As a keen and continuous follower of the game of cricket for the last 50 years, I feel that following steps are urgently needed to stem the rot.

1. Rahul Dravid should step down as captain. In fact, he should have already offered.
2. Sachin Tendulkar should announce his retirement from cricket. He should have already done so. It is painful to see such a great player facing humiliation on the field every now and then.
3. Virender Sehwag should be asked to play domestic or even county cricket for one year to restore his form and confidence and also to learn the art of tackling all sorts of balls. He may be considered again only after that.
4. Saurav Ganguly should be made interim captain for sometime and in the meantime permanent solution in this regard be found out. Even Dravid could be reconsidered but it is essential to restore his form first.
5. Robin Uthappa should be persisted with for one or two more series.
6. Irfan Pathan should not be discarded. He can even be tried as a batting all rounder.
7. Mohammad Kaif should be tried for a longish duration higher up the order. He has the talent and his fielding asset is unquestionable.
8. For sometime Dinesh Karthick should be given regular chance. Dhoni should show more responsibility on batting front. Much has been counted on him but not delivered.
9. Ramesh Powar should be given regular chance.
10. Search for attacking bowlers should be intensified with a sense of urgency.
11. Those players whose indiscipline is established should not be allowed to go scot free.
12. Youngsters should be inducted one or two at a time because victories cannot be achieved without experience.
13. Coach Greg Chappell must go. He has not been able to achieve anything. Indian cricket has not gained during his tenure. Reason may be any, we have ended with a humiliating loss.
14. An Indian should be made the coach. It is wrong to say coaches within are not available I suggest the name of Mohinder Amarnath.

Let us save Indian cricket and not allow it to go hockey way.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Be the First One to Tell this Story to others:

Sports and Expectations

Trying to understand the role of Unfair expectations and violent behavior (in sports, government, friendship and even marital relationships) through sports. The various players in each area may have new names, but all of these roles are required to flame tensions.
Note: This is not a story about the fall of India and Pakistan Cricket Teams, but of Soccer, Domestic Violence, Career Struggle, and all our personal problems at one go.

Why do people spill out on streets and damage property when their favourite team loses? (why does the same thing happen when our representatives/ government takes out a bill which is not fair to all and which was not part of the election agenda)

The main cause of violent behavior is HIGH EXPECTATIONS. We cheer our national/ city team due to our birth-affiliation. Now media drums up a picture which may not be in line with realities. Actually our expectations here are BORROWED EXTECTATIONS - they are given to us by the Media - or in other words these are media’s expectations.

Usually this is the PROCESS:

1. An unfairly high rating given to team by national media
2. Advertisers surpass their budgets to drum up people’s expectations further
3. Advertisers play on national sentiments to garner high sales (to cover up for their advertisement costs)
4. Pages getting dedicated to the Team as well as advertisements on these pages giving people a belief that they are backing the right horse
5. This all puts the team under huge pressure.
6. This pressure actually divides the team since no one would like to show up as the villian in the unlikely scenario of a loss. So all players are playing for their safety and team victory is a second goal.
7. The team loses due to pressure to similarly ranked opponents quite easily and sometimes can be beaten by other low ranked opponents.
8. Once the Team loses to an easy Opponent, the pressure on them is increased, as worried Advertisers/ Media/ Betters/ Fans start calling the players individually
9. Media now enters a Banned Domain. They start playing to the galleries. They start advising Players on how to play. They are advise Captains on whom to play. Obviously this advice is not for the players (usually they don’t get to hear it), it is for the Fans. So, if the team loses, they come out Shining! (if the team wins their theories still stay as they didn’t get tested). So, in the end, like an astrologer, they always win the heart of their readers. Readers, Who, end up thinking of media as being the EXPERT and the coach, captain and team as being foolish.
10. Violence takes root in terms of violent words flying (Media), altercations in press and finally physical violence (Fans).
11. Now starts the catharsis. Left with no option, but to appease the fans (especially if they are a large Voter Bank), measures are promised and heads have to roll.
12. IT IS NOT GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT STORY THE NEXT TIME.

Take the case of Indian Soccer / Football. Why has there never been a hue and cry over their losses? Because there are no unfair expectations.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Be the First One to Tell this Story to others:

True to the Vineet’s Cricket Team Rankings, the first 6 teams made it to the second round (in sharp contrast to only 4 out of top 6 teams in ICC Rankings) with 2 teams Pakistan (7th) and India (8th) getting replaced by other teams.

I still expect my rankings to hold true and 4 Teams from 1-5 rankings (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka) to make the next round. Most like a toss up between England and Sri Lanka, with possibly Sri Lanka going through since Jayasuriya is passing through a very special period. Most likely even the lineup order would remain the same as my rankings.

This all points to a question, whether the ICC Ranking system holds true? They didn’t even acknowledge that a team called Ireland could be ranked, whereas, I had Ireland at No. 6 in my ranking!! ICC gives high ranking to India and Pakistan (in the top 6) whereas my rating was at 7 and 8 (at the edge of qualification).

My ranking system is based on the ranking of the players who represent the country in the previous year, and the performance of each one of them counts. Which means a failed try would also be counted as much as a succesful debut, and each team member would need to contribute before the team can be ranked high.I would surely like your comments about what you think of all this? Do post your comments right here.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Be the First One to Tell this Story to others: