For people who have closely followed the Indian tour of the Carribean, one thing that stands out is the pathetic commentary in these matches, be it the one dayers or the first two tests.
The commentary team comprised of mediocre West Indian players alongwith an Australian and an Indian. I heralded Tony Cozier as a very good cricket commentator, but as it turned out my view was totally shattered listening to his abysmal commentary right through this tour. There were fewer fans at the ground than there were in the commentary box with Ian Bishop leading the way. It was hard to imagine the kind of praises they were lavishing upon this West indies team, which is probably the weakest among all test playing nations today, barring Zimbabwe. This was probably the weakest West indies team to have ever played test cricket. And yet we find these commentators utter things as if they were the world champions.
Commentary is about being neutral; highlighting the various aspects of the game, explaining to the viewer the technical correctness or otherwise associated with batting, bowling and even fielding. Its sad to find the commentary team comprising of no great cricketers. The name Jeremy Cooney is not a very popular name and nor Ian Bishop was a tear away fast bowler. L Sivaramakrishnan disapperared from cricket before he even got a driving license and Dean Jones is just an entertainment value. Both West Indies and India have produced some of the greatest cricketers of all times. Viv Richards, Sir Sobers, Sunny Gavaskar just to name a few. Its when you have people like these commentating you get to know the game more. The below-par and one sided commentary has really dimished the interest among viewers in India.
West Indies cricket needs a revival and one clearly understands the anxiety among their people to see their team perform well. But that must not come at the expense of cricket itself. Cometh the time when Television broadcasters identify people who can add value to the game. People like Tony Cozier who have never faced a ball in their life time cannot comment on how it is like when there is a bouncer comming at the batsman at 150 kph, nor they can comment on the stress at the ankles when a fast bowler lands on the popping crease, nor they can explain how to bowl a 'doosra'. Lets hope for a change in the remaining two tests.
June 15, 2006
June 6, 2006
India...back in business !
At the end of the 4th day in the first test at Antigua against the West Indies, India had set the opponents an improbable target to overhaul. After being totally dominated for the better part of the first two days of the test India showed the grit and steely resolve it was made of, and the batting finally clicked in this tour of the Carribean. The Indian batsmen, led by Wasim Jaffer who made his maiden double ton, were upto the challenge posted by the inexperienced and the stereotype West Indian pace attack and never let the scars of the one dayers affect their performance. It was pleasing to see Jaffer play. His strokes are soothing to the eye and elegance personified. It was an exceptional knock under pressure, similar to the one against England at Nagpur earlier this year. Scoring a century in the second innings of a test match is always a difficult ask; the batsmen have to contend with the pitch slowing down and offering uneven bounce. It was an innings of high quality and must have instilled the much needed self-confidence in the dressing room, after a mediocre display in the one dayers.
Also, was in witness an innings that justified why Dhoni is what he is today. Acclaimed by most people as one of the most destructive batsmen, he played some scintillating shots off the leg-spinner that carried the ball not only beyond the ropes, but to the streets and nearby suburbs. It was some sight for the crowd, who during the one day series hardly got to view his rare and phenomenal strokeplay. The controversy over his dismissal consumed fifteen minutes, which in the final analysis proved to be the margin between a victory and a draw for the Indians.
West Indies must be complimented for their effort. Odds were heavily stacked against them after losing three wickets just before lunch on final day; they recovered brilliantly with their second most experienced batsman Chanderpaul leading the way. He continued his stupendous run against the Indians and displayed some quality shots through covers and point, scoring at will. Gayle was beginning to look ominous after hitting couple of lusty blows against Anil Kumble but succumbed to the bowler playing forward with his pad rather than bat. He paid the penalty as umpire Simon Taufel adjudged him leg-before, who had a fantastic game unlike his counterpart.
West Indies salvaged a draw after being in a winning position at the end of day two. Indians gained some vital points in this test, with Sreesanth coming good in the second innings and Kumble striking form early in the series. Surprise package was Viru who bowked at the right areas and troubled the batsmen with his drift and turn. The chink in the armour is VRV Singh. Known as India's fastest bowler, he struggled to clock speeds in excess on 130 kph and never looked threatening. He has to make way for Pathan in the second test and it will be interesting to see if Harbhajan gets a place in final eleven. Indian batting is unreliable apart from Dravid. Indians always perform better when they have the luxury of an extra batsman in the side. The team management has some thinking to do and especially with Sehwag bowling as well as he is, its difficult for Bhajji to play the next test.
Also, was in witness an innings that justified why Dhoni is what he is today. Acclaimed by most people as one of the most destructive batsmen, he played some scintillating shots off the leg-spinner that carried the ball not only beyond the ropes, but to the streets and nearby suburbs. It was some sight for the crowd, who during the one day series hardly got to view his rare and phenomenal strokeplay. The controversy over his dismissal consumed fifteen minutes, which in the final analysis proved to be the margin between a victory and a draw for the Indians.
West Indies must be complimented for their effort. Odds were heavily stacked against them after losing three wickets just before lunch on final day; they recovered brilliantly with their second most experienced batsman Chanderpaul leading the way. He continued his stupendous run against the Indians and displayed some quality shots through covers and point, scoring at will. Gayle was beginning to look ominous after hitting couple of lusty blows against Anil Kumble but succumbed to the bowler playing forward with his pad rather than bat. He paid the penalty as umpire Simon Taufel adjudged him leg-before, who had a fantastic game unlike his counterpart.
West Indies salvaged a draw after being in a winning position at the end of day two. Indians gained some vital points in this test, with Sreesanth coming good in the second innings and Kumble striking form early in the series. Surprise package was Viru who bowked at the right areas and troubled the batsmen with his drift and turn. The chink in the armour is VRV Singh. Known as India's fastest bowler, he struggled to clock speeds in excess on 130 kph and never looked threatening. He has to make way for Pathan in the second test and it will be interesting to see if Harbhajan gets a place in final eleven. Indian batting is unreliable apart from Dravid. Indians always perform better when they have the luxury of an extra batsman in the side. The team management has some thinking to do and especially with Sehwag bowling as well as he is, its difficult for Bhajji to play the next test.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)