing a total of 177 is not a big deal and so Sachin bided his time. Remember how he blasted off from ball one against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup whilst chasing a far more imposing score.
That's what batting according to the situation is all about. Also, let's not forget that Sachin's role has changed a bit too. With hitters such as Sehwag and Yuvraj around, Sachin can afford to take it a bit easy and in a team game, that's the way it should be.
The other point of debate in the otherwise dull second round match revolved around Ganguly choosing to bowl first. I must confess that I thought the Indians would be better off batting first and allowing their batsmen to run into form but then Ganguly must have had his reasons.
{{/usCountry}}The other point of debate in the otherwise dull second round match revolved around Ganguly choosing to bowl first. I must confess that I thought the Indians would be better off batting first and allowing their batsmen to run into form but then Ganguly must have had his reasons.
{{/usCountry}}The one reason I can think of is that the Indians had made up their minds to achieve the bonus point and that is best done against the weaker teams by chasing a target. When chasing you know exactly how many runs to get and the number of overs to get them in.
Of course, it could be argued that the way Bangladesh have been shaping up, the bonus point would have come anyway. I don't want to seem harsh but it is a fact that Bangladesh is one side that has shown hardly any improvement. Teams like Kenya, with a far smaller base to chose from, have created more upsets and played far more competitively than Bangladesh.
Cricket these days is very popular and with so much money involved, the competitive edge cannot be lost. One the one hand, I do agree that globalisation is the way to go but at the same time it should be done in such a manner that the level of the game is not brought down. I strongly feel that Bangladesh must play a lot of 'A' team cricket.
As for the Sri Lanka-Pakistan clash, I was totally disappointed with the way Pakistan batted. That they scored less than Bangladesh was very shocking. Such defeats raise a doubt about the cohesiveness of the team. Pakistan cricket has always been about too many clashes within the team and nothing much seems to have changed. The good part is that Pakistan conceding a bonus point has helped the Indian cause. (XSports Bangalore)