Stories from Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket
-
Future of Indian cricket is in good hands
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 14, 2011
There is always a cause for alarm when legendary cricketers are on the verge of retirement. Such thoughts occurred as the famed quintet of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble entered the evening of their careers a couple of years ago. There was this frightening thought as to what would happen if all the five retired in quick succession. Where were the replacements? Even at that time I never shared this pessimism. I was… Full Story »
-
Who will inspire more: Australia or India?
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
Will the loss to New Zealand in the Hobart Test make Australia a more dangerous side when they take on India a fortnight from now, or will it drag the team further down the corridor of uncertainty they have been inhabiting in recent weeks and months? Will it mean the end of Ricky Ponting's career or will he now keep his place in order to… Full Story »
-
For Viru, even an ODI 250 is possible
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
It was the final over of the match and Dinesh Ramdin was on 96. His partner the number eleven batsman Sunil Narine had batted quite competently to stay with him and have a rollicking last wicket partnership but the target was too far away and the only interest was whether Ramdin on 96 would be able to get his first century in one-day internationals. The field was well spread out to allow him a single and then attack Narine so that Ramdin would be deprived of… Full Story »
-
L'affaire Roebuck
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
The fallen hero has been a favorite character right from the times of Greek and Indian mythologies. Somehow a tainted genius has appealed to authors across centuries. He gives them a complex character with various layers and umpteen shades of grey. Most readers too don't really care too much for the perfect flawless character. Yudhishthira in Mahabharata is one such example. Very few books have been written with him being the central character. The number of books written on Karna, on the other hand are too many. There are… Full Story »
-
Topics:
- MS Dhoni
- Rahul Dravid
- Cricket
-
Congratulations to Ajit Wadekar. Kudos to Bapu Nadkarni.
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
Two news items made for heartwarming reading last week. One was that Ajit Wadekar had been picked to receive the Col CK Nayudu award for Lifetime Achievement and contribution to Indian Cricket. Wadekar in his own tongue in cheek style reacted by saying that it had come a bit early, but nevertheless thanked the BCCI for bestowing it on him. Don't forget that Wadekar was part of the ICL and all those connected with it were out of Indian crickets orbit for those years and actually forfeited even the monthly pensions that the BCCI was giving to the… Full Story »
-
Cricket suicides
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
In light of cricketer and journalist Peter Roebuck's suicide in Cape Town on November 12, Gulu Ezekiel traces eleven other prominent cricketers who took their own lives. Arthur Shrewsbury (1856-1903): Captained England in seven of his 23 Tests in which he scored three centuries with a… Full Story »
-
Annoying the opposition
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
When two players have roughly equal skill levels in their primary jobs (bowling or batting), then extraneous factors play a role in team selection. And as selection day approaches, you only need to read the newspapers or watch television to see what such factors may be in specific cases. Sometimes the selectors themselves 'leak' the story to the media in order to gauge the mood before sitting down… Full Story »
-
The pointlessness of sport is its greatest attraction
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
Cricket's most enduring - and endearing - statistic is 99.94, the average that Don Bradman finished with. There is something charming about that figure, a hint of perfection; but the stronger impression is one of vulnerability. Look on my works, ye mighty, but don't despair, to misquote Shelley. I am human, after all. That mix of attainability and human fallibility is as much about sport as it is a commentary on… Full Story »
-
Cricket and international relations
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Dec 12, 2011
Cricket has historically played a disproportionately large role in the realm of international relations considering it is competed at the highest level by fewer than a dozen nations. Following the recent death of the iconic English cricketer Basil D'Oliveira at the age of 80 his obits centred round the unwitting role he played in the banning of South Africa-the country of his birth-from the international sporting arena… Full Story »
-
Basil D'Oliveira was a mighty fine utility player
Cricket Columns on Dream Cricket &bull Nov 21, 2011
He is best known as the symbol against the hated apartheid system in South Africa who made it good playing for another country. But this camouflages the fact that Basil D'Oliveira was a mighty fine utility player for England in the period 1966 - 1972. His record of 2484 runs at an average of 40, five centuries and 47 wickets from 44 Tests speaks for itself. Indeed it can be said that D'Oliveira was born 20… Full Story »
