Cricket: England Win Test Series Against India 2-1!

England thoroughly deserved to win the cricket Test Series in India against India, and they won today forcing a draw in the fourth and last Test in Nagpur. Thus they have won a Test Series in India in 28 years—the last Series victory was in 1984-85 and the margin was also 2-1. The Series victory came despite losing the first Test, despite the rabid ‘Revenge Series’ slogan, despite the Indian pitches and threesome foursome Indian spinners, despite the ‘home’ conditions and crowds, despite poor umpiring decisions that mostly affected England till the fourth day of the fourth Test in Nagpur and despite Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. 

England deserved to win because of their determined diehard professional approach, all-round performances in all disciplines of the game, a memorably prolific captain Cook leading from the front and the team playing as a cohesive unit. They won the Mumbai and Kolkata Tests convincingly thrashing a lackluster Team India as Cook went on creating history. In Nagpur, the slow and low pitch made England crawl from day one and their solid defensive tactics did in fact help them preserving their 2-1 lead. Captain Cook made another kind of history here by scoring a match total of 14 runs in 121 balls (first innings 1 in 28 and second innings 13 in 93) and falling to umpiring blunders on each occasion.

England had a nervous time on the fourth day yesterday as India, inexplicably slow in scoring runs despite having just two wickets in hand, finally made 326 for 9 declared conceding only a 4-run lead. It was delicate situation because an English collapse could give the match to India, and importantly give away a historic series win. Therefore, proceedings were extremely slow and when England lost two quick wickets at 94 for 3 the lead was not enough for thoughts about safety. But Trott (66 not out) took full control then and with solid company of Bell (24 not out) steered the team total to 161 for 3 at stumps. England reached safety for a Series win on the last day today. They only needed to play out the first session, and they exactly did that and even more building a mammoth partnership of 208 runs. Trott (143) notched his eighth hundred and his first since March, 2012.  Ensuring a Series victory England went to almost ridiculous extent batting beyond the Tea break maybe allowing Bell (116 not out) to have his hundred too.  Finally England reached 354 for 4 when a draw was agreed upon making way for a historic Series victory. Indian spinner foursome was a complete disappointment and to Dhoni's prolonged agony his pitch just refused to break up. 

For India, apart from the first Test that they won banking mainly on Cheteshwar Pujara, nothing significant happened in the entire Series except for the near double hundred partnership between Virat Kohli and skipper Dhoni on the third day that generated some hope of a result in India’s favor. Kohli finally came back to form and notched up his third century, but Dhoni 'Negative' did not still deserve one, and as if by divine design he fell to an immensely avoidable run-out for 99—an occurrence that hardly raised any eyebrows anywhere in his country. As the state of things with Team India are at the moment, even that huge partnership came to nought with another Indian mini collapse making the total reel at 297 for 8 at end of play on the third day, still trailing by 33 runs. The Scorecard:

India on this collective Test failure have nothing but to learn a few precious English lessons now: be patient, determined and defensive when required if you think you are playing Test matches; never bother too much about pitch conditions or alien conditions; allow the team play united and with mutual trust; never use your clout to the detriment of your team or nation howsoever big you are; do not ever fall prey to favoritism or nepotism and behave well on field always even if you are playing before your home crowds whose support you take for granted.   

Now, all eyes are glued to what is not going to happen to Indian Cricket! Or happen?

Connecticut School Massacre: What Is Wrong With American Society?

Now it is Newton, Connecticut. Another tranquil and wealthy locality just 96 km north east of New York City, believed to be the safest place in United States of America. There is an educational institution named Sandy Hook Elementary School in the south west of Connecticut there. Young children aged between five to ten came there on Friday morning too as there was nothing special about that day.

As made clear later a masked gunman carrying a rifle and two handguns entered the school and started firing like a madman. At least 27 people including 18-20 little innocent children and the school principal were killed before the state and federal authorities moved in and took the wounded to hospitals. The killer identified as 20 year old Adam Lanza was earlier mistaken for his elder brother Ryan Lanza. He was believed to have killed first his mother who was a teacher in the elementary school, drove his mother’s car into the school premises, fired blindly at least 100 rounds and then killed self within the school.  

One of the worst shootings in educational institutions of America since the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 happened again mindlessly and heartlessly. The pain felt by every parent there, in USA and elsewhere in the world has to be indescribable and heavy and numbing. President Barack Obama broke down addressing the media and ordered the flags in White House to be flown at half mast. The parent in him was anguished and he assured that effective action would be taken. Action in preventing such mayhem rather than in the aftermath must be planned and chalked out.

Along with all sensible Americans we condemn such attacks against humanity with all our heart and soul. We appeal for the US authorities to find reasons and motives so as to prevent such attacks in future. 

We had discussed the issue of hate crimes, mindless firings and shootings in educational institutions in USA earlier in these pages here when just in July and August this year two heinous firings had taken place—first in a movie premiere and the other in a tranquil religious place of worship.  Everyone on planet earth must be severely disturbed and anguished by the ominous regularity of such crimes in USA since the last few years, particularly in 2012. What is wrong with the American society? Is the demographic pattern changing or creating conflicts within? Are the recessionary trends and unemployment causing disturbances in the society? Is the economic disparity or high level corruption or snobbery responsible? Is their value system or the erosion therein responsible? Americans must introspect hard and must find the answers before it is too late. Obama on his second term must too spell out his effective action sooner than later.

Cricket: India On The Backfoot Again In Nagpur Test Against England!

That the normally greenish bouncing pitch in Nagpur behaved like an under-prepared one from the first day yesterday maybe thanks to MS Dhoni’s diktats, he lost the toss though this time. That India included four spinners and a lonely pace bowler called Ishant Sharma. That India managed to put England in a spot thanks not to the spinners galore, but to the lone pacer. That India allowed England to wriggle out of the spot easily and later on in different similar spots too, though India did manage to slow down run-scoring which rather helped England as they would win the Series with a draw. That on Dhoni’s pitch England got to a healthy total of 330 runs thanks to brave low order efforts by Prior and spinner Swann. That England’s two excellent spinners got more of the pitch than the four Indian ones. That England put India on the backfoot reducing them to 87 for 4 at stumps on the second day today with all the top four guns back in pavilion. All these cricketing facts hardly matter. What matter are the news about the game of Indian Cricket, the speculations and the possible outcome not naturally to follow after this last Test between India and England. What finally happens in Nagpur Test is not the concern; the concern is what finally does not happen to Indian Cricket. Indian cricket fans have been focused on devouring more and more news about cricket of late. Pity! (By the way, if you are still interested in this Test here is the Scorecard)

Immediately after Humiliation No.2 in Kolkata the squad for the fourth Test was announced. We have said here that the three replacements were scapegoats, and Indian cricket’s living legend Sunil Gavaskar later in the day called two of the three as scapegoats indeed. Two days later ace ex-cricketer Mohinder, fondly called Jimmy, Amarnath spilled the beans as to why big superstars always get protected by the Big (Money?) for a variety of reasons and vested interests. Amarnath, one of the then selectors in BCCI, asked for Dhoni's sack and he mustered three of the five votes, but nothing happened to Dhoni and instead Jimmy found himself sacked in the next appointment of national selectors.  The speculations got wild with experts, ex-players, lovers of the game and fans crying about a no-good or divided or demoralized Team India. Of course, some of them lambasted the fact that it was not the right time for such debates as Team India had yet to play the last Test and that they should not get demoralized. Well, the boys are always the pampered ones regardless of what they do on the field.

The old Indian story is too obvious. Here the dirty rich ones and the powerful ones get dirtier richer and more powerful as they grow old. They muster so much clout over time that their age never becomes a consideration. They can be found sitting mighty in any field of activity—be it politics, arts, sports or cricket. Therefore, the result of the Nagpur Test is hardly a concern as we have mentioned in the beginning. What might still not happen to Indian cricket in the coming days or months is the overwhelming mystery for all concerned.