Sreesanth . . . Back with a bang!

Its so heartwarming to see a bowler, a fast bowler at that, get the Man of the Match award in a Test match in India. That too, after the run feast that ensued at Ahmedabad which must have left a bad taste in the mouth for the bowlers.

At the outset, credit must go to the team management for having the guts to play Sreesanth in what was his first Test in over one and a half years. Yes, it could have backfired, Sreesanth could have been only so much hot air as usual, he had been given a 'final' warning by the BCCI recently, but kudos to Dhoni and co. for giving the man a chance. He wasn't a natural selection anyways. Admitted that Ishant Sharma has been steadily going downhill this year. He has lost considerably in pace and is just not able to exert a decent amount of control on the batsmen. Too often, he has wasted the new ball, spraying it all around. And when batsmen of the calibre of Mahela Jayawardena know that all you are going to do with the new ball is just bring it in off a good length from off stump so that it ends up almost on leg stump, you are a sitting duck. However, in Sreesanth, the replacement for Ishant, Dhoni had an altogether different dimension to handle - its no secret that the guy is not popular in the Indian dressing room - and the last thing you want before a Test match is going in with a new ball bowler whom the fielders will love not to support. Its an extreme thought but more diabolical things have happened in Indian cricket. Given this, Sreesanth and Bhajji seemed to make all the brotherly noises when celebrating the downfall of the Lankan wickets. Here's hoping it wasn't just for the cameras.

Coming back to Sreesanth the bowler. Way too often has Sreesanth the maverick ridden roughshod over the Sreesanth the bowler. Dhoni called him one of the best reverse swing bowlers in India today. With Sreesanth, when he's in rhythm, he's almost the bowling equivalent of Virender Sehwag. He'll continue to work the magic so long as he desires. The surroundings just stop to matter. Delivery after delivery, he was right on target, making the ball talk as if he was bowling in English conditions. Purists have always drooled over his perfect seam position. That and more was on display at Kanpur. What was interesting was his deliberate attempt not to overcelebrate a wicket. In fact, I believe he carried it too far but then when you have received a 'final' warning from your employers, I guess you are bound to be a bit overrcautious. Not all comebacks are fairytale ones. But if Sree can continue to exhibit even a fraction of the control that he commands over the ball, over himself , this might well be the dawn of a new Sreesanth, one that prefers the 'seam position' to 'screaming at the opposition'

20 years and countless heartbreaks - 'Sach' is life

I've watched the India Australia match at Hyderabad and been priveleged enough to have witnessed one of the best limited overs innings of all time. As a viewer and a fan, I have got more than my share of entertainment. Yes, it hurts that yet again, a certain Sachin Tendulkar took India so close in a monumental chase, and then they somehow contrived to crumble in a heap at the doorstep of victory. I've shed my share of tears afer hearing Tendulkar's post match comments, will fret about what could have been and then go to sleep. Tomorrow will be another day for me, as it will be for millions of other fans.

For a moment, I try to imagine what the man himself must be feeling right now. Never have I seen him so gutted after losing a match. Can any of us imagine what a battered 36 year old veteran must be going through after spending almost 7 hours in the middle, scoring more than half the runs his side has, almost winning the match singlehandedly, only to find the door to victory shut rudely in his face because a few of his mates couldn't get a foot in the door he had kept prised open till then? When was the last time the difference between the top score and the next best score was 116 runs? To think that the valiance of the man came unstuck because someone didn't dive in when threatened by a run-out. Has a lack of basics ever hurt more? Why he, out of 1.25 billion people? Why only he, O Almighty, to shoulder the burden of others' incompetence? Wasn't Pakistan 1999 in Chennai enough? Weren't a countless other heartbreaks enough? Pray, aren't 20 years enough? How many more letdowns can he suffer? As usual, some will say that he did not finish the job he had set out to do. Which job? That of making up for others' folly? India had no right to be in the position they were in, but for Sachin. It wasn't India against Australia actually. It was Sachin Tendulkar against Australia. Like it was in the Sharjah desert more than a decade back. Some things never change.

P.S.: And Mr. Punter, you could have been more appreciative of the man at the post match presentation than "He plaaayed brilliantly". He deserved much more from the man who is attempting to chase his records. I stick my neck out and say that you could have never played an innings of such magnificence, never ever while chasing 350 under lights. Remember Nagpur barely a week ago? No, your innings batting first in the 2003 World Cup final pales in comparison.