http://multy.rediffiland.com/Diary of Dinesh Nambisanen-us

Stand back and watch the muck fly. Appetizers here & here, more likely to come over time. *Sigh*]]>Wed, 09 May 2007 03:02:29 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/05/09/Muck.htmlsay on this:

It's strange, in fact, how India and Pakistan resemble each other so. On the field, there has been a spooky sameness; results and performances in South Africa were nearly identical, the Champions Trophy and World Cup, both failures. Both batting line-ups struggle in alien conditions, as fielders both are poor and both leaders increasingly embattled and embittered. Both now rebuild.

Off it, they are cricket's Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. One, pure monied trash, influential for no other reason than having too much of it, the other straight-up trailer trash, cricket's true basket case. They are tabloid fodder, stumbling from one front page to another: religion, player factionalism, spats, coaching intrigues, politicking, doping and even possible murder. How much of the news that you have read about these two sides recently has been about their cricket?

Right. Hopefully, the comparisons stop right there :-)]]>Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:09:26 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/04/10/Paris-Hilton-Britney.htmlthis article in the DNA.

Excerpts:

Batsmen are instructed to lift their bats towards the pavilion each time they crack a fifty to ensure adequate TV exposure for the brand plastered on it as well as twirl around to allow enough time for photographers to capture the image. Bats are also not hung down when a player walks to the pavilion after a good knock as he has instructions to wave it to the crowd and the cameras milking additional publicity. The longer the time spent and more the runs scored all have performance based clauses which influence the way the batsman behaves out in the field.

]]>Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:36:05 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/04/09/They-re-not-acknowledging-your-applause-.htmlagain demanding reasons as to why he was dropped.

Simple reason, mate: You didn't do well enough lately to cement your place in the side. Fair enough, you could argue that you were given somewhat of a raw deal in the Malaysia matches post the WI series of last year where you performed very well indeed, but you have done nothing of note subsequently, or prior to the WI series. And you cannot complain of not being given enough chances in ODIs either, unlike say a VVS Laxman.

Complaining will do your cause no good. And if you want to make a come back into the Indian squad, give a call to Zaheer Khan and ask him how to do it. And later on, don't forget to ask Saurav Ganguly either on how to cement your place in the side when making a comeback.]]>Sat, 10 Mar 2007 01:12:40 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/03/10/Memo-to-Kaif-Stop.html
For instance, this report mentions that the media machinery is kicking into higher gear, with every outlet worth its salt hiring an "expert", or two. But just take a look at the amazing figures being quoted: Rs 2.5 Crores for Kapil Dev for (presumably) providing match-analyses and/or pontificate on the prospects of players and teams, just for the World Cup. I have no clue, but I wouldn't be surprised if the entire aggregate career earnings (on field), of Kapil was less than this. Lesser amounts for lesser known ex-players, of course; but even the likes of Nikhil Chopra(!!) have been roped in (More power to them, they are milking the opportunity, and rightly so).

However, what it means to average Joes like me is that it is just a matter of time before we are overwhelmed by the hype and the din created by these media outlets trying to cash in on the WC fervor. Wonder how many Mandira Bedis will be inflicted on us this time ;-)

]]>Fri, 23 Feb 2007 04:55:02 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/02/23/Cricket-Money-.htmlhttp://cricket.indiatimes.com/Experience_cant_be_bought_Vengsarkar/articleshow/1635283.cms"target=top>interview of Vengsarkar about general selection issues and the WC squad, I did a double-take on this:


Apart from Powar, was any player discussed?
Yes. Ashish Nehra and Dinesh Mongia.


Whaa? Ashish Nehra??? I'm guessing here that Vengsarkar is merely stating the facts about the meeting, still, the name of Nehra even being discussed at all as a prospect leaves one filled with disbelief..He wasn't even included in the list of 30 probables, last that I remember..
]]>Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:10:05 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/02/20/Weird.htmlthis story that says Shoaib Akhtar & Mohammed Asif have not yet undergone drug tests carried out by the PCB since they
are in London seeking medical opinion on their knee and elbow injuries which could put them out of the World Cup. They will undertake the dope tests as soon as they return from London, a PCB official said .

With my eyebrows raised and tongue firmly in cheek, I implore you to refrain from any speculation on the timing of these consultations.



Update: The media is speculating, now...]]>Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:47:14 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2007/02/17/Interesting.html

This win though still doesn't crown a triumphant campaign which must now be India's aim. They can fine tune the team for Kingsmead by
bringing in Irfan Pathan and it would mean laying off Wasim Jaffer for the moment. It's a drastic measure and in no way is a vote of no-confidence against
the likeable Mumbai opener. It's simply what India need best to stay on top against an opposition who would now be an enraged beast.

Pathan's assets are obvious: he has been on this tour for over a month and his batting is just getting in order on these pitches. He is a left-hander to boot which is always a drain on the concentration of a bowler. As a left-handed bowler, he could play a good relieving role for the present strike-forces of the team. It's horses for courses really. Even Dravid opening can become a possibility.

After initially dismissing the idea as outlandish, I must say the idea of Pathan opening grew on me after a while. While it will be quite unfair on Gambhir, who was picked as the backup opener, and while there will be plenty of chest-beating over the "experimentation" should it fail, at the end of the day it looked to me as a bet worth taking. Pathan has been batting very well lately, with two chanceless & unbeaten knocks of 40 and 111 in the Pootchefstroom practice match earlier (where, notably, the only other Indian batsman to cross 50 was Ganguly). Like a friend pointed out, after all we discovered Sehwag the opener in a similar manner.I wouldn't consider the option of Dravid opening for an instant (as Shastri suggests); we all remember too well what happened the last time around when he opened in a test match in Pakistan;he is worth his weight in gold as the #1 down batsman. Another fast bowling (ok, make that medium pace) option to the Indian attack will definitely help on the Durban wicket, which is supposed to be even more pacer friendly that Jo'burg.

That said, I'm skeptical of it happening, given the noises that our Chief Selector Vengsarkar has been making lately, stressing a conservative approach and fixed batting positions at the top.
]]>Wed, 20 Dec 2006 06:24:53 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2006/12/20/Pathan-as-an.htmlGanguly, I felt, made a comeback into the team purely on the basis of his experience, rather than any good performances in the domestic circuit (except one hundred recently, he had been having a rather poor run in both domestic matches and previously in the county circuit, where ironically Dinesh Mongia was prolific); which validates the "no young talent available" theory further. While whether he makes a significant difference to the team remains to be seen, but you can be rest assured that the media will have plenty of material over the next few weeks to drum up ratings (e.g. Headlines like "Greg raised his eyebrows at Ganguly", "Dada & Dravid seen in animated conversation in the mens room" etc).
I see his selection as a purely pragmatic move based on the current situation and the lack of domestic talent, and hopefully it will settle the Ganguly soap opera once and for all. If he performs, he deserves to be in the side; if he doesn't, unlikely that the question will ever be raised again.

Based purely on performance, Raina, Pathan, Sehwag and Mongia needed to be dropped, that Sehwag survived is to me a miracle. The only arguments one could make for Pathan surviving was either the long-term view ("young prospect with potential") that could've been applied to Raina as well, or the all-rounder theory, which doesn't quite wash given that the requirement for an all-rounder in test matches is somewhat lesser, than in ODIs . The case of Mohd. Kaif is the strangest one, and I suspect the ambivalence I have towards him is shared by other folks too. He does not seem to have enough talent to force his way into the side, yet you could not ask for a more complete team player. Take the case of how he was handled: Prior to the WI tour, he was having a horrendous run, and he should not have made it to the team for the tour. Yet, they showed faith in him, he went along, scored 3 fifties in 5 ODIs, and made a century and a fifty in the three tests that followed. Next thing that happens is that he is dropped in the first Malaysia match to make room for Tendulkar (in the chances he subsequently got he did no worse than the other stars in the team); and now in the first test series after that WI tour where he performed so much better than others in the test matches, he has been dropped again. Hell, they seem to prefer to include Dinesh Kartik in the team as a batsman over Kaif, as seen in the 20/20 match.
I, for one, was hoping Aakash Chopra made it back. His sticky style of technically correct batting and holding one end up would have been very useful in the current situation, where we barely seem to get a decent start. Gambhir, though, is a fair call given his domestic performance (though he might have to cut down on the risks he normally takes to be successful).]]>Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:41:28 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2006/12/02/Team.htmlthis one in the Cricket sections of news sites can leave you speechless....]]>Tue, 21 Nov 2006 12:24:10 +0530http://multy.rediffiland.com/blogs/2006/11/21/What-was.html