SACHIN Tendulkar’s disapproval of the Ranji Trophy knock-outs being played at neutral venues will find support with most cricket fans and administrators. One presumes the decision to host – for example – the Mumbai vs Saurashtra semi-final in Chennai was made so that teams do not have an unfair advantage of the pitch and conditions.
But doesn’t that happen in international cricket all the time, is a fair question. Crowds would want to come in and cheer the home team although Ranji Trophy cricket doesn’t attract more than a bunch of spectators unless there is a Tendulkar involved in the contest.
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THE BCCI was proud to announce on Saturday their plans to organise a huge prize money corporate tournament. Wonder how this will help in a big way to cricketers getting jobs.
Firstly, I wonder whether the big bosses of Indian cricket realise that cricketers are no longer employed to represent their respective firms.
Mumbai has been coping with this sickening change for a while now and I am sure cricketers elsewhere face this problem too. Big prize money is not going to force corporates change their policy.
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One year ago, Australia were celebrating another instance of being in a position of not losing a home series – after winning the Melbourne and Sydney Tests against India last year.
Today, they face the possibility of a whitewash against Graeme Smith’s South Africans.
Ricky Ponting’s men haven’t been the same, sharp outfit since they won the series against India last year. They have always been proud of the way they have handled adversity but Ponting’s team has not been able to put that controversial series behind them and work like a well-oiled unit.
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RICKY Ponting’s dismissal for 99 in the second innings against South Africa on Monday would probably prove that India are destined to be the toast of centuries in both innings.
If Ponting would have got that one run he would be on par with Sunil Gavaskar, who is the only man to score hundreds in each innings thrice. Now, Gavaskar still stays at the top of this list.
Gavaskar’s feat is amazing considering two of those instances were against the West Indies (in 1970-71 and 1978-79) and with one great performance against Pakistan in 1978 against Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz.
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INDIAN cricket chiefs should be using their good offices with their New Zealand counterparts to get an extra Test for a wholesome series rather than to break the break as it were for the Indian cricketers, who won’t be Pakistan bound.
What good is a two-Test series for God’s sake?
It’s no good for international cricket and if the International Cricket Council cares for the competition in Test cricket, they should ban all two-match series.
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