Test Cricket: South Africa Delivers One More Overseas Drubbing For India!

New look or old look, new wine or old wine, old bottle or new bottle—whatever way you tend to look at Team India it has been historically proven that India never had answers to sheer fast bowling on green and bouncy tracks overseas. Indian batsmen from times immemorial get bogged down and bat tentatively when faced with fiery spells of pace bowling. That India have never won a single Test Series in Australia and in South Africa in its entire cricketing history is something the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) must not go on ignoring. A few wins here and there have been aberrations rather than being real. BCCI must veer away from its money-oriented policy of preparing ‘commercial’ dry tracks for one-day cricket, and spinning, often unplayable, tracks for Tests. It is not being cynical when we comment that Indian batsmen are kings at home and Indian spinners create wicket-taking records on pitches tailor made for them. While South African or other country fast bowlers generate bowling speed in excess of 150+ km per hour Indian ‘pace’ bowlers struggle to get to even 140. This is only natural because they do not have pace-friendly tracks at home where they play most of their cricket.

AB de Villers And F du Plessis

Even then, the ‘new look’ Team India dominated four days of the fantastic first cricket Test against South Africa in Johannesburg and got themselves into an immensely winnable position at stumps on the fourth day. Set a stiff target of 458 runs for victory in about one and half days South Africa were 138 for 2 at stumps. India just needed to mop up 8 wickets on the last day for a morale boosting victory after 2-0 drubbing in the ODI Series (3rd ODI was abandoned due to rains). A tremendous batting display by South Africa not only saved the Test but gave them a real chance to make history successfully chasing the highest ever target in the last innings. A brilliant double-century partnership between F du Plessis and AB de Villiers put India fully on the defensive and the hero-at-home Indian spinner R Ashwin went wicket-less on the fifth day whereas he is used to get it all over in three or four days back home. South Africa needed just 16 runs in the last 3 overs, but they started defending after losing the 7^th wicket in the form of du Plessis run out in the previous over and with Morkel unfit to bat. Nobody wanted to go one down in the BCCI-style two-Test Series and in the final analysis no team deserved to lose. However, Team India missed a great opportunity to go one up. The India cricket Board must learn from this that Test cricket is not gone yet, but can get you absorbed for five full days. Make way for exciting Tests at home too.

There was a similar situation in the Second Test in Durban at stumps on the fourth day when India were 68 for 2 and needed to bat out the full fifth day to draw the Series. But fiery spells of genuine fast bowling from Dale Steyn (total of 9 wickets in the match) and Philander paved the way for a meek Indian surrender like in so many overseas occasions. Their spinner Peterson too captured 4 scalps against a team supposed to be masters of spin. South Africa won by 10 wickets thus winning the Series 1-0. One more zero-margin drubbing for India on foreign soil. Leadership tactics and batting of the Indian captain MS Dhoni overseas are also matters that need lot of probing attention.

Kallis Goodby in Style

The most memorable part of the Durban Test was Jacques Kallis who suddenly announced his retirement from Test cricket after the Johannesburg match. The second Test was his last and what a fantastic way to say goodbye to cricket. Coming in a crucial juncture in the first innings the greatest all-rounder of modern cricket stayed put and crafted his 45^th Test century thus contributing immensely for his team’s win. Exit of Jacques Kallis would put a lot of pressure on South Africa just about to face Australia.

This year India have several overseas cricket tours starting with New Zealand later this month. It is up to them and the BCCI to try change history.

Happy New Year 2014!

A Very Happy New Year 2014 To You All! 

 

 

Peace, Hope, Safety For Women, Positive Vibes, Honesty, Political Stability---Let In! 

Unrest, Terrorism, Negativity, Corruption, Political Opportunism, Crimes---Let Go!

 

Let Us Celebrate The Good! 

Politics Of Corruption: The Mystery Of The Adarsh Scam!

Nagpur: The final Report of the Two-member Inquiry Commission appointed in January, 2011 to look into the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam was tabled in Maharashtra Legislature by a hesitant Government yesterday. The Report names three ex-Chief Ministers of Maharashtra in same roles, one former CM in the role of revenue minister and two existing cabinet ministers in the roles of urban development ministers for giving political patronage to the Adarsh society in Mumbai. It names about twenty top existing and retired bureaucrats for illegal ownership of flats, nepotism and favouritism, and blatant violation of housing rules. Citing the classic saying that ' a man needs just five and half feet of land finally' the Report terms the Adarsh as a tale of absolute greed and corruption and the most shameful act for a progressive state like Maharashtra.

The high drama and suspense leading to tabling the Report started, in fact, from 19th of April, 2013 when the Commission had submitted its final Report to Maharashtra Government. Pressure had been mounting on the Government since then to table the Report in Legislature. Opposition political parties had been keeping no stone unturned to corner the Government at every opportunity. The Government had avoided the burden saying it needed time to prepare an action taken report. The winter session of Maharashtra began on 9th of this month-a day after main Opposition BJP had spectacular election victories in four states. This single fact made the Opposition emboldened and extremely attacking from the beginning.

During the session Bombay High Court issued a directive to Maharashtra Government to present the Report positively in this session. BJP claimed credit for this saying one of its party-men moved the PIL in the High Court. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan assured that the Report would in fact be tabled during this Nagpur session. Opposition parties alleged that the Report would be kept for the last day so that discussion could not be initiated.

Meantime in another twist to the Adarsh story Maharashtra Governor denied CBI permission to prosecute Ashok Chavan-one of the tainted ex-Chief Ministers in the Adarsh scam. Agitated Opposition members smelt conspiracy in this too.

On the final day when tabling of the Report was expected any time the confusion got compounded by one more twist. Around noon news of Maharashtra Cabinet rejecting the Adarsh Report in a special morning meeting in Nagpur was raging across news channels. Out efforts to confirm this from CMO office failed as officials confirmed only the meeting and not the decision which they said would be announced during the tabling of the Report.

However, the ambiguity prevailed even after the winter Session concluded. Even as the Speakers in both houses of Maharashtra Legislature continued to disallow discussion on the Report leading to repeated adjournments the Government still did not spell out why it had rejected the Report or if rejected at at all. Much later it was more or less revealed in the four-line Action Taken Report submitted in the house that said the Government had rejected the Report. Opposition protests reached huge dimensions as angry members tore up the Report outside the assembly house. They charged that the Government was trying to protect its corrupt Ministers and top bureaucrats. The Opposition had in fact been relentless in its fight against former and present tainted Cabinet Ministers disrupting the house for days as the Anti Corruption Lokpal Bill was debated and passed by the Indian Parliament, with BJP supporting.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, in his press conference immediately after the Maharashtra Legislature got adjourned till Budget Session in Mumbai from 24th February, 2014, decided to keep mum on possible reasons for rejecting the Report saying it would be discussed at the appropriate time. Prithviraj Chavan has been known for integrity and clean image. Now Opposition parties are raising serious questions on him while Congress party-men continue to repose faith in his decision.

Knowledgeable sources offer the argument that since the Maharashtra Governor refused permission to CBI to prosecute Ashok Chavan the Cabinet perhaps found it inappropriate to accept the Report. Whatever, the mystery around the Adarsh scam only deepens at this moment. The story looks far from being a closed chapter with the anti corruption spirit engulfing the country in a most positive and unprecedented way. And of course, with the General Elections-2014 just round the corner.