The rise of "Men in Blue"

              Match fixing controversies hit the cricketing world about a decade and a half ago. Stars turned villains. Names unheard of, came to the scene. Evolved a team, under the leadership of an instinctive and aggressive captain. Sourav Ganguly taught team India to win overseas, made youngsters believe in themselves and made them perform to make Indian team take a leap ahead. But like every other leader, Dada had to leave, passing on the mantle to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, currently the most valued brand in India. And since then, it has been a fairy tale for Indian cricket. 

Critics may crib about his technique which is not so sound. He has got no class of a Dravid or a Jayawardene nor the impact of a Sachin or a Ponting but still he is dominant in his own way with the bat. With his unorthodox hitting he can be a nightmare to bowlers around the world. Dhoni, the batsman always had ups and down but keeps coming up with awe inspiring when the odds are against him. Obviously for a goal-keeper turned wicket-keeper, his acrobatics are stunning on field. He has given captaincy and leadership a new meaning. Not being conventional is his strength. Though some of his decisions on field are hard to understand by cricketing logic, they do come off more often than not. It is this tenacity and gut feeling that has made MSD unique and successful. Promptly put forth by a brand he endorses - "To be successful, you need to be different". But for someone who has led Indian team to glory in all the formats, the recent allegations levelled at him could have probably hurt him, for he is a human too. But as always like a true leader, he marshalled his boys and gave them his trust and support and eventually won. The manner in which Dhoni pumped his fist after CT win showed what the triumph meant to the otherwise composed skipper. 

The extent of Dhoni's achievements has now gone beyond even the best of best could possibly aspire for. It makes him, in terms of success, modern-day cricket's greatest captain. In the last 5 years or so, he has led the Indian team to more highs than lows marked by significant winnings. T20 WC in 2007, ODI WC in 2011 -  a second one for India, Champions Trophy in 2013.  Add to this, topping the charts in Tests and ODIs on the way. He has left no stone unturned. The only trophy that he doesn't have under his belt - Ranji. No better way to stamp one's authority and dominance. This can be termed as conquering at it's best. Then there is always a debate on whether the team or the captain should be accountable for wins and losses. "Good teams make good captains" say some, while a few others differ saying, "Good captains make good teams". Either way, Team India and MSD have become synonymous in reaching the pinnacle. The Men in Blue are on the rise and for years to come, we may hope that this purple patch continues. Rest assured, Team India is well on course to lift  the WC in 2015 with a young and enthusiastic bunch.

-DC

The curious case of Rohit Sharma

Five seasons of IPL had gone by and the "under achievers" tag had been stuck to a team with a collection of superstars that would often fail on big nights. But came the sixth season, and the team saw itself change to a champion side that absorbed pressure and overcame it. Mumbai Indians has finally won an IPL title and are no longer under achievers. Everyone knows how events would normally turn up in an IPL final. An opposition such as CSK would apply pressure, and invariably the oponents would cave in. Not the case this year. (Neither was it last year.) For the second time in two years, CSK failed to clear the final hurdle. For MI, credit largely needs to be given to their new found leader, Rohit Sharma.

This leaves an interesting case on hand. When Gautam Gambhir captained KKR to their first IPL trophy in 2012, there were suggestions he was a possible replacement for MSD. Sehwag was in the race too, being the then deputy. But their recent woes in form have possibly left them both out of contention. It seems so unlikely that they would even be seen in Indian colours again. Raina has done well as a stand-in, in whatever opportunities he has got.  Kohli with all his aggression and intensity has shown that he is ready to take things over from MSD. Yet, temperament (or the lack of ) has left him in dire straits off late. For a time unheard, there was a steady rise of Rohit Sharma, deputy to captain for the MI in IPL for last 2 years. Failure of Ponting led to Rohit taking over and it has been a fairly tale since then. 

It is hard to believe that Rohit Sharma made his international debut as many as six years ago. Still not a regular in the Indian XI. But we may assume that some realisation has dawned on him. Perhaps missing out on the 2011 World Cup squad had stirred him into a better fitness regime. What followed was match winning performances against Westindies. But again as you would always expect from Rohit Sharma, a period of rut followed in Australia and Srilanka. Every failure weighed him down further and further. For all the elegance, he may bat like a dream, but a few failures and the shoulders will drop even more, and the give away expression will reappear. 

This IPL, he was in charge of a side comprising some of the best men to ever play international cricket and has succeeded as leader. He showed glimpses of MSD with his changes on field. Admittedly, he had an army of legends for a think-tank. While that means he would have never been short of ideas and suggestions, it could also have been detrimental, if he were hesitant to take his own decisions. Rohit is understood to have listened to everyone, and then gone by his gut feeling. And while doing all that, he also had his best IPL season with the bat.

As special as a player might be, he can only excel when he accepts and starts believing how good he actually is. And so he did. "I like to keep things simple and trust my instinct," he has said. "We have so many guys who have led their teams in international cricket and they're always there for me with advice and support. I get inputs from all of them but the final decisions are left to me." He definitely took vital calls on the field. No matter what you discuss in meetings it is up to the captain to come up with substantial moves on field and he did that to good effect. Holding your own among such institutions, and having a trophy to show for it, has to be a significant confidence booster for a young man. But can he translate that confidence into success as a batsman in the international stage is there to be seen. For now, (even if it is early) we may still believe that we have an able successor for MSD.

- DC

Courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo

10 reasons why I like the Chennai Super Kings (by hbkniranjan)

There is a lot of bullshitting about the Chennai Super Kings over how they make it to the playoffs every season. N Srinivasan scripts all of CSK’s wins from his bathroom, politics, blah blah blah. While there is no denying that the IPL is full of controversy, why is that CSK always paraded as the team to hate just because they are so good? Now, I am from the same state but that’s not the reason why I like the CSK.

CSK: Giants of the IPL

  

1. CSK is the only team to embrace the concept of a domestic league in the right way. There is a very CHENNAI flavor in every aspect of CSK. The ‘Whistle Podu’ theme belongs to Chennai. Isn’t there one flavor that you can connect to a Mumbai or a Kolkatta or a Jaipur?

2. CSK is the only team to have embraced the concept of a club properly. Faf Du Plessis was an unknown when CSK signed him 2 years ago. Now he’s our leading scorer. That’s what successful EPL teams to. That’s what we do.

  

3. The dressing room of CSK is widely known as the happiest of all in IPL teams. The pranks, the way newcomers are made comfortable is a mark of great teams.

  

4. When CSK plays and a batsman hits a four, they don’t have to show Shah Rukh Khan clapping, when a six is hit, they don’t have to show the Shetty sisters hugging or when a batsman gets out they don’t have to show Priety Zinta cussing and discussing strategy with the coach. It’s strictly the players and the fans and that’s how it should be. The lesser the distractions, the better the team.

  

5. After the incident involving Shah Rukh Khan at the Wankhede Stadium, Juhi Chawla was quoted as saying “If today Shah Rukh Khan were to get upset and quit the IPL I wonder if there’d be any people watching the matches… in Wankhede or any stadium.” Seriously, if Wankhede comes to watch Shah Rukh Khan rather than Sachin’s batting, then God save cricket.

  

6. Despite the dash of IPL, Chennai still and will remain the most knowledgeable of all crowds in India. That’s a mark of fans who will remain loyal to CSK all life. If you think about it you will understand what I am saying. Remember, Sachin was booed once in Mumbai. That will never happen to any cricketer in Chennai (Except Virat Kohli when he plays for RCB)

  

7. As a team, CSK is not dependent on one player like how RCB have in Gayle and Kolkatta in Gambir. Every time we find some player finishing it in tight situations. Morkel, Bravo, Dhoni, it’s a finishing line up to dream.

  

8. One of the most important factors is how well the local lads and generally the Indian players have played for us. Vijay, Badri, Anirudha, Ashwin and Balaji have all won games for us. Name one team that has so many local lads in their team and doing well. Add to that Raina and Dhoni. So the over dependence on overseas players is negated in CSK.

  

9. Harsha Bhogle tweeted this after the last season win he said “Eventually the best team, the best organized, the best selected and the best led won the IPL and that is how it should be”. Need anything more to say.

10. Actually, there is one more thing to say… “We are the Bloody Champs”! Distracters talk about N Srinivasan’s role in the team and his influence as the BCCI’s big fish. Let me clarify. His India Cements Company is involved with cricket for 60 years now. They are responsible for bringing up players like Rahul Dravid. So here’s the thing… N Srinivasan is the president of the most powerful cricket board in the world. Would you credit every Indian Win as his script?