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idlitalk · 4 years

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The Miracle at Gabba

It still hasn’t sunk in.

With the series tied 1-1, all India had to do was draw this match to retain this trophy. Australia were in front for almost all the match, and set India a target of 328 on a 5th day pitch. All the experts and pundits were still predicting an Australian win, with a slim chance of a draw if rain intervened.

No rain arrived. And then the unthinkable happened.

Australia lost at the Gabba, Brisbane after 32 years.

India beat them, without our main batsman, main pace bowler and main spinner. How did this miracle happen.

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Growing up, a test series in Australia used to be a glorious affair. The television would be switched on at 5am, with an early morning cup of hot filter coffee to soothe the nerves. Seeing the carefully manicured grass in different shapes and shades of green used to feel therapeutic. Only until the first ball was bowled. And then it all went downhill. Our bowlers could never handle the Australian batting, even the experienced ones. Our much vaunted batting hardly did better. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar (with Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in tow) couldn’t prevent the 4-0 (1991), 3-0 (1999), 1-1(2004), 2-1(2007) and 4-0 (2011) results through his career. Not a single win on Australian soil. As a generation, we were scarred of Australian tours with even our greatest unable to get us a series win there.

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India started this series being dismissed for 36 all out. The team sheet read:

Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agrawal, Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

India ended the series with 329/7 for a series win. The cast was:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Pujara, Rahane, Mayank Agrawal, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Mohd Siraj, T Natarajan.

Only 2 players in common. Find them. Possibly a quiz question for the future.

Almost the entire cast was replaced. The bowling unit was completely re-assembled.

The new cast contained 3 bowlers from RCB, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj and Washington Sundar, with whom Kohli has been unable to win even a single IPL trophy in a decade.

Our pace attack had a combined 13 tests in between them. The Australian attack had over 1013.

The same Australian attack played all 4 tests. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and the greatest bowler currently, Pat Cummins, bowled tirelessly and effectively. They were touted as one of the greatest attacks of all time.

Yet, we won.

Over the course of this series, the Indian team grew up. We all grew up.

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Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were the only 2 Indians to play the full series.

Pujara took more blows on his body than any cricketer I have seen, and didn’t flinch once in facing the next ball. He knew Cummins had the ability to make the ball climb steeply off a good length on a day-5 pitch. He knew if he tried to play at it, there was a chance of edging or gloving the ball. So he chose to take the ball on his body. A 150kmph rock, on his body. Thanks to his efforts over 4 tests, the Australian bowlers had lost all bite by the end of the 5th day of the final test. His presence was key in ensuring the other batsmen got to face tired and ragged bowlers.

Rahane played a magnificent innings at Melbourne to help level the series for India, post the disheartening 36. Such an innings is regularly called a ‘captain’s innings’ but nowhere did this moniker fit better. If Rahane had failed in that innings, in all probability, India would have gone too, following 36 all out by conceding another big lead to Australia, and possibly be 2-0 down. His field placings strategy, with a leg side field, and strangling the Aussie batsmen on the leg side, was both, masterful and a stroke of genius.

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And how about’em youngsters!

Shubman Gill started the final day at Gabba with a bang for India with an explosive 91. His sixes off Start and Cummins must still be reverberating in the stadium. He reminded everyone watching of Sehwag, and who knows, he might even emulate him in the coming decade. Gill averaged a stunning 51.60 in this series, his debut. Thats a staggering entry into the game as it comes on the hard and bouncy pitches of Australia. The future is his for the taking.

Rishabh Pant came in knowing he had to go a step ahead of Sydney. He didn’t take a step back the rest of the day. Pant had been criticised, dropped, made fun off on his weight, and was thought of as having wasted his chances and on the verge of being overtaken in the pecking order by other batsmen-keepers like Sanju Samson. He almost took India to victory in Sydney. In Gabba he made sure he was there to score the winning run following his stunning 97 in Sydney with an even more valuable 89 not out.

Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur were both net bowlers till a few days before this match. They ended up having the batting partnership of the match to save India from certain defeat. India were 186/6 staring at an Australian total of 369. Considering our long tail, Australia would have been thinking of bowing us out for 200 or thereabouts. But the 123 run partnership that they stitched together not just saved India from a huge First innings deficit but also stole the momentum from Aus. Shardul went on to take a whopping 7 wickets in the match.

Natarajan wasn’t even an international player before 2020. He was picked for the T20 only in Australia and stayed back as a net bowler. All the injuries meant he had to play and boy, was he ready for it.

Mohammed Siraj lost his father during the course of this series. He chose not to go back for the funeral due to strict quarantine norms. At that time he wasn’t even sure of a place in the playing eleven. He turned out to be the find of the series. He consistently got his SRH teammate David Warner, one of the 2 linchpins of the Aussie lineup out, which in itself was worth its weight in gold. He ended the series with a 5-wicket haul, and pride of place in the massive Gabba win.

In the end, it showed how the new generation was more than ready to step up. They showed no signs of baggage. They didn’t know pressure. They simply exploded with their talent.

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As you walk away from this...

Remember the smile and calm on Ajinkya’s face throughout the series. Remember Ashwin mentioning that the 2nd test was the happiest moment for him in the way we played. Remember the humility Natarajan projected when he admitted he couldn’t even see a ball in facing Starc’s first over. Remember the nonchalant sixes Shubman Gill hit off Cummins and Starc on a 5th day pitch. Remember the cool and calm partnership of Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar. Remember the stunning swing bowling of Mohammad Siraj. Remember the body blows Cheteshwar Pujara took.

This was no less than a miracle.

These people are special.

This win is special.

#IndvAus Gabba

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hsrsports · 4 years

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Laxman recounts how India turned the tide in Kolkata Test in 2001 - Click on link to subscribe my channel https://ift.tt/34vXvMA Facebook - https://ift.tt/2Vjiyz6 Twitter - https://twitter.com/HsrSports Pinterest - https://ift.tt/2ywdZIH Tumblr - https://ift.tt/2z5qwmL Blog - https://ift.tt/2VlBDRu #Sports #SportsNews #Tournament HYDERABAD: It’s not the best of times to be a sportsperson. With the world still reeling due to the pandemic and arenas yet to open, sportspersons have hit the pause button. But for many like VVS Laxman, it’s turned out to be the much-needed respite. The Hyderabadi has been able to spend quality time with family. Also keeping him busy are the online shows he is associated with. Also a daily fix now is table tennis and scrabble. The lockdown has also been a time to recollect and reminisce. TOI caught up with the wristy maestro as he recalled the 2001 India-Australia Test match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata played from March 11-15. Laxman’s 281 (631 min, 452b, 44x4) in the second innings after India were asked to follow on by Steve Waugh was rated as the knock of the century by Wisden. And the win, which helped India level the series 1-1 before they clinched the series 2-1 in Chennai, was a glorious high in Test cricket. Laxman’s take on the Test match: “That series was supposed to be a very important series for the team because John Wright just took over as the coach -- first foreign coach. Sourav (Ganguly) became the captain. We played against Zimbabwe, but this was the big series against Australia coming here with 15 consecutive wins. Steve Waugh himself said that this series was going to be the Final Frontier and they were looking to be compared with the Invincibles of the 1940s. We had a very good camp in Chennai where we set our targets not only for that series but as a team what we want to do and what we want to achieve. One of the important goals was to beat the best team in the world in our own backyard. Australia without a doubt was probably the best team in the world at that time with all their match-winners. After all the preparation, the first Test was an anticlimax where we lost the game in three days but the match was evenly poised before (Adam) Gilchirst and Mathew Hayden took the game away from us in Mumbai. “Coming into Kolkata, we wanted to redeem ourselves and we wanted to level the series and go to Chennai 1-1. After the Mumbai Test, instead of brooding we introspected what went wrong. So, we came to Kolkata with a positive frame of mind and confidence that we can level the series. “Australia won the toss and batted and got 400+ (445) with Steve Waugh getting a brilliant hundred (110). We felt that we could match the first innings total of Australia. But as it turned out, we were bowled out for 171 and the atmosphere in the dressing room was suddenly low. We were all disappointed because we worked really hard and we wanted to match the Australians. We knew it would be tough but we wanted to put up a fight. But it didn’t show in our three innings thus far in the series. So suddenly there was despondency in the dressing room. “Steve Waugh enforced the follow-on. John Wright and Sourav had a chat with the whole group saying that we’ll go out and play to our potential and put up a fight. (Sadagopan) Ramesh and (Shiv Sundar) Das gave us a decent start but not even once on the second day evening or third afternoon when they enforced follow-on did we think that we could save this Test. “I was promoted to No.3. I was keen that I play my natural game. First it was Ramesh who got out, then Das. Sachin (Tendulkar) came and got out without contributing much. Sourav and I had a partnership on the third evening and Sourav got out. The ground that was full, suddenly had only 10% of the crowd left. Everyone lost hope. Then Rahul (Dravid) and I had that partnership. I reached my hundred at the end of the third day’s play and returned to a dull dressing room. Everyone thought we were only delaying the inevitable – us losing the game and the series. “Next morning, John had a chat with me and Rahul, telling us to go out and do our best and reminded us of our aim to be the No.1 Test playing nation in world cricket. “The second new ball was due and it was important for us to take one step at a time. Never in our minds did we think of the result, though. We set small goals and played time. Both of us had the game to play time and knew tha..

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vsplusonline · 5 years

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India vs New Zealand 4th T20I Live Score Updates: Manish Pandey key in India's late surge - Times of India

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/india-vs-new-zealand-4th-t20i-live-score-updates-manish-pandey-key-in-indias-late-surge-times-of-india/

India vs New Zealand 4th T20I Live Score Updates: Manish Pandey key in India's late surge - Times of India

LIVE BLOG | LIVE SCORECARD

End of OVER 19: 10 runs off Bennett’s over. INDIA 154/8

OVERS 18.5: FOUR! Knuckle ball from Bennett. Saini sends the NZ pacer towards deep extra cover for another boundary. INDIA 152/8

OVERS 18.3: FOUR! Navdeep Saini hits first boundary of his T20I career. He clears his front leg and smashes Bennett towards deep backward point. INDIA 148/8

Navdeep Saini comes to the crease.

OVERS 17.5: WICKET! Southee to Chahal. Edged and gone. The Indian gets an edge and gives an easy catch to NZ wicketkeeper Seifert. Chahal departs for 1. INDIA 143/8.

Southee starts his fourth and last over.

End of OVER 17: 13 runs off Bennett’s over. INDIA 138/7

OVERS 16.4: FOUR! Superb shot from Pandey. He pulls this towards long on. Bennett isn’t happy with this. INDIA 135/7

Yuzvendra Chahal comes to the crease.

OVERS 16.3: WICKET! Shardul tries to go over the top but gets a top edge. A well-judged catch from Southee. Knuckle ball does the job for Bennett. Shardul departs for 20. INDIA 131/7

OVERS 16.1: FOUR! What a shot from Shardul. He stays back and pulls this towards deep mid wicket for a boundary.

Bennett starts his third over. End of OVER 16: 13 runs off Southee’s over. INDIA 125/6

OVERS 15.5: A loud lbw appeal from Southee against Pandey. Umpire is not interested.

OVERS 15.3: FOUR! Manish Pandey opens the face of the bat and guides the ball towards deep backward point.

Tim Southee starts his third over.

15 overs gone! 8 runs off Bennett’s over. INDIA 112/6

Can India go past 150-run mark today?

End of OVER 14: 7 runs off Santner’s over. INDIA 104/6

OVERS 13.1: Manish Pandey gets a thick outside edge and the ball races towards third man region. Pandey will get 3 runs. Excellent running between the wickets from Pandey and Shardul.

Santner starts his fourth and last over.

OVERS 13: FOUR! Much-needed boundary for India. Shardul curs the ball towards backward point for a boundary. 9 runs off Sodhi’s over. INDIA 97/6

Ish Sodhi starts his fourth and final over.

End of OVER 12: Just 1 run off Santner’s over. INDIA 88/6

Shardul Thakur comes to the crease.

OVERS 11.3: WICKET! Santner castles Sundar for a duck. India in deep trouble now. INDIA 88/6

Santner starts his third over.

End of OVER 11: Brilliant over by Sodhi. 4 runs and Dube’s wicket off his over. INDIA 87/5

Washington Sunder comes to the crease.

OVERS 10.2: WICKET! Sodhi takes his third wicket. Shivam Dube departs for 12. The left-hander hits the ball high in the air but fails to convert it into a six. Brilliant catch by Tom Bruce at the boundary line. INDIA 84/5

Ish Sodhi starts his third over.

10 overs gone! Just 5 runs off Santner’s over. INDIA 83/4

Mitchell Santner is back into the attack. This is his second over.

End of OVER 9: 9 runs off Sodhi’s over. INDIA 78/4

Manish Pandey comes into the attack.

OVERS 8.4: WICKET! Ish Sodhi gets the big fish. KL Rahu departs for 39 (26 balls). Another good catch by Santner at deep mid wicket. Poor shot from KL.

OVERS 8.1: FOUR! KL goes on backfoot and plays this beautifully towards backward point for a boundary. INDIA 73/3

Sodhi starts his second over. END of OVER 8: FOUR! Well controlled shot from Dube. He uses the pace, opens the face of the bat and sends the ball towards third man. 14 runs off Kuggeleijn’s over. INDIA 69/3

OVERS 7.4: FOUR! Kuggeleijn to Dube. The left-hander cuts the ball towards third man for a boundary. INDIA 65/3

OVERS 7.2: FOUR! KL Rahul stays back and plays this beautifully behind point. INDIA 60/3

Kuggeleijn starts his third over.

End of OVER 7: 4 runs off Sodhi’s over. INDIA 55/3

Shivam Dube comes to the crease.

OVERS 6.3: WICKET! Ish Sodhi removes Shreyas Iyer for paltry 1. Excellent bowling from the New Zealander. Brilliant catch from Seifert behind the wickets. Umpire didn’t take much time and raises his finger. INDIA 52/3

Ish Sodhi comes into the attack

End of OVER 6: Brilliant over from Kuggeleijn. Just 1 run off it. INDIA 51/2

India’s run rate is still above 9. KL Rahul is the key for India right now.

Kuggeleijn starts his second over.

End of OVER 5: 10 runs and Kohli’s wicket off Bennett’s over. INDIA 50/2

Shreyas Iyer comes to the crease.

OVERS 4.3: WICKET! Bennett removes dangerous Virat Kohli for 11. Santner dives and grabs a blinder to send the Indian skipper back to the pavilion. Big wicket for the Kiwis. INDIA 48/2

OVERS 4.2: FOUR! That’s Kohli’s special. First boundary towards backward square leg and now cuts the ball cleverly towards third man. Back-to-back boundaries for Indian skipper. INDIA 48/1

Hamish Bennett comes into the attack.

End of OVER 4: 5 runs off Southee’s over. INDIA 40/1

Southee starts his second over. End of OVER 3: FOUR! KL ends Santner’s over in style with a boundary. 13 runs off Santner’s over. INDIA 35/1

OVERS 2.5: SIX! KL Rahul is on song. He stays back and slaps the ball over deep mid wicket region.

Mitchell Santner comes into the attack.

End of OVER 2: 15 runs and Sanju’s wicket off Kuggeleijn’s over. INDIA 22/1

OVERS 1.5: SIX! KL Rahul takes full advantage of free hit, clears his front leg and smashes Kuggeleijn over long off fence. INDIA 22/1

OVERS 1.5: WIDE. NO BALL. WIDE. Free hit still there.

Captain Virat kohli comes to the crease.

OVERS 1.3: WICKET! Kuggeleijn strikes early for New Zealand. Sanju Samson departs for 8. The youngster tries to hit Kuggeleijn but fails to connect it properly. Mitchell Santner takes a well-judged catch. Samson fails to cash in on another opportunity. INDIA 13/1

OVERS 1.1: SIX! Sanju stands tall, picks the length and dispatches the ball over the cow corner. Brilliant shot from the Kerala lad. INDIA 13/0

Scott Kuggeleijn comes into the attack

End of OVER 1: 7 runs off Southee’s over. INDIA 7/0

Big opportunity for Sanju today. OVER 0.2: Rahul takes a quick single and gives strike to Sanju Samson.

OVER 0.1: Rahul plays this with soft hands towards backward square leg. He will get a couple.

India openers KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are in the middle. Tim Southee is ready with the ball. Here we go…

PLAYING XIs:

INDIA: Sanju Samson, KL Rahul (WK), Virat Kohli (CAPTAIN), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini

NEW ZEALAND: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor, Tim Seifert (WK), Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee (CAPTAIN), Ish Sodhi, Hamish Bennett, Daryl Mitchell

CAPTAINS’ TAKE:

Virat Kohli (INDIA):

We would have bowled first as well. We haven’t had a game like that in a while. For us as a side, it was a massive confidence booster. We have rested Rohit, Shami and Jadeja. Samson to open, Washington and Saini are in. Three exciting additions to the side. Tim Southee (NEW ZEALAND):

We are gonna bowl first. Looks like a good wicket. Kane’s got a niggle on his shoulder. He should be fine in a couple of days. We need to keep improving. Tom Bruce comes in for Collin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell comes in for Kane.

New Zealand have won the toss and they will bowl first. #NZvIND https://t.co/IXbSLmsQ1Q

— BCCI (@BCCI) 1580452354000

TEAM CHANGES – INDIA:

Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami rested Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar and Navdeep Saini are playing today. Sanju to open the innings with KL Rahul.

TEAM CHANGES – NEW ZEALAND:

Tom Bruce comes in for CdG and Daryl Mitchell comes in for Kane.

TOSS: New Zealand captain Tim Southee wins toss, opts to field against India.

A toss win for Tim Southee and we are having a bowl at @skystadium! Tom Bruce and Daryl Mitchell in. #NZvIND https://t.co/vnuv7HT6WP

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) 1580452756000

India captain Virat Kohli and New Zealand captain Tim Southee are in the middle for the toss.

It’s TOSS time, folks.

Pitch Report – BY Scott Styris and VVS Laxman

This is a drop-in pitch. Looks like a beautiful pitch to bat on. It’s rock hard. Even though there’s even grass cover, it’ll be an excellent wicket to bat on. Dimensions will be challenging to the bowlers. Square boundaries are very short – less than 60 metres. Straight boundaries – around 80 metres. The length has to be fuller from the bowlers. The pitch was used early in the season for England vs New Zealand. Lot of runs were scored. There are not many foot-marks, so don’t expect too much of spin. BREAKING: Tim Southee to lead Kiwis today.

BREAKING: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson ruled out of the 4th T20I with a shoulder injury.

“Captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of tonight’s 4th T20I with a left-shoulder injury (AC joint) sustained while diving in the field in game 3. He will hopefully be available for the final game of the series at Bay Oval,” New Zealand Cricket (NZC) posted on its official Twitter handle.

Captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of tonight’s 4th T20I with a left-shoulder injury (AC joint) sustained w… https://t.co/zQFPGfBbSf

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) 1580450217000

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of 4th T20I match between India and New Zealand in Wellington.

After a cracking 3rd T20I, #TeamIndia is all set to play the 4th one at Wellington. Will @imVkohli field the same… https://t.co/mhE29Ywifm

— BCCI (@BCCI) 1580447532000

PREVIEW: An unassailable lead has opened up the window for experimentation but there will be no letup in India’s intensity when they face a heartbroken New Zealand team in the fourth T2o International on Friday.

Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma combined to pull off a thrilling win via a Super Over in the third game for a 3-0 lead and a maiden T20I series win on New Zealand soil.

There is only a short turnaround time for the last two matches, back-to-back in Wellington and Mt. Maunganui on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Both teams spent Thursday travelling from Hamilton to Wellington, and with a similar tight schedule for the final game of the series as well, there seems to be little chance of nets for either match.

While a five-match T20I series is a rarity, India’s early victory means both sides can contemplate various permutations in light of the T20 World Cup later in the year. From an Indian perspective, need of the hour is to find a balance between experimentation and the winning desire. Both skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri pride themselves on a win-at-all-times mentality, and they have a rare chance to blank out a 5-0 sweep in this T20I series, thus etching out a slice of history. Kohli even mentioned the same in the post-match presentation at Seddon Park on Wednesday night.

India wouldn’t need to change too much to retain a near full-strength playing eleven. There are obvious contenders for certain spots in both batting and bowling department should experimentation kick in.

Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are waiting for opportunities, with the former expected to get a look-in. Pant’s call-up would depend on which batsman is left out, and whether KL Rahul will continue to keep wickets. While the top trio is assured of places, Shreyas Iyer has been in superb touch and can claim to pin down a spot on his own as well. Both Manish Pandey and Shivam Dube need more game time as well. Any of the top four can be rested over the next two games. Indeed it wouldn’t be a stretch of imagination if one of Kohli and Rohit Sharma were alternately rested in Wellington and Mt. Maunganui. Such a move would allow the youngsters to keep their spots whilst maintaining the experience in the side too.

More changes are to be expected in the bowling department. Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Navdeep Saini are waiting in the wings. All three may not get a look-in immediately. Rest assured though, the team management is sure to rotate a spinner and pacer each.

Sundar is part of Kohli’s new-ball strategy on the big Australian grounds, so he can expect a run-in over the next two games. Saini could replace Shardul Thakur, especially if Sundar adds his batting depth to the lower order.

The final question would be over Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion. While he had an off night in Hamilton, there ought to be thoughts about his workload. He is part of both the ODI and Test squads, and is a shoe-in for the T20 World Cup later on as well.

While there have been no concerns about any injury issues, the management needs to be wary of overplaying him in non-consequential bilateral matches.

This was a previously prevalent practice in the build-up to the 2019 ODI World Cup, and the trio of Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya all suffered major injuries in the aftermath of that tournament.

It remains to be seen if the powers that be will mitigate this risk factor in their planning and preparation for the challenges ahead.

For New Zealand, there is a straightforward change coming up. Colin de Grandhomme is no longer with the squad, giving up his spot for batsman Tom Bruce.

This could be an easy swap for the hosts given that they have been light in the middle order during the past three matches.

There is also a school of thought that Kane Williamson should move up top. Given his batting master class in the Hamilton T20I, there is potential for him to open the innings with Martin Guptill with Colin Munro sliding down.

Mitchell Santner was promoted on Wednesday night to add more momentum to the innings, and it remains to be seen if it was a one-off ploy or something the Black Caps could consider experimenting with.

Teams (from): India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (wk), Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, Tom Bruce, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Hamish Bennett, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner.

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rohan81191-blog · 6 years

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In my blogging journey thus far, I’ve never really considered writing about anything remotely cricket related. As far as possible, I mostly stick to football and cartoons. While I have written about off-beat topics on occasion, cricket is something that has never really crossed my mind. Perhaps then, it is time that I make another exception to the usual routine.

Its been several years since my craze for the Gentleman’s Game died down. Yet in recent times, I’ve found myself taking a passive interest in my childhood love again. A few years ago, when I was in the United States, I had completely lost touch of the general goings on in the game. Strangely enough, my interest in the game has been rekindled in certain ways by a certain Dinesh Karthik; better known as ‘DK’ these days.

So on to the topic of the article…

The Late 90s and 2000s

Thiru Kumaran (Courtesy: sk-sk.facebook.com)

Aashish Kapoor (Courtesy: CricketCountry.com)

Sridharan Sriram (Courtesy: Rediff)

Hemang Badani (Courtesy: Rediff)

During my childhood, I always felt very happy when a Tamil Nadu cricketer got a chance to represent India. While several cricketers have represented the state with distinction throughout its history, very few have tasted lasting success with the national team (NT). A few names come to my mind when I think of Tamil Nadu cricketers who represented India during my childhood. Thiru Kumaran, Sridharan Sriram, Aashish Kapoor, Hemang Badani…. well, I’m struggling to think of names. None of these cricketers had an extended run with the national team and probably rightly so. They may have had terrific careers at the domestic level but never really stood out in their brief appearances with the NT. However, one name really stands out when I think of Tamil Nadu cricketers from that era…Sadagoppan Ramesh !!

The Fallen Promise of Sadagoppan Ramesh

I was never really a fan of any of the other Tamil Nadu cricketers who played for India during that era. Ramesh though, was different. During his brief time with the national team, he clearly showed that he had the ability to play the best bowlers in the world. Moreover, there was an effortless elegance to his stroke-play; the kind that people often associate with the likes of VVS Laxman. I instantly fell in love with Ramesh and rooted for him every time India played. Like most Indian openers from that generation though, he had the infamous technical flaw of ‘fishing outside the off-stump’. This was the reason for so many ‘caught-behind’ dismissals of Indian openers at the time, particularly in swinging & seaming pitches outside the sub-continent.

Sadagoppan Ramesh (Courtesy: Youtube)

So, like many players before him, his performances started to drop and eventually he fell by the wayside. He did briefly attempt a comeback to the national-fold but despite great performances at the domestic level and against other nations (for the Board President’s XI), it eventually amounted to nothing. In an interview years later, he did admit to not having the temperament to bat long-innings and notch up very high scores. He said that he was always content with scores of 50 or 60 (apparently a trait of Tamil Nadu players at the time according to Ramesh) and didn’t feel a strong motivation to push for the big scores like West-Zone players. In short, he often couldn’t convert good starts to huge scores; which brings us to the key question.

What does any of this have to do with Dinesh Karthik ?

Enter Dinesh Karthik

After Ramesh exited the picture, it would be a while before another Tamil Nadu cricketer flirted with the national team. In 2004, that moment finally arrived. Krishna Kumar Dinesh Karthik finally made his test debut against Australia. As a talented teenage wicketkeeper-batsman, it was expected that he would be a mainstay of the Indian side for years to come. The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect as India had gone through a succession of keepers after Nayan Mongia. Like Ramesh however, Karthik had inconsistency troubles and often couldn’t convert confident starts into big scores. Moreover, Karthik’s inconsistency shortly coincided with possibly the best thing to happen to Indian cricket in the last decade… MS Dhoni !! Now Dhoni’s legendary career as India’s greatest wicketkeeper-batsman & captain, particularly in the limited overs format is well known. Needless to say, Dinesh Karthik’s chances dwindled and he was dropped soon after, owing to poor form.

Dinesh Karthik (Courtesy: Telangana Today)

Despite his troubles, a recurring theme throughout his career has been his resilience and the ability to make comebacks. A great example of this was India’s tour of England in 2007. After being recalled to the national side, his strong performances in England helped India win the 3-match test series 1-0. To top it all, he was India’s highest run-getter in a squad that had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. While it was clear that he had the talent to cut it with the best in the world, he just couldn’t keep up this run of good form. Soon afterwards, he was once again dropped from the team. He has since gone on to make several comebacks where he has served as a backup to the playing eleven. Once again, like Ramesh before him, most of these comebacks didn’t amount to much despite a few noteworthy performances here and there.

Things have been different for him since 2017 however. There is now a genuine feeling that he may actually be knocking on the doors for a permanent spot in the Indian limited overs sides. So what’s changed ?

Enter DK aka Dinesh Karthik Version 2.0

Dinesh Karthik often goes by the moniker DK i.e. his initials these days. His national team and IPL jerseys read DK and so do his public social media accounts. In what is now a well-known story in cricketing circles, Dinesh Karthik’s true resurgence began ahead of the IPL 2016. With age not on his side anymore and his value in the IPL dropping, DK started to doubt if he could play for India again. So, he sought out the help of Abhishek Nayar who had previously helped Rohit Sharma get his groove back. Nayar helped DK by unsettling his daily routine and making him step out of his comfort zone. He would mix up his training routine, change the time of his training everyday etc. While these changes initially unsettled DK, he eventually embraced it. He became mentally prepared for anything and more composed (as opposed to his usually restless demeanour). Perhaps, this added a layer of unpredictability to his game as well. The results soon started to show.

DK (Courtesy: People Matters)

In the 2016 IPL season with Gujarat Lions, he scored more than 300 runs with his 65 of 34 balls against Delhi Daredevils being a standout performance. He then carried this form with him into the Ranji season, scoring 704 runs in 14 innings with an average over 50. This form continued into the domestic ODI scene with 607 runs in 9 innings at an average of 118. This was further complemented with great performances for the newly formed TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League) for his side Tuti Patriots; whom he captained to victory. The selectors took notice and he was picked for the ICC Champions Trophy in England. While he didn’t get too many chances to play for the main eleven during the champions trophy and immediately after, his time would soon come.

The Turning Point

The Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in March 2018 was the perfect opportunity for the selectors to rest several key players and try out fresh faces & fringe players. Once again, DK didn’t get too many opportunities to play but his time would arrive in the final, under hardly ideal circumstances. With India in a tight spot chasing Bangladesh’s 166, the team management sent in Vijay Shankar to bail out India, in a very bizarre decision. Vijay Shankar had never batted even once for India and sending him in during a pressure situation made no sense. To his credit, he did try to get off a few big shots but then just couldn’t get bat to ball against Mustafizur. Soon after DK walked in to bat with India needing 35 to win from just 12 deliveries. What followed afterwards was the stuff of dreams !!

DK celebrates victory with Washington Sundar (Courtesy: Ahmedabad Mirror)

DK absolutely plundered the Bangladesh bowling with an array of improvised strokes that left the bowlers clueless. Eventually India needed 5 runs to win from the last ball and not even the most ardent fan would have given the team much of a chance. DK wasn’t fazed however, and finished off in style with a 6 of the last ball to send Indian fans world over into ecstasy.

The Aftermath

Its unbelievable how a single vital moment can change the course of events. Soon after DK was brought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for more than 7 crores in the IPL auction. Moreover, he was even made the captain of the franchise. Riding a wave of confidence after the Nidahas Trophy, he led KKR to the semi-finals and finished as one of the top run-getters with more than 400 runs.

He has since been a part of most of India’s squads but hasn’t been given too many chances. That, however changed with this Asia Cup. He performed consistently throughout the tournament notching up important runs and building crucial partnerships in tricky situations for India. The only possible blot on his Asia Cup is that he couldn’t convert his solid, confident starts into huge scores despite playing a crucial role for India. He is now emerging as a strong candidate to seal that ‘Number 4’ slot in the India batting line-up along with Ambati Rayudu.

The Future

So, what does the future hold for Dinesh Karthik ? If DK continues this run of strong performances for India whenever given the chance, there is absolutely no doubt that he will get to play another World Cup. Perhaps the only thing missing in his long career is an ODI century.

As an ardent fan of DK, I long to see DK hold the bat-up for India in a successful run-chase, possibly in the World Cup final, scoring a big hundred. If his career graph and his resilient mentality are anything to go by, his time will surely come !! Fight on DK !!

The Resurgence of Dinesh Karthik In my blogging journey thus far, I’ve never really considered writing about anything remotely cricket related. As far as possible, I mostly stick to football and cartoons.

#Dinesh Karthik #DK #Nidahas Trophy #Sadagoppan Ramesh

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