THE LITTLE BIG MAN

For Indians, Sachin Tendulkar is the Zeus of that common religion called cricket. A cricketing God residing in Mumbai, and delivers the lightnings of joy and pleasure to millions across the country with his stirring deeds with a willow. Tendulkar enjoys a much similar status around the globe as well.

That world-wide respect and adoration has not gained overnight. It has been build over the years through sheer hardwork and willingness to stretch himself that extra yard to attain perfection.

There is one man who had witnessed that growth from a child prodigy to a great batsman -- former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath. I had the fortune to listen to 'Mysore Express' detailing the transformation of his one-time team-mate. He cited the example of Tendulakr's innings against Australia in Perth in 1992.

"That was our first tour to Australia and, and we were struggling on that tour. I always felt that one of the main reasons for our scratchy shows abroad is the time taken to adapt to the conditions. Situation was not different '92 also, but one young man was determined to make his mark and he did that in Perth.

"WACA at that time was one of the quickest pitches and Mike Whitney took seven wickets to rattle us. There was a huge crack on the wicket and the ball almost took the head off a couple of batsmen. But this 18-year was batting against Whitney, McDermott and Reiffel like a seasoned pro, scoring runs all over the park. His cut shots were a treat to watch on that day. Though we lost that Test, we were sure that Sachin will one day top the batsmen's chart."

The reminder of his battle with Tendulkar at nets brought a smile on Srinath's face. "Yes, I had some success against him at nets. You have to get him out mentally, and there is no point to wait to find technical flaws in his batting."

Then came the part we were expecting from the beginning -- Srinath's view of Tendulkar the captain. "As a captain he was very aggressive. It was tough to live up to his expectations some times. It had at times led to arguments between us -- of course a bowler has a different view point from a batsman -- but it was always on healthy grounds and for the betterment of the team. For ex. Sachin (a senior in the squad then) was furious after our loss to Zimbabwe in the 1999 World Cup in England, and the fact was that we also did not have the face to show him. I feel he became a lot more mature in his subsequent stints as India captain."

"In the same tournament, he scored a hundred just after the sad demise of his dad, he did that for the team. The two incidents showed his firm character, mental strength and the overall strong personality."

Srinath's 3 favourite Tendulkar moments: 1. Hundred in Perth against Australia in 1992.

2. Hundred in Johannesburg against South Africa in 1992.

3. Hundred against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999.

"There are a lot of memorable one-day hundreds as well, but these three knocks, I believe, illustrates Tendulkar's qualities as a batsman and human being."

It seemed that curtains came down on that evening pretty quickly, but the time spent was worth its weight in gold for it shed light on the remarkable personality of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Thanks Sri!

SIMPLY WARNE

Over the years Shane Warne has memerised fans with his wizardry on the field and amused them with his antics off it. But the first edition of IPL (2008) had offered glimpses of his ability to transform a bunch of relative unknowns into a bunch of world beaters while guiding Rajasthan Royals to title win.

If the three matches (including that rain-hit tie against Mumbai Indians) are of any indication we can see the Aussie great doing some more wonders in the IPL 2. Yesterday, he asked Yusuf Pathan to open the bowling against Kolkata Knight Riders, and it could have been an unmitigated disaster, considering Kolkata have Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum as their openers. But the move paid off as the elder Pathan managed to shackle both the big-hitters with a couple of tidy overs.

Then the leggie hurled the ball to Kamran Khan, Wild Thing (What else Warne will name a rookie!), to bowl the final over, and the young left-arm paceman responded taking the wicket of Sourav Ganguly, ensuring that there was a Super Over.

Then came Warne's another masterstroke. He tossed the ball again to Kamran to bowl the Super Over, and the task of bowling against Gayle and McCullum could have bogged down even the experienced. But Warne goaded his prodigy into bowling a good Super Over that culminated in Royal's win.

So what make Warne a successful leader? A one word answer could be difficult since it is a combination of factors. The Aussie is quite animated on the field, giving vent to his elation and frustration quite frequently. He has to tell a word to each one of his players (forget how much of his English with that Australian twang players can understand), and he is right behind them at every juncture of the match.

The presence of such a strong, supportive leader can instill oodles of confidence in players, especially in youngsters. Munaf Patel has even showed the daring to be a translator while Warne spoke to the youngsters in the side!!!

On a serious note, Warne's display of leadership skills are not limited to big words and press statements. But the leggie, first to reach 700 Test wickets, still spins a web around the batsmen. English batsmen might be praying to Lord Almighty (God in Heaven in this instance!) not to give Warne ideas about an Ashes come back, not even for a little fun.

So when your leader leads by example, there is no way others can take a backward step. Imagine, there was some news about Royals being forced to buy Warne in the 2008 auction, and he has already repaid them with no less than a title.

IPL 2 is still in its infancy, and it remains to be seen how the Royals will fare in this edition. But one thing is sure, Warne will definitely pull out some rabbits out of his hat, and will probably turn them into doves.

STARS NEVER FADE!

What a start! Two of the oldest players -- Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble -- in their ranks conjured a magical performance on a South African evening to give Royal Challengers Bangalore a thumping start to their campaign in the Indian Premier League 2.

For me, their victory over Rajasthan Royals and the display of these two modern day legends is an emphatic evidence of the value of experience even in T20, perceived to be meant for young legs.

In the first match of the IPL 2, it was Sachin Tendulkar's composed fifty played

a pivotal role in Mumbai Indians win over Chennai Super Kings. Even in defeat, it was Shane Warne for Royals and Matthew Hayden for CSK came up with some spirited performances. I know it is too early to make a prediction. But we might see experience stealthly moving ahead of exuberance in this tournament.

Glenn McGrath, Sanath Jayasuriya and Adam Gilchrist could still give youngsters a run for their money. Watch out!

One of the former cricketers shared that opinion with me. "The pitches in South Africa has bounce and movement and in such conditions you cannot ignore the experience of players like Dravid, Tendulkar and Kumble. These guys have performed in different parts of the world over the years. A commonsense approach and ability to adapt is a must any sports, even T20 is not different. These players have those ability in abundance, and I am sure they will play a huge part in this edition of IPL."

But when I interviewed RCB coach Ray Jennings a few months back, his initial days as the team's coach, the South African told me about the role of seniors. That time Ray seemed to be a bit sceptical about the ability of seniors to stand up to the rigours of this furiously paced game.

"My job is to make the seniors understand the significance of fielding, and prepare them for the T20 mindset. I want to be part of this team for a while, and get some good results. It's a challenge for me." So, both the parties -- Ray and the seniors -- have won on the first day.

I hope, they will continue to write more success stories in the coming days. It will not be a victory for RCB alone, but statement from a generation of players who will shine forever like the Pole Star.

HAPPY HOURS

A trip to home town can knock down the barricades that block your memories. I experienced a similar feeling nearly a month ago when I visited my ancestral town, the beautiful Palakkad (Palghat for some) in Northern Kerala.

It's one of the areas where you can witness the pristine beauty of Kerala (see some of the pictures my dear VK Gopakumar mailed me), and some lovely people. I had reached Cochin, my parents live in that City now, after a nearly 10-hour drive from Bangalore with my wife, and after spending two days there we left for Palakkad. The journey till Palakkad, though, presented not many pleasant monents thanks to narrow roads and KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) buses that behaved more like drunken monkeys on the road.

However, once we reached there it was a trip back to the olden days. The change has gripped Palakkad like a glacier, gradual yet inexorable, but thankfully not like a flash flood that alter everything in a jiffy. Hopefully, it will remain the same.

The sight of my ancestral home was exciting and a clear river of memories began to flow in my brain once I stepped onto the rosewood-laden veranda. For a moment, I heard the sounds of my beloved grandpa, who passed away nearly two decades ago, calling me with a lot of affection from the far corner. Once wriggled out of the halucinatory moments, it was time to exchange plesantries to the relatives and of course, for a yummy lunch. The taste of lunch was doubled courtesy two pegs of Royal Salute given by Jai (my cousin brother). Thanks a ton buddy.

After good two hours of sleep, I decided to catch up with some old pals who made my childhood days memorable. Five of us (Jayan, Jagadeesh, Srijith Ambi and yours truly) met near the Kota grounds, reflecting on the days when we played there with not a care for the world and nourished some big ambitions. Those Kota days and evening tryst with cricket have helped me to develop love for that game in me, though never I thought of becoming a journalist then.

Jayos now runs his travel agency -- a far shot from his dream of becoming an MBA graduate and work in a MNC.

Jags owns two car show rooms in Palakkad and Thrissur, and he wanted to enter Civil Services!!!

Sri is now a film and serial producer, and his dream was to join police. No wonder he insists that most of the heroes in his movies and serials should be cops.

Ambi is in Gulf (Swamy was on leave) working as a CA, and never for once he had expressed any ambitions for future during our Kota days.

None of them still believe that I write on cricket and get a reasonable amount every month in my account. In fact, Swamy even asked to show him my pass book.

Sadly, the session lasted just two hours, as I had to make my way back to Cochin. But those two hours gave me immense joy, and that soothing feeling that there are people who care for me -- always.

CAPTAIN COOL

India has successfully completed another series under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, this time against New Zealand. Tuesday (April 7, 2009) will forever be remembered in Indian cricket as the day when Dhoni and his Band of Fearless conquered Kiwiland after a gap of 41 years.

Just imagine, 41 years. PHEW. That number could even be an individual's life-span. After countless forays over the years since 1968, it needed the astute leadership of a middle-class boy from Jharkhand (Those super bikes and other luxuries are rather late entries in Dhoni's life) for India to break the New Zealand jinx.

During one of the press conferences in New Zealand, Dhoni spoke about the team not missing him and that comment could only be out of his modesty. The value of Dhoni's captaincy was obvious when he was forced to sit out of the second Test in Napier with a back spasm. There was something missing in Indian ranks, and that intangible 'something' makes Dhoni an indivisible part of this Indian team.

During India's Sri Lankan trip earlier this year for a one-day series, I had a chance to ask MS about the pressures of handling captaincy in three different formats -- Tests, ODIs and T20.

"The three forms – Test, one-day and T20 – have different demands on a captain. Test is all about endurance and in T20 you have to make frequent changes in quick time, which can be tricky at times. But one-dayer comes in between a Test match and T20. You have to have a plan in place always in one-dayers, and implement them over a period of time."

His words underline the fact that beneath that ever-smiling face and casual demeanour there is a keen thinker of cricket and its intricacies. That is reason number one for his success as the captain of the side.

During the Lankan trip, I also got a chance to ask one of the cricketers about MS' leadership skills. "Bhai, he does not put any undue pressure on you, and gives a lot of space and freedom for us as individuals. He is always available there for a talk or he is ready to put an arm around you when the going is not good for us," he said. Reason number two for MS' success: excellent man management skills.

That skill of him was put to test last year when the word spread about his possible resignation from the post over the exclusion of Rudra Pratap Singh for the last four one-dayers against England. MS tackled the questions with characteristic aplomb during a press do in Bangalore, and made his annoyance clear without pointing his fingers to anybody in particular. Reason number three for MS' success: A cool head and temperament even in the most difficult situations.

During the Nagpur Test against Australia last year, MS allowed Sourav Ganguly, who was playing his last Test, to captain the side for a few overs. Ganguly later admitted that the move came as a surprise for him. It was also an answer to those Doubting Thomasses, who pondered over MS' ability to lead a side filled with ex-captains (Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and Rahul Dravid), and aspirants for the hot seat (Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh). Reason number four for MS' success: Ability to strike a chord with both seniors and juniors in the side.

The burden of captaincy has not affected his wicketkeeping or batting. Of late, though, the calculated risk-taker with the willow has replaced the brazen stroke-maker of the old. Reason number five of MS' success: Ability to adapt to different circumstances and roles.

Congrats MS for your latest success. But guys, be ready to invent more hosannas for MSD!

DRAVID'S MOMENT

Rahul Dravid is not known for animated celebrations, but on Monday morning he decided to break away from the tradition, kissing the red cherry and signalling thumbs-up to spectators and dressing room after grabbing a sharp chance offered by Tim McIntosh off Zaheer Khan.

It was not just another catch. It was his 182nd catch in Test cricket, going one past Australian Mark Waugh for the highest number of catches -- barring wicketkeepers -- in the traditional format of the game. It was the rightful culmination of a journey that started in 1996 at Lord's, taking the catch of Nasser Hussain off Javagal Srinath. The number is also a tribute to his longevity and desire to excel in all parts of the game even after playing 134 Tests spanning 13 years.

Until the series against England late last year Dravid has gone through a torrid time for nearly six months with the big runs drying up, but the prolonged form-slump had little effect in his fielding. He has taken 14 catches in 10 Tests in 2007 and 20 from 15 in 2008, which is also an indirect testimony to Indian bowlers' improved performance in all conditions.

Dravid's catching at slips is not a visual marvel like younger Waugh neither does he possess the big palms of Matthew Hayden. But Dravid's fine technique, his way of standing at slips is as good as you get in any coaching manual, and sharp reflection, which is amazing for a 36-year old body, helps him to be in the perfect position for the aerial edges off both pacers and spinners.

Rewind your memory to the Adelaide Test in 2004 when he gobbled up an edge to dismiss Damien Martyn off Sachin Tendulkar at slips. Incidentally, Tendulkar is also brilliant at slips, and like Dravid, the Mumbaikar too relies on good technique to take the offerings.

"It is a great feeling for him. He has been there for more than 13 years. He has been outstanding as a batsman and in the slip cordon," Yuvraj Singh said at Monday's post-match press conference.

One who has always wished to be among the best, the latest achievement might have come as a great delight for Dravid. This might just be the inspiration, if he wants any extra, for him to etch some more tall deeds. Waiting for them Rahul!

Hello Friends,
This is my new blog and will keep you updated in the subsequent posts. That's saying in a bit roundabout way that I have got nothing to write today.