When will Shahrukh Khan sack John Buchanan? This is the question that is in every Bengali’s lips. Will he have the sense to do it? Will he finally realize that 20/20 cricket doesn’t have place for an oldie (an oldie coach that is, IPL has already proved that it has place for players on the wrong side of 35).
Whether Shahrukh sack Buchanan or not, it is a fact that Buchanan has not learnt. He is as flexible as an iron pole. Hearing all the statements and ideas he has it is very difficult even for a Kolkata native to suppress his anger, I don’t know how Shahrukh is still controlling himself. He was in South Africa, did he find any cricket expert support Buchanan’s ideas, I dare ask. It is one thing being foolhardy, but entirely different to be foolish. Shahrukh doesn’t come across as such a foolish person.
And the question I want to ask, does Buchanan have any shame. Any self respecting person will try to remain silent in the situation he is in. But this shameless Aussie seems to be crossing all limits. He has publicly said that his team is following a Batting Strategy and that’s the reason why Mushraffe Mortaza, Ajantha Mendis is not getting a game. A batting strategy?? Please check your leading Batsmen’s average and strike rate, except Brad Hodge in the last 2 games. Your captain who is also the Opening Batsman’s score looked like a Telephone number 0,1,3,0. When he scored more than 10 in the last match, he probably thought he was playing a Test Match. May be this entire season Buchanan will experiment with his batting strategy and then next year (if he manages to hold on to his job) he will experiment with bowling strategy. Why can’t Shahrukh advice him to buy a team and do all the experiments he want like he so arrogantly advice Sunil Gavaskar?
In his utter desperation Buchanan now wants more than 4 foreign players in the playing XI. Has he forgotten this is the INDIAN Premier League? Why doesn’t he search for a job in the proposed American League? In the absence of local players, Buchanan can select as many foreign (read Australian) players as he wants. He can single handedly become Queensland’s Largest employer for jobless, talentless cricketers and ex-cricketers. Is it our fault that he cannot spot young Indian talent like S Jataki, T Suman, S Tyagi etc??
Buchanan, by suggesting every playing XI should have more foreign players is insulting Indian Talents and in turn India. I want to see the Indian Media to highlight this. Is it not the right of every Indians to uphold its pride? When will we stop stooping in front of white skinned people?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sharukh Khan tired of his new toy?
We all have been seeing statements of the Kolkata Knight Rider owner Mr. Shahrukh Khan all over the place, stating that he will not return to South Africa. He has stated that he is so upset that he doesn't think it necessary to be with his team and will only be returning to South Africa once his team starts winning. And it seems that his team is determined to save their owner the trouble of making the long and tiresome journey. We are also reading that Shahrukh wants to sell off is team and is holding talks with some Industrialists to see if he can offload his burden.
With all this news floating around, it makes me and everyone wonder what was the motive of Shahrukh Khan to initially jump into this IPL Bandwagon? Is it really because of his love for sport? Is it because he was close to the BCCI power center and couldn’t refuse their request, as his name definitely meant lot of publicity for the newly conceptualized tournament? Is it because he wanted IPL to be the vehicle to increase his political clout? Is it because he wanted to be one up against his Bollywood competitors? Or, is it because he wanted to promote the brand SHAHRUKH KHAN?
He has given thousands of bytes in front of the Camera emphasizing how much he loves sport, how it was not about making money, how he plans to gradually invest for the promotion of some other sport in the future. Listening him rant and rave about his noble thoughts and motives, we actually started believing him; He was enthusiastic about his new plaything and we read about the numerous sleepless nights he spent trying to perfect every aspect of his team. His team didn’t really kick up the storm on the cricket grounds (apart from the 1st match against Bangalore), but the passion was there and the fans were behind the team. So we thought Shahrukh was happy.
But this year everything has turned horribly wrong. His move to give John Buchanan the free reign about the cricketing matters has spelled disaster. Their move to remove Saurav Ganguly from the captaincy at the 11th hour destroyed the team spirit. I blame Shahrukh more for it. He was unable to gauge the tremendous ill-will this move will generate. Suddenly he alienated himself from the millions of his fans and followers of the team. You cannot buy a Kolkata team and insult Kolkata's favorite son. The tournament won’t be played in South Africa every year, next year you have to come to Kolkata again and have to request these fans to support you.
But this year’s disastrous campaign cannot be the only reason for him to suddenly losing all his interest? How can you possibly desert your own ship and hide in the comforts of your home and that too after making such lofty statements. You mentioned in your blog that you love your players like your son. So would you desert your son, if God forbid, he fails in something he does? He himself wrote to his team in his blog that ‘It is not about how hard you hit, how well you can take a hit’. He himself preached his team that ‘you can loose a game but don’t be a loser’. Shahrukh it seems you don’t preach what you follow, and since you couldn’t take the hit well, can we call you a ‘LOOSER’?
The problem is Shahrukh was habituated being called the King of Bollywood by the press. He is used to all the adulations and hysteria he creates wherever he goes and whatever he does. He played larger than life characters in his movies over and over again. He probably started believing he can win everything and everybody with his charm. But this is sport, and if you are not sincere you will not win in sport. Shahrukh by flying back home in the middle of the tournament, talking about selling the team, has proved that he was not sincere. I am sure millions of his erstwhile fans will not forgive him for making them believe otherwise.
With all this news floating around, it makes me and everyone wonder what was the motive of Shahrukh Khan to initially jump into this IPL Bandwagon? Is it really because of his love for sport? Is it because he was close to the BCCI power center and couldn’t refuse their request, as his name definitely meant lot of publicity for the newly conceptualized tournament? Is it because he wanted IPL to be the vehicle to increase his political clout? Is it because he wanted to be one up against his Bollywood competitors? Or, is it because he wanted to promote the brand SHAHRUKH KHAN?
He has given thousands of bytes in front of the Camera emphasizing how much he loves sport, how it was not about making money, how he plans to gradually invest for the promotion of some other sport in the future. Listening him rant and rave about his noble thoughts and motives, we actually started believing him; He was enthusiastic about his new plaything and we read about the numerous sleepless nights he spent trying to perfect every aspect of his team. His team didn’t really kick up the storm on the cricket grounds (apart from the 1st match against Bangalore), but the passion was there and the fans were behind the team. So we thought Shahrukh was happy.
But this year everything has turned horribly wrong. His move to give John Buchanan the free reign about the cricketing matters has spelled disaster. Their move to remove Saurav Ganguly from the captaincy at the 11th hour destroyed the team spirit. I blame Shahrukh more for it. He was unable to gauge the tremendous ill-will this move will generate. Suddenly he alienated himself from the millions of his fans and followers of the team. You cannot buy a Kolkata team and insult Kolkata's favorite son. The tournament won’t be played in South Africa every year, next year you have to come to Kolkata again and have to request these fans to support you.
But this year’s disastrous campaign cannot be the only reason for him to suddenly losing all his interest? How can you possibly desert your own ship and hide in the comforts of your home and that too after making such lofty statements. You mentioned in your blog that you love your players like your son. So would you desert your son, if God forbid, he fails in something he does? He himself wrote to his team in his blog that ‘It is not about how hard you hit, how well you can take a hit’. He himself preached his team that ‘you can loose a game but don’t be a loser’. Shahrukh it seems you don’t preach what you follow, and since you couldn’t take the hit well, can we call you a ‘LOOSER’?
The problem is Shahrukh was habituated being called the King of Bollywood by the press. He is used to all the adulations and hysteria he creates wherever he goes and whatever he does. He played larger than life characters in his movies over and over again. He probably started believing he can win everything and everybody with his charm. But this is sport, and if you are not sincere you will not win in sport. Shahrukh by flying back home in the middle of the tournament, talking about selling the team, has proved that he was not sincere. I am sure millions of his erstwhile fans will not forgive him for making them believe otherwise.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
KKR - Settling for the Last Position?
There is a limit to everything. Before each match I pray, that this will the match in which KKR will turn around. But how long can you hope or pray? KKR team has become the joke of the season and everyone is laughing at its expense. Shahrukh has produced a blockbuster comedy, just by being himself. Every News Paper , every Web Site , every Blogger is spewing venom about the KKR team, reading everything that is being written, I am feeling numb. Imagine if this is the situation of a Fan, what will be the situation of the Owner, Director of Coaches, CEO, Players and everyone who is attached to the team, I am sure they are brain dead by now. Everyone may beg to disagree, KKR's director of coaches was brain dead all along they would argue.
The Knight Riders are not the strongest on the paper and their team formation is flawed. But the strongest team doesn't necessarily win always. We have seen what happened to Deccan Chargers last year and what Rajasthan Royals achieved. The lack of skill and ability can be overcome with Passion, Determination and Will to excel. We have seen many mediocre players excel or atleast rise to the occasion with the help of sheer passion, many underdogs beating the favorites. But Buchanan & Co. nipped that possibility in the bud by removing Saurav from the captaincy and making McCullum the captain and that too at the 11th hour. The way the whole saga was handled, it only managed to destroy the team’s morale. I always thought Shahrukh was an intelligent man, but his stance on this matter makes me think otherwise.
Everyone makes mistakes but you have to learn from your mistakes. But Buchanan and Co are too proud to even accept their mistakes, let alone learn from them. You don't have to be a Physiatrist to understand that McCullum is reeling under the pressure of handing 3 responsibilities - Opening the Batting and giving the team a flying start, Wicketkeeping and Captaining the side. But we still don't see any effort to change. Even for the sake of change he could be demoted in the batting order to allow his nerves to settle down. With Chris Gayle in the team, it was at the best interest of the team that a solid player be sent to open with Gayle and given the task of scoring only a run a ball. Would that be too difficult for Akash Chopra or even Buchanan's favourite Brad Hodge?? Mindless team selection, Mindless Batting Order and Mindless Bowling Changes is hurting the team. If you start counting the atrocious decisions taken by the team management, defying all cricketing logic, it would be staggering number. Mccullum would be happy if he could score that many runs in a match. It continued even today. On a spinning wicket Ajantha Mendis was not given a match. Laxmiratan, who bowled so wel in the last match, was not given to bowl. Why Saurav in the 5th over? Questions, questions and more questions but you will never get an answer. The standard line from the management will be 'If these decisions were successful everyone would have been praising us'. Sure everyone would be praising, but there is big IF in between. If everything that doesn't happen normally start happening who knows what would have happened? Confused...right???
Shahrukh Khan couldn't take it any more, and finally realizing that there is also a limit to the negative publicity he can take flew back to India. Suddenly he has become the most responsible Indian Citizen. I heard he will be back only if the team starts winning. In the mean time he will probably just write blogs in the KKR website to inspire his team. Shahrukh you must have heard the adage "Drastic situations calls for drastic measures" if this is not a drastic situation, then what is?
Just read the statments made by your team management and you should have a fair understanding of how murky their thoughts have become. Some clear thinking personality should take charge as soon as possible.
1. Joy Bhattacharjee says "John has too much respect in Sanjay and Aakash and their abilities to have them hang around if he does not think they will play". Hilarious isn't it? If they have the ability to demand Johns respect, why will they not play???
2. John Buchanan says "The team is becoming stiff because of the HardTraining that they have done, we need more flexibility". How enlightening. Your idea of flexibility - Brendon at Number 1, Gayle Number 2, Hodge 3 and Ganguly 4 for match after match without considering the opponent, match conditions??
3. Brendon Says "If I can't take the team to the semis, I will quit." If??? When will you know that you have not made it to the Semis? On 22nd May?? When the Semis will be played and you will be back in NewZeeland. If your team is not the tournament, then are you quitting from the next years team??
KKR has been playing matches every alternate day. It has now 2 days between the matches. What can they do next to revigorate themselves? They have tried everything - Bonding session after a match, time out at the beach to relax. But will it bring their mind back into the Game?
The Knight Riders are not the strongest on the paper and their team formation is flawed. But the strongest team doesn't necessarily win always. We have seen what happened to Deccan Chargers last year and what Rajasthan Royals achieved. The lack of skill and ability can be overcome with Passion, Determination and Will to excel. We have seen many mediocre players excel or atleast rise to the occasion with the help of sheer passion, many underdogs beating the favorites. But Buchanan & Co. nipped that possibility in the bud by removing Saurav from the captaincy and making McCullum the captain and that too at the 11th hour. The way the whole saga was handled, it only managed to destroy the team’s morale. I always thought Shahrukh was an intelligent man, but his stance on this matter makes me think otherwise.
Everyone makes mistakes but you have to learn from your mistakes. But Buchanan and Co are too proud to even accept their mistakes, let alone learn from them. You don't have to be a Physiatrist to understand that McCullum is reeling under the pressure of handing 3 responsibilities - Opening the Batting and giving the team a flying start, Wicketkeeping and Captaining the side. But we still don't see any effort to change. Even for the sake of change he could be demoted in the batting order to allow his nerves to settle down. With Chris Gayle in the team, it was at the best interest of the team that a solid player be sent to open with Gayle and given the task of scoring only a run a ball. Would that be too difficult for Akash Chopra or even Buchanan's favourite Brad Hodge?? Mindless team selection, Mindless Batting Order and Mindless Bowling Changes is hurting the team. If you start counting the atrocious decisions taken by the team management, defying all cricketing logic, it would be staggering number. Mccullum would be happy if he could score that many runs in a match. It continued even today. On a spinning wicket Ajantha Mendis was not given a match. Laxmiratan, who bowled so wel in the last match, was not given to bowl. Why Saurav in the 5th over? Questions, questions and more questions but you will never get an answer. The standard line from the management will be 'If these decisions were successful everyone would have been praising us'. Sure everyone would be praising, but there is big IF in between. If everything that doesn't happen normally start happening who knows what would have happened? Confused...right???
Shahrukh Khan couldn't take it any more, and finally realizing that there is also a limit to the negative publicity he can take flew back to India. Suddenly he has become the most responsible Indian Citizen. I heard he will be back only if the team starts winning. In the mean time he will probably just write blogs in the KKR website to inspire his team. Shahrukh you must have heard the adage "Drastic situations calls for drastic measures" if this is not a drastic situation, then what is?
Just read the statments made by your team management and you should have a fair understanding of how murky their thoughts have become. Some clear thinking personality should take charge as soon as possible.
1. Joy Bhattacharjee says "John has too much respect in Sanjay and Aakash and their abilities to have them hang around if he does not think they will play". Hilarious isn't it? If they have the ability to demand Johns respect, why will they not play???
2. John Buchanan says "The team is becoming stiff because of the HardTraining that they have done, we need more flexibility". How enlightening. Your idea of flexibility - Brendon at Number 1, Gayle Number 2, Hodge 3 and Ganguly 4 for match after match without considering the opponent, match conditions??
3. Brendon Says "If I can't take the team to the semis, I will quit." If??? When will you know that you have not made it to the Semis? On 22nd May?? When the Semis will be played and you will be back in NewZeeland. If your team is not the tournament, then are you quitting from the next years team??
KKR has been playing matches every alternate day. It has now 2 days between the matches. What can they do next to revigorate themselves? They have tried everything - Bonding session after a match, time out at the beach to relax. But will it bring their mind back into the Game?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Buchanan - Will he be shown the door?
What are emotions that you feel when you think about Shahrukh in the context of IPL? If I ask this to the people from Bengal, I am sure the answer I will get is 'Anger', 'Anger' and 'Anger'. But I pity him. Just imagine how he feels when he sees his dreams being shattered, his team being thrashed on the field and all over the media his decision to allow Buchanan to make his team the gueanea pig for his experiments, ridiculed. He still has to smile, show 'Thumbs Up' to the spectators and put up a brave face in front of the camera. Every time he hears his teams theme song 'Korbo, Lorbo Jitbo re', it must be gut wrenching for him. Can he exert his influence on the media moguls and take all the advertisements involving his Galant Knight Riders off air ?
The Director of Coaches of his team wanted absolute control, as enjoyed by Alex Ferguson over Manchester United. He always compared Cricket with Soccer and him with Sir Alex. We observed that his attempt to emulate Sir Alex in excercising absolute control over his team didn't bring the result. it is ok trying to treat Cricket like Socceer, we don't mind at all, can't Shahrukh emulate Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea and throw out Buchanan in the middle of the tournament. That way Buchanan's demand to be treated like a Soccer coach will be met too, he will be compared to Louis Phillipe Scholari.
But even if Buchanan stays, it is evident that his Cricketting strategies won't work. So how can he make himself useful?
Here are some suggesitons:
1. He can start creating a list of experts he will need for the next season. The open positions are:
a. Appeal Coach (Train the players how to appeal)
b. Running Between the Wickets Coach
c. Catching On your own Bowling Expert
d. Catching at the outfield Expert
e. Slip Catching Expert
f. Numerous Assistant Director of Coaches - They will train the coaches how to coach the players.
It will be a long list I am sure.
2. He is a talent spotter par excellence. Remember he spotted the talent of Akash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar in the 20/20 format and after giving them one match each spotted the lack of talent. He can hone his talent spotting skills by becoming the Casting Director for the next Red Chillies Entertainment Movie.
Shahrukh are you listening??
The Director of Coaches of his team wanted absolute control, as enjoyed by Alex Ferguson over Manchester United. He always compared Cricket with Soccer and him with Sir Alex. We observed that his attempt to emulate Sir Alex in excercising absolute control over his team didn't bring the result. it is ok trying to treat Cricket like Socceer, we don't mind at all, can't Shahrukh emulate Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea and throw out Buchanan in the middle of the tournament. That way Buchanan's demand to be treated like a Soccer coach will be met too, he will be compared to Louis Phillipe Scholari.
But even if Buchanan stays, it is evident that his Cricketting strategies won't work. So how can he make himself useful?
Here are some suggesitons:
1. He can start creating a list of experts he will need for the next season. The open positions are:
a. Appeal Coach (Train the players how to appeal)
b. Running Between the Wickets Coach
c. Catching On your own Bowling Expert
d. Catching at the outfield Expert
e. Slip Catching Expert
f. Numerous Assistant Director of Coaches - They will train the coaches how to coach the players.
It will be a long list I am sure.
2. He is a talent spotter par excellence. Remember he spotted the talent of Akash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar in the 20/20 format and after giving them one match each spotted the lack of talent. He can hone his talent spotting skills by becoming the Casting Director for the next Red Chillies Entertainment Movie.
Shahrukh are you listening??
Monday, April 27, 2009
Will this make Shahrukh realize?
Mumbai Indians today thrashed the KKR red and blue. What's sad is that talking to numerous KKR fans it seems they have lost all hope about this years campaign. All they want to do is ask a bunch of questions and make Shahrukh and Buchanan answer them.
Shahrukh, we know its your money, and you may decide to spend it, in whatever manner you want. It's your team, and may be winning the tournament is not as important to you as making money. Though you had many lofty and noble ideas when you invested your money in IPL. I remembr you said last year, that you love the sport, you want to develop and spread this game to every corner of the country and if in the process you earn some money it all the more better. I now think, were you telling the truth or all along you had a different agenda? Last year your team didn't do very well, but your fans were with you. Let me assure you, the way you handled this years campaign, even if your team does better than last year (It doesn't seem likely) your fans are mad at you.
Now lets take a look at the match. Sachin and Jayasuriya nearly killed the match in the first 10 overs. KKR did well to pull the things back in the next 10 overs of the Mumabai Innings, but their total was enough to hand KKR one of their biggest defeats. KKR team never looked to be in the match. I don't think this team has the fire power to score beyond 150. For this team to be able to win, their opponents need to collectibly fail.
At the end of the match the thought processes of the team members were in the following lines -
Brendon Mccullum - "Shit!!! I was unneccesarily lured into leading team, by the directors sweet talk. Gayle did the smart thing by not accepting it. Now I have made myself the laughing stock. Should I go and surrender the captaincy?"
Chris Gayle - "Thank God I didn't accept the Captaincy offer. Brendon is immatured and he became the guinea pig for the director's experiments"
Saurav Ganguly - "Hmmmm...Mr. Buchanan where are your big theories now? Now it looks like you have done me a favour by taking away the captaincy. Now everyone is cursing you and my fan base feels more strongly for me.
Shahrukh Khan - "Thank God the elections are on 30th April. I will use that excuse to return to India and will not return soon. It is so difficult to keep smiling when your team is being thrashed left, right and center."
John Buchanan - "The key to success is sound preparation. We will use this years tournament for our preparation for 2010"
More on Buchanan's strategy on my next bolg.
Shahrukh, we know its your money, and you may decide to spend it, in whatever manner you want. It's your team, and may be winning the tournament is not as important to you as making money. Though you had many lofty and noble ideas when you invested your money in IPL. I remembr you said last year, that you love the sport, you want to develop and spread this game to every corner of the country and if in the process you earn some money it all the more better. I now think, were you telling the truth or all along you had a different agenda? Last year your team didn't do very well, but your fans were with you. Let me assure you, the way you handled this years campaign, even if your team does better than last year (It doesn't seem likely) your fans are mad at you.
Now lets take a look at the match. Sachin and Jayasuriya nearly killed the match in the first 10 overs. KKR did well to pull the things back in the next 10 overs of the Mumabai Innings, but their total was enough to hand KKR one of their biggest defeats. KKR team never looked to be in the match. I don't think this team has the fire power to score beyond 150. For this team to be able to win, their opponents need to collectibly fail.
At the end of the match the thought processes of the team members were in the following lines -
Brendon Mccullum - "Shit!!! I was unneccesarily lured into leading team, by the directors sweet talk. Gayle did the smart thing by not accepting it. Now I have made myself the laughing stock. Should I go and surrender the captaincy?"
Chris Gayle - "Thank God I didn't accept the Captaincy offer. Brendon is immatured and he became the guinea pig for the director's experiments"
Saurav Ganguly - "Hmmmm...Mr. Buchanan where are your big theories now? Now it looks like you have done me a favour by taking away the captaincy. Now everyone is cursing you and my fan base feels more strongly for me.
Shahrukh Khan - "Thank God the elections are on 30th April. I will use that excuse to return to India and will not return soon. It is so difficult to keep smiling when your team is being thrashed left, right and center."
John Buchanan - "The key to success is sound preparation. We will use this years tournament for our preparation for 2010"
More on Buchanan's strategy on my next bolg.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
KKR - Can they Bounce back?
From Buchanan's Notebook -
The weather forecast seems to say that there won't be any rain tomorrow. So there is no chance of getting 'One' assured point. We have to play for 'Two' points then and my strategy will be geared for that. After trimming down the squad from 54 to 20 I have a better feel of the team. The options are now limited and there is less scope of confusion. I don't have more than 2 players for each postion and I can choose a player by flipping a coin. Like who should go at No.3, Heads - Ganguly and Tails - Hodge. Ohh!! Its so easy. Who should be the spinner Ajantha or Murali, again a flip of the coin. As I say in my lectures to the corporate honchos - "Being Decisive is the key to success". When you can decide by flipping a coin why waste time? And there is 50% probability that your decision will be right. Not bad at all.
The weather forecast seems to say that there won't be any rain tomorrow. So there is no chance of getting 'One' assured point. We have to play for 'Two' points then and my strategy will be geared for that. After trimming down the squad from 54 to 20 I have a better feel of the team. The options are now limited and there is less scope of confusion. I don't have more than 2 players for each postion and I can choose a player by flipping a coin. Like who should go at No.3, Heads - Ganguly and Tails - Hodge. Ohh!! Its so easy. Who should be the spinner Ajantha or Murali, again a flip of the coin. As I say in my lectures to the corporate honchos - "Being Decisive is the key to success". When you can decide by flipping a coin why waste time? And there is 50% probability that your decision will be right. Not bad at all.
- x -
I tried to predict the KKR team before the Chennai match but rain played a spoil sport. There is no prediction for rain tomorrow and it seems we are going to have a full match tomorrow. Mumbai Indians, though losing to Deccan Chargers in their previous match still looks the more balanced side of the two. Their team has a settled look and I don't think there would be much change in their team. They are waiting for Jayasuriya to fire at the top of the order, and KKR Fans will hope he will not choose tomorrow match to find his form back. Sachin is in a good nick and JP Duminy also played well. Their bowlers are in a fabulous form with Malinga looking threatening and Zaheer and Harbhajan very solid. Kolkata on the other hand didn't get a chance to test their strengths and weaknesses against Chennai, so they will have to think the Rajasthan match as their staring point. I was hoping Akash Chopra will be given the opening slot and McCullum coming down the order to give the middle order some boost, but the team management has send him back. Real moral boosting strategy I must say, that too in the middle of the tournament. The owners and the team management are more concerned about the blogger, FakeIPLPlayer and him revealing strategies of the team. Someone should tell Mr. Buchanan that Shane Warne didn't read the blog before deciding that Kamran Khan should bowl the Super Over.
First Week and Buchanans' Report
The organizers boasted it to be the most awaited crickeiting event of the world, and we are already in the second week of the it. The last one week passed really quickly for the people who are following IPL2. Ironoically the reason for which IPL was not taken to England, the weather in South Africa is playing spoilt sprort by already causing 2 matches to be abandoned without a single ball being bowled and truncating 2 matches badly. We have also not seen many close matches except the one played between KKR and Rajanthan Royal. So what did the first week of IPL offer to the cricket followers around the world and what are the topics that are being talked about most?
1. IPL2 has broken some Myths and made some cricketing brains eat humble pie. Example - 1 Day Cricket and 20/20 a game for the youngsters and doesn't have a place for people in the wrong side of 30. Brilliant cricketing minds like Greg Chappel, John Buchanan , Ray Jennings (Bangalore Knight riders coach) beleives this theory. So lets see the name of the players who made a mark in the first week -
Mathew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Saurav Ganguly - have all contributed heavily. All of them except Adam Gilchrist have been accused of holding on to their spot even when their shelflife expired. Comparing Kevin Petersons contribution to Rahul Dravid, I hope Ray Jennings and Vijay Mallya feels ashamed for a moment or two in the privacy of their room. Class they say is permanent and you cannot pull down a classy player.
2. Resurgence of Deccan Chargers - The team who inspite of having some big names last year, finished at the bottom position last year. They have made some minor changes in the team, changed teir captain, concetrated on their preparation and came back roaring to win 3 consecutive matches and occupying the top position. Whether they will be able to sustain their performance, only time can tell but they have made a bold oppening statement.
3. Fake IPL Player - The Blog which is provinding some inside scoop of the most talked about, most high profile franchise KKR have caught the imagination of the whole cricketing world. Every one starting from the Journalists, KKR Team Management and members of the rival franchaises are following it. The profession in which their owner Sharukh belongs beleives 'Even Negative Publicity is Publicity'. He may learn the wrong way that this addage doesn't hold true in Cricket.
John Buchanan is keeping a low profile, but I am sure his notebook is already full with notes that he takes every day. He has submitted his first weeks report to the owner which reads like this:
Dear Mr. Khan,
I am sure that you are a releived man, since we got one point from our game against Chennai. I am sure you would agree that 'One' is better than 'Zero'. The weather gods are on our side and we will get some more rains and as a result some more points in the future and with some luck we might win some matches too (with the help of weather god again).
As you know I always keep myself abreast about the world events, I am aware of the recession and the financial crunch everyone is feeling. So to save our cost I have decided that we should Sendoff (Read it as LayOff) some Management Staff and Players back to their home. That way we can save on the fooding and lodging of these extra people. The most notable of them are:
a. Jaydeep Mukherjee - (Assistant Coach) - His role was that of an interpreter actually, so that he can interpret my strategies to the indian players. I have found that since my strategies are confusing anyway, we dont need an interpreter.
b. Fielding Coach - I have found that even with fielding coaches you cannot improve Saurav's fielding. So he is being send off.
c. Wicketkeeping Coach - With Wriddhiman injuerd, he only has Mccullum to train. Mccullum also needs more training on his captaincy and batting, for which I am spending more and more time him, so the wicketkeeping coach is underutilized. His timesheet is a proof to that. So he is being send off.
d. Throwing Coach - I am not sure, we have time to learn this skill as we have matches every alternate days. So he is being send back.
e. We are also trimming the team size from 54 to 30. You probably don't even know the names of the players we bought and their expertize (I myself can't remember), so I am not bothering you with all the details.
I am retaining Michael Buchanan who is the Strength coach for the team. He will now spend more time with you, so that you have the strength to face the Indian Public when we retrun to India.
In the meanwhile I will spend more time thinking about new strategies for the second week.
Always thinking and taking Notes,
John Buchanan
Director of Coaches.
1. IPL2 has broken some Myths and made some cricketing brains eat humble pie. Example - 1 Day Cricket and 20/20 a game for the youngsters and doesn't have a place for people in the wrong side of 30. Brilliant cricketing minds like Greg Chappel, John Buchanan , Ray Jennings (Bangalore Knight riders coach) beleives this theory. So lets see the name of the players who made a mark in the first week -
Mathew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Saurav Ganguly - have all contributed heavily. All of them except Adam Gilchrist have been accused of holding on to their spot even when their shelflife expired. Comparing Kevin Petersons contribution to Rahul Dravid, I hope Ray Jennings and Vijay Mallya feels ashamed for a moment or two in the privacy of their room. Class they say is permanent and you cannot pull down a classy player.
2. Resurgence of Deccan Chargers - The team who inspite of having some big names last year, finished at the bottom position last year. They have made some minor changes in the team, changed teir captain, concetrated on their preparation and came back roaring to win 3 consecutive matches and occupying the top position. Whether they will be able to sustain their performance, only time can tell but they have made a bold oppening statement.
3. Fake IPL Player - The Blog which is provinding some inside scoop of the most talked about, most high profile franchise KKR have caught the imagination of the whole cricketing world. Every one starting from the Journalists, KKR Team Management and members of the rival franchaises are following it. The profession in which their owner Sharukh belongs beleives 'Even Negative Publicity is Publicity'. He may learn the wrong way that this addage doesn't hold true in Cricket.
John Buchanan is keeping a low profile, but I am sure his notebook is already full with notes that he takes every day. He has submitted his first weeks report to the owner which reads like this:
Dear Mr. Khan,
I am sure that you are a releived man, since we got one point from our game against Chennai. I am sure you would agree that 'One' is better than 'Zero'. The weather gods are on our side and we will get some more rains and as a result some more points in the future and with some luck we might win some matches too (with the help of weather god again).
As you know I always keep myself abreast about the world events, I am aware of the recession and the financial crunch everyone is feeling. So to save our cost I have decided that we should Sendoff (Read it as LayOff) some Management Staff and Players back to their home. That way we can save on the fooding and lodging of these extra people. The most notable of them are:
a. Jaydeep Mukherjee - (Assistant Coach) - His role was that of an interpreter actually, so that he can interpret my strategies to the indian players. I have found that since my strategies are confusing anyway, we dont need an interpreter.
b. Fielding Coach - I have found that even with fielding coaches you cannot improve Saurav's fielding. So he is being send off.
c. Wicketkeeping Coach - With Wriddhiman injuerd, he only has Mccullum to train. Mccullum also needs more training on his captaincy and batting, for which I am spending more and more time him, so the wicketkeeping coach is underutilized. His timesheet is a proof to that. So he is being send off.
d. Throwing Coach - I am not sure, we have time to learn this skill as we have matches every alternate days. So he is being send back.
e. We are also trimming the team size from 54 to 30. You probably don't even know the names of the players we bought and their expertize (I myself can't remember), so I am not bothering you with all the details.
I am retaining Michael Buchanan who is the Strength coach for the team. He will now spend more time with you, so that you have the strength to face the Indian Public when we retrun to India.
In the meanwhile I will spend more time thinking about new strategies for the second week.
Always thinking and taking Notes,
John Buchanan
Director of Coaches.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Can KKR find a winning combination?
Shahrukh Khan didn't expect the Kolkata Knight Riders' campaign to start in this fashion. His team had hogged the limelight during the preparation for this tournament and whatever they did, created news and generated ripples among thier fans and detractors alike. Shahrukh is used to having the spotlight focused on him all the time, but thats not true for all the players in the team. There are young players who are trying to find a foothold and create a name for themselves and all the controversies have probably disturbed their focus. Moreover when there is an undercurrent of tension between your head coach and the most inspirational player, it becomes all the more difficult.
Surprisingly, John Buchanan, who also had developed a penchant for attracting the media's attention, whose face was seen in the sports pages of every Indian newspaper, every alternate day before the tournament, has suddenly become quiet. He is not sharing his theories (probably saving them for the next round of Corporate Consulting that he does in his free time, as 'CASE STUDY') with the cricketing fraternity, with the media or with the fans . Had he been silent had KKR won all 3 matches, had Brendon Mccullum showed glimpses of his genius, with his innovative captaincy?
I am sure lot of people back in India are loving the fact that Mr. Buchanan's theories have not reaped the benefits it promised. They are proving to be what they are, just 'Theories', but for the sake of their fans and followers, the team should win few matches, and for that they need to find a settled combination. All the players need to know their roles as Mahela Jaywardhane mentioned after Punjabs win today. KKR seems to be struggling in that depratment, as no one is sure about his role. Akash Chopra coming in at No.5, Sanjay Bangar at No.6 and Laxmiratan at No.3 in different matches have the right to feel confused. So what can they do different?
1. Change the opening combination for one. If Akash Chopra / Sanjay Bangar playes, they should open with Chris Gayle and they should target to score 30/35 runs in the first 5 overs and not go bersek in the opening overs.
2. Hodge can come in at No.3 as he likes the ball to come to his bat, followed by Ganguly and Maccullum.
3. Laxmi Ratan Shukla has not done much with the bat and neither can he be relied with the ball. Yashpal Singh can be given the No.6 spot. He atleast scored 20 in the previous match.
4. Ajith Agarkar can be given another chance and every one can start pray that he will use his experience to some affect to prove that he deserves a spot. he can come at No.7 and asked to use the long handle.
5. The Bowling depratment looks a bit depleted with no one to rely on. Ishant still doesn't seem to have the cunning to outfox the batsmen, when they are going after him. He needs support from the other end as well. Mushrafe Murtaza should be given a match and he can bat at No.8 and also be asked to use the long handle which he is capable of.
6. The last 3 spot can be filled by Anureet Singh, Murali Karthik and Ishant Sharma.
KKR Fans will also be hoping that Chennai will also be under preassure and will miss Andrew Flintoff. Though Flintoff has not done notably well in the 3 outings, but still his loss would be felt. But many adverse conditions have brought out the best in people and one only hopes it doesn't inspire Chennai to come out with all guns blazing.
I have sounded like a real cricket intelectual in my blog. But I am yet to find the right combination in the Fantasy league. My team still languishes at the bottom of the league. It is not because of my lack of understanding of the 20/20 format but it is simply bad luck. You need luck on your side to wiggle out of a tight situation, lets pray Kolkata Knight Riders have luck on their side tomorrow.
Surprisingly, John Buchanan, who also had developed a penchant for attracting the media's attention, whose face was seen in the sports pages of every Indian newspaper, every alternate day before the tournament, has suddenly become quiet. He is not sharing his theories (probably saving them for the next round of Corporate Consulting that he does in his free time, as 'CASE STUDY') with the cricketing fraternity, with the media or with the fans . Had he been silent had KKR won all 3 matches, had Brendon Mccullum showed glimpses of his genius, with his innovative captaincy?
I am sure lot of people back in India are loving the fact that Mr. Buchanan's theories have not reaped the benefits it promised. They are proving to be what they are, just 'Theories', but for the sake of their fans and followers, the team should win few matches, and for that they need to find a settled combination. All the players need to know their roles as Mahela Jaywardhane mentioned after Punjabs win today. KKR seems to be struggling in that depratment, as no one is sure about his role. Akash Chopra coming in at No.5, Sanjay Bangar at No.6 and Laxmiratan at No.3 in different matches have the right to feel confused. So what can they do different?
1. Change the opening combination for one. If Akash Chopra / Sanjay Bangar playes, they should open with Chris Gayle and they should target to score 30/35 runs in the first 5 overs and not go bersek in the opening overs.
2. Hodge can come in at No.3 as he likes the ball to come to his bat, followed by Ganguly and Maccullum.
3. Laxmi Ratan Shukla has not done much with the bat and neither can he be relied with the ball. Yashpal Singh can be given the No.6 spot. He atleast scored 20 in the previous match.
4. Ajith Agarkar can be given another chance and every one can start pray that he will use his experience to some affect to prove that he deserves a spot. he can come at No.7 and asked to use the long handle.
5. The Bowling depratment looks a bit depleted with no one to rely on. Ishant still doesn't seem to have the cunning to outfox the batsmen, when they are going after him. He needs support from the other end as well. Mushrafe Murtaza should be given a match and he can bat at No.8 and also be asked to use the long handle which he is capable of.
6. The last 3 spot can be filled by Anureet Singh, Murali Karthik and Ishant Sharma.
KKR Fans will also be hoping that Chennai will also be under preassure and will miss Andrew Flintoff. Though Flintoff has not done notably well in the 3 outings, but still his loss would be felt. But many adverse conditions have brought out the best in people and one only hopes it doesn't inspire Chennai to come out with all guns blazing.
I have sounded like a real cricket intelectual in my blog. But I am yet to find the right combination in the Fantasy league. My team still languishes at the bottom of the league. It is not because of my lack of understanding of the 20/20 format but it is simply bad luck. You need luck on your side to wiggle out of a tight situation, lets pray Kolkata Knight Riders have luck on their side tomorrow.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
What is Buchanan's Contribution?
My yesterdays blog mentioned that an edge of the seat match has not yet been played in IPL2. It seems like the cricket god has heard my prayers and we had an humdinger of a match. And what a match!!!! I must say again. For the first time in the cricket history we had a match which was decided by a Super Over. It is more like a penalty shootout in Soccer, where we have seen in many cases that a team which has been on the mat for the 90 minutes win the match in penalty shootout. We have also seen coaches of weaker teams introduce strategy to defend for the entire duration of the match so that they can drag it to the penalty shootout where it is the battle of nerves. It is true you cannot do that in Cricket. But you never know, so many comparison has been drawn with soccer by coaches who want more visibility and control, a high profile coach who thinks he is the Alex Ferguson of KKR may someday claim he had that strategy in his notebook somewhere.
KKR lost a very close match today and you cannot blame anyone for that. They might feel that they handed the match back to Rajasthan Royals after nearly shutting them out of the match. If you cannot score 7 runs from the last over of a 17 year old boy who never played any first class match then you do not deserve to win. But thes ethings happen and they have to put it behind them and look for the positives from this match. The return to form of Ganguly is definitely one of them, though he will probably be blamed for not finishing off the match. In hindsight you would think there was not reason for going for hard hits every ball. Agarkar is no mug with the bat, and they should have appproached it in a more traditional fashion. 7 runs in 6 balls is like a traget in (Traditional!!!!) One day cricket and probably should have been approached that way.
John Buchanan is the coach who tried to explain that 20/20 is a vastly different form of cricket and needs to approached in a differnt fashion. Only he of all people have found that 4 Captains /Multiple Advisers is the way to go. So lets do an interim assessment to see what the Director of Coaches has contributed.
1. 4 captain theory - Has been shelved and Brendon McCullum is the sole captain of the team.
2. Need a young captain who can be ahead of the game - Doesnot seem to be working. Brendon probably is so busy trying to stay ahead of the game, that he has lost his train of thoughts about his batting.
3. Flexibility ((beyond imagination ??) is the Key - We have heard this in 50 over game too. But flexibility for the sake of flexibility, gambling for the sake of experimentation doesn't work. Today Laxmi Ratan Sukla was sent in No. 3 and he didn't know whether his role was to stay or to hit out. In previous matches Akash Chopra was sent in at No.5 where the preassure is high, the number of balls left is limited and you need natural storke makers. Today Sanjay Bangar was sent in at No.6. You find anyone in India who will say Akash and Sanjay are stroke players and I will show you that pigs can fly. Who is deciding the batting order you want to ask. does Mccullum has any control over it, is he happy, does he know the capability of the lesser known players? I read somewhere Buchanan saying that Brad Hodge is the best 20/20 batsman he has ever seen. I want to ask, Mr Buchana do you ever travel out of Australia to watch 20/20 or do you think that the world ends at Australia?
KKR has an army of experts to assist their Director of Coaches Mr. John Buchanan. It seems that their advices are not working atleast till date. Please let us know:
1. Who decided in the previous matches that Henrique Mojes is a better player than Mushrafe Morthaza?
2. Today Ajantha Mendis was given a spot, but who decided that he should bowl at the super over. Any one who watches cricket will say that it is easier to hit spinner out of the ground than it is to a pacer. I agree Ishant is not the best 20/20 bowler, but still he should have been given to bowl and asked to go for the black hole. Yousuf Pathan made a mincemeat of Ajantha and won the match for Rajasthan easily.
Mr. Buchanan you probably need to bring up some fresh theories, and sell them to Shahrukh and probably should start planning for your employment for 2010. As far as 2009 goes, you and your teams future doesn't seem to be too rosy.
KKR lost a very close match today and you cannot blame anyone for that. They might feel that they handed the match back to Rajasthan Royals after nearly shutting them out of the match. If you cannot score 7 runs from the last over of a 17 year old boy who never played any first class match then you do not deserve to win. But thes ethings happen and they have to put it behind them and look for the positives from this match. The return to form of Ganguly is definitely one of them, though he will probably be blamed for not finishing off the match. In hindsight you would think there was not reason for going for hard hits every ball. Agarkar is no mug with the bat, and they should have appproached it in a more traditional fashion. 7 runs in 6 balls is like a traget in (Traditional!!!!) One day cricket and probably should have been approached that way.
John Buchanan is the coach who tried to explain that 20/20 is a vastly different form of cricket and needs to approached in a differnt fashion. Only he of all people have found that 4 Captains /Multiple Advisers is the way to go. So lets do an interim assessment to see what the Director of Coaches has contributed.
1. 4 captain theory - Has been shelved and Brendon McCullum is the sole captain of the team.
2. Need a young captain who can be ahead of the game - Doesnot seem to be working. Brendon probably is so busy trying to stay ahead of the game, that he has lost his train of thoughts about his batting.
3. Flexibility ((beyond imagination ??) is the Key - We have heard this in 50 over game too. But flexibility for the sake of flexibility, gambling for the sake of experimentation doesn't work. Today Laxmi Ratan Sukla was sent in No. 3 and he didn't know whether his role was to stay or to hit out. In previous matches Akash Chopra was sent in at No.5 where the preassure is high, the number of balls left is limited and you need natural storke makers. Today Sanjay Bangar was sent in at No.6. You find anyone in India who will say Akash and Sanjay are stroke players and I will show you that pigs can fly. Who is deciding the batting order you want to ask. does Mccullum has any control over it, is he happy, does he know the capability of the lesser known players? I read somewhere Buchanan saying that Brad Hodge is the best 20/20 batsman he has ever seen. I want to ask, Mr Buchana do you ever travel out of Australia to watch 20/20 or do you think that the world ends at Australia?
KKR has an army of experts to assist their Director of Coaches Mr. John Buchanan. It seems that their advices are not working atleast till date. Please let us know:
1. Who decided in the previous matches that Henrique Mojes is a better player than Mushrafe Morthaza?
2. Today Ajantha Mendis was given a spot, but who decided that he should bowl at the super over. Any one who watches cricket will say that it is easier to hit spinner out of the ground than it is to a pacer. I agree Ishant is not the best 20/20 bowler, but still he should have been given to bowl and asked to go for the black hole. Yousuf Pathan made a mincemeat of Ajantha and won the match for Rajasthan easily.
Mr. Buchanan you probably need to bring up some fresh theories, and sell them to Shahrukh and probably should start planning for your employment for 2010. As far as 2009 goes, you and your teams future doesn't seem to be too rosy.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
IPL2 yet to spring anything New.
7 Matches of the IPL2 has been played (including 3 affected by rain) and inspite the hype Modi and Co. tries to raise, it is still not the same as last year. The crowd frenzy, the emotions of the Indian crowd, their connection with the teams was phenomenal last year, and during the matches the roads were empty, people went outdoors only if it was absolute must and for 1 and half month people ate, drank, slept Cricket. This year it is different. Though the teams are same, the Indian crowd has only the Television to watch their favourite team play and in South Africa the venues at which matches are played will not connect with the City based teams.
One-Day Cricket is a game about batsment they say, so is 20/20. The crowd loves the big hittings, but because the playing conditions most of the matches have not met the expectation. There is yet a close game played where the crowd sits at the edge of their seats and the game sways from one side to another till the last ball or over. What we have witnessed so far is pretty solid cricket though, Rahul Dravid being the owner of the Orange Cap for now is a evidence to that. His team is at the bottom of the league is another story though.
Kolkata Knight Riders was the team who grabbed most of the eyeballs during the built up of the tournament. Offcourse for its high profile owner, its Cheerleader selections and last but not the least its captaincy controversies. But till now Mr. Buchanan has not been able to produce any surprising strategies or theory for us. The team lost one match and won one. The win was due to a simple formula - Chris Gayle hitting form. You don't have to be management guru to predict that if Gayle fires, in more occassions than not KKR will have a fair chance of winning. But the team composition still raises some question. What is Henriques Mojes doing in the playing 11 where Mushrafe Mortaza is in the dug out. We have seen spinners getting assistance from the pitch, then why is Ajantha Mendis not being played? The team looks a bit top heavy and not well balanced. If the top guns doesn't fire it would be in trouble.
This year the team which was trying not to be in the news before the tournament and who had a quiet buildup, no high profile purchases in the auctions has played some solid cricket and is in the top of the league. I am sure there will be lot of changes in the standings but the Deccan Chargers will not be pushovers like last year. It seems they are more focussed in their game. The other team which should do well is Sachin Tendulkars Mumbai Indians. Sachin's presence itself can have a calming affect and if his team mates can garner even a small percentage of his focus on cricket, they will go a long way.
Lets hope the frenzy increases once the team standing starts changing and once some close games are played. And lets hope it is proved once and for all that Cricket is not a game of theory.
One-Day Cricket is a game about batsment they say, so is 20/20. The crowd loves the big hittings, but because the playing conditions most of the matches have not met the expectation. There is yet a close game played where the crowd sits at the edge of their seats and the game sways from one side to another till the last ball or over. What we have witnessed so far is pretty solid cricket though, Rahul Dravid being the owner of the Orange Cap for now is a evidence to that. His team is at the bottom of the league is another story though.
Kolkata Knight Riders was the team who grabbed most of the eyeballs during the built up of the tournament. Offcourse for its high profile owner, its Cheerleader selections and last but not the least its captaincy controversies. But till now Mr. Buchanan has not been able to produce any surprising strategies or theory for us. The team lost one match and won one. The win was due to a simple formula - Chris Gayle hitting form. You don't have to be management guru to predict that if Gayle fires, in more occassions than not KKR will have a fair chance of winning. But the team composition still raises some question. What is Henriques Mojes doing in the playing 11 where Mushrafe Mortaza is in the dug out. We have seen spinners getting assistance from the pitch, then why is Ajantha Mendis not being played? The team looks a bit top heavy and not well balanced. If the top guns doesn't fire it would be in trouble.
This year the team which was trying not to be in the news before the tournament and who had a quiet buildup, no high profile purchases in the auctions has played some solid cricket and is in the top of the league. I am sure there will be lot of changes in the standings but the Deccan Chargers will not be pushovers like last year. It seems they are more focussed in their game. The other team which should do well is Sachin Tendulkars Mumbai Indians. Sachin's presence itself can have a calming affect and if his team mates can garner even a small percentage of his focus on cricket, they will go a long way.
Lets hope the frenzy increases once the team standing starts changing and once some close games are played. And lets hope it is proved once and for all that Cricket is not a game of theory.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Atlast it is Cricket in IPL2
So at last IPL2 is on the way. There has been lot of brouhaha in the media, and you had a feeling that Cricket is taking a back seat. You read about the Transfer windows, Captaincy issues, Security Issues in India, venue change and amount of money it will generate but not cricket. Thankfully for the next month and a half it will be cricket, at least I hope so.
The first 2 Matches were played in Cape Town and we see quite a few exceptio
ns to the 20/20 rules which were being put forward. Lots if ink has flowed after the advent of 20/20, as to how this format is different from Test and One day Cricket. You have to be fit (true for all sports including chess as one Vishwanathan Anand would vouch) and young and have special skills. You have to think fast and act faster or else you would blink and you would miss. We heard some lone voices trying to say that it is ultimately Cricket after all and the rules are simple. Bat to score the maximum runs and Bowl your opposition out, only to be ridiculed by the huge mass of 20/20 experts.
So what do we see in the first 2 matches of IPL2?
One Mr. Sachin Tendulkar Age 36 plays a solid innings of 59 n
ot out to hold his team together. In the second match Rahul Dravid Age 36 playes a match winning innings of 66. Anil Kumble age 38 takes 5 for 5 to clean up Rajasthan Royals. Shane Warne didn't do too badly at all. The question to ask is, isn't Rahul Dravid not the person who was unceremoniously kicked out from his captaincy post and ridiculed for his player selection last year? Isn't he unfit for 20/20? If the teams didn't have a cap on number of foreign players, would he find a place in the team? Isn't Anil Kumble the smae bowler who doesn't even fit the scheme of things in the 50 Over format? It is ultimately talent which counts and age cannot be the only criteria for selection. May be Mr. John Buchanan will have an answer, but unfortunately his cricketing talent was not that great.
None of the teams who played today have a Management Guru for a Coach, like the Kolkata team. But it didn't stop Mumbai Indians from winning, and they have Shaun Pollock as their mentor and Sachin Tendulkar as their captain. Who needs the Management Guru's who will have numerous strategies, diagrams, theories and contingency plans to tell players what they need to do when they are on the field, if they have Sachin and Shaun to guide them. Buchanan is not inventing the wheel here, probably Shahrukh Khan will learn it the hard way this time.
This is just the start of the tournament. Let us see what we learn from this tournament. Do we see that 20/20 is just Cricket after all and all you need is to simply score runs, take wickets and field well, as true in the longer formats. Or whether it is something different, and you need the complex minds of a Mr. Buchanan to dissect it and explain to us so that we lesser mortals can understand.
The first 2 Matches were played in Cape Town and we see quite a few exceptio
ns to the 20/20 rules which were being put forward. Lots if ink has flowed after the advent of 20/20, as to how this format is different from Test and One day Cricket. You have to be fit (true for all sports including chess as one Vishwanathan Anand would vouch) and young and have special skills. You have to think fast and act faster or else you would blink and you would miss. We heard some lone voices trying to say that it is ultimately Cricket after all and the rules are simple. Bat to score the maximum runs and Bowl your opposition out, only to be ridiculed by the huge mass of 20/20 experts.So what do we see in the first 2 matches of IPL2?
One Mr. Sachin Tendulkar Age 36 plays a solid innings of 59 n
ot out to hold his team together. In the second match Rahul Dravid Age 36 playes a match winning innings of 66. Anil Kumble age 38 takes 5 for 5 to clean up Rajasthan Royals. Shane Warne didn't do too badly at all. The question to ask is, isn't Rahul Dravid not the person who was unceremoniously kicked out from his captaincy post and ridiculed for his player selection last year? Isn't he unfit for 20/20? If the teams didn't have a cap on number of foreign players, would he find a place in the team? Isn't Anil Kumble the smae bowler who doesn't even fit the scheme of things in the 50 Over format? It is ultimately talent which counts and age cannot be the only criteria for selection. May be Mr. John Buchanan will have an answer, but unfortunately his cricketing talent was not that great.None of the teams who played today have a Management Guru for a Coach, like the Kolkata team. But it didn't stop Mumbai Indians from winning, and they have Shaun Pollock as their mentor and Sachin Tendulkar as their captain. Who needs the Management Guru's who will have numerous strategies, diagrams, theories and contingency plans to tell players what they need to do when they are on the field, if they have Sachin and Shaun to guide them. Buchanan is not inventing the wheel here, probably Shahrukh Khan will learn it the hard way this time.
This is just the start of the tournament. Let us see what we learn from this tournament. Do we see that 20/20 is just Cricket after all and all you need is to simply score runs, take wickets and field well, as true in the longer formats. Or whether it is something different, and you need the complex minds of a Mr. Buchanan to dissect it and explain to us so that we lesser mortals can understand.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Sourav ultimately booted from the captains post
This world is not what it used to be and neither are the people, we all know that. We learnt in our childhood that Human Beings are different from the animals of the jungle, they have conscience we are told, they can take responsiblity of what they think and what they say and what they do.
But times have changed. Now you are not supposed to take responsiblity of what you think or say or do. More famous you are, more irresponsible you can become. If you say something wrong, immediately the next day you can deny saying it. So what if millions of people have read it in the newspapers, you will call it yellow journalism and say words were put into your mouth. What if, millions heard you on the radio, you will say the tape was doctored and that was not your voice. What if, millions saw you saying it in the Televisions, you will not say anything, you will hide in South Africa.
In the last two weeks how many versions have we heard regarding the Captaincy issue of Kolkata Knight Riders. First John Buchanan holds a press conference in Kolkata stating he has invented a new concept where 'his' team will have multiple captains. The excuse to such a brilliant idea was thst T20 is a fast game and 1 persons brain cannot process so much of data so fast. So you need the collective effort of 4 people. More Brain Power they say...
There was a huge uproar in Kolkata with Buchanans effigy being burnt on the roads, he probably underestimated the passion of Kolkata people or the iconic value of Saurav Ganguly to the people of India even after his retirement. He quickly backtracked stating he was misunderstood and what he meant was 'his' team will have multiple strategist to assist the captains and not multiple captains. The most famous person in his panels of strategist was Mathew Mort the batting coach. I am not that enlightened, but if anyone of you know please inform me, but my guess is Mathew Mort must have contributed to Cricket more than Saurav Ganguly in some way???
Enter King Khan in the scene. He meets Saurav in Mumbai, they talk privately and he talks to press stating that Kolkata Knight riders will have 1 captain, and the team looses its meaning without their 'Icon' Player Saurav. Didn't we hear him say 'We all Love Dada and KKR cannot be thought without Dada'. He also reacted against comments made by one Mr.Sunil Gavaskar who criticized Buchanans theory and suggested Gavaskar should buy a team and then comment on how to run a Team. So now the rule of thumb is play 20/20 cricket (Buchanan must have played this format a lot with his Queensland teammates) or buy a team before commenting about it. So now only people like Vijay Mallya, Mukesh Ambani, Shahrukh Khan will comment on 20/20 cricket, brilliant cricketting minds I must say. He later informed us through the press that he has not meant to hurt Gavaskar, and have sent a apology letter later to Gavaskar but thats another story.
Now in South Africa just 2 days before the tournament start, we hear that Saurav Ganguly is not the captain of Kolkala Knight riders and Brendon Mccullum is the new captain. I am sure Buchanan and King Khan have some secret medical reports which shows that McCullum's brain has more processing power than Saurav's. After all a 37 year brain does loose some of its agility right????
I only hope Shahrukh Khan doesn't have to sent another apology to the people of India / West Bengal for taking them for a ride, for making them beleive that his heart bleeds for Saurav and with him at the helm will not let Saurav to be insulted. But when you are famous, you don't feel ashamed but immense pride when you tender a public apology. Somehow it increases your stature in the public eyes right???
I hope a bigger uproar is created in India and West Bengal, so loud that the collective voices reaches South Africa. I hope this incident will be eched in the minds of the people of Bengal for a long long time. They shouldnot forget this incident in a hurry.
P.S. Last but not the least everyone should thank Mr.Lalit Modi and BCCI for creating an 'Indian' Premier League where the Indian 'Icons' are loosing their value. It seems everyone beleives all the cricketting wisdom is concentrated in Australia.
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