My 20 favorite moments of Sachin Tendulkar's career

On Nov 15 1989, the cherub-faced wunderkind, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (who later on in his career, would be designated GOD by the hundreds of millions of Indian cricket fans) made his cricketing debut on the international stage, against Pakistan, in Pakistan - no less. This kid, now the wise old Yoda, is still plugging away, setting records by the bunches and motoring along in his 20th year of International cricket. He has had his ups, downs but has never lost his passion for cricket, the pride of representing India. He is the richest cricketer ever to play the game, one of the most talented to ever pick a bat, one of the most popular sportsperson and even with all that, the humility he shows on and off the field, his ability to stay out of trouble (not a single scandal). What a role model for generation of Indians and cricketers everywhere! I am extremely proud and boundlessly happy that he plays for my country.

On this 20th anniversary of his international debut, I thought I should list 20 of my favorite Sachin Tendulkar moments of the last 20 years. Following are my rules for the list selection:

• It need not only be his batting exploits. As you know, he has pulled off some miraculous catches and un-bee-lee-vuh-bul wickets out of nowhere
• There needs to be video evidence available on the internet, so that I could link them.. or at least, photographs with associated columns/articles waxing poetic
• I either saw it live on TV, internet, or followed it on cricinfo text (These are my rules. If you don't agree, go, make your own list)
• Moments that had huge bearing in the outcome of a match/series/tournament will be pushed up the list, even if it is not a "dominating" performance

On that note, without further ado, I present to you, MY 20 FAVORITE SACHIN TENDULKAR MOMENTS OF THE LAST 20 YEARS ( SRT/20, if you will). I am posting #1 to #10 in this post and the rest, in the next post.

#1. India v Pakistan, 2003 World Cup

Unquestionably, the match of the tournament. India facing a daunting total of 273, needed a fast and positive start and that's exactly what they got from Sachin in the company of Sehwag. This was additionally more fun for me, as in my apartment in State College, PA, my roommates and I had set up satellite dish (this was before the time of online streaming boys!) and had two rooms full of cricket fans watching the match. It so happened, one of the room was full of Pakistan fans and the other, full of India fans. The ebb and flow of th match was a great spectacle and the cheering and hollering from one room to another was very memorable. Of course, all this, till Sachin stepped in and ripped their hearts out with a breathtaking display of batting. This was also the first time India and Pakistan faced off on the cricket field after the Kargil war and some Indians may have thought of this as an opportunity to settle some scores as well.

The highlight of that marvelous inning (@ 03:41) was a backfoot, on the up, punched drive through extra cover off Wasim Akram, after which, Sachin held the pose for a second. You can hear Robin Jackman almost have an orgasm!! My then roommate Gautam and I were discussing at the time, whether we should just give honorary India citizenship to Robin.

#2. The making of the genius

Fast forward to 3:24 and spend two good minutes watching till 5:23.

Tom Alter: Sachin, So you prefer facing Walsh and Marshall? You prefer facing fast bowling, why?

Sachin: Of course. Of course. I like facing fast bowling, because, the ball comes straight on to the battt.

GAME, SET and MATCH. (I know this does not qualify as a part of his 20-year International career, but come on! Seriously. Also, I make the rules here.)

#3 India V Australia, Sharjah 1998.

Sandstorm game. Needing to qualify for the finals. Enough said.

I was in the final year of undergrad in college. Already had a job. So, I spent the last 2 semesters in college, doing the two things I love to do. Playing and watching cricket. And 1998 happened to coincide with one of the most productive phases in Sachin's career. Lucky me.

#4. Four-Four-Four

India vs Australia, 2008 CB series league match in Melbourne.

#5. India v Australia, Sharjah 1998, Finals.

After playing one of the finest one-day innings in its sheer belligerence and audacity and taking India through to the final of the tournament on a better run-rate, Sachin tormented the Aussies one more time to win the tourney! Just brilliant.

#6. India v West Indies, Hero Cup, Finals, 1993.

The legend of Sachin continues to grow, following his sheer magic to pull the rug from under the South Africans in the last over semifinal match. I did not watch the match live. India had made a modest total of 225, and Sachin had made a very crucial 28 runs. However, he was not too far away from the center of action, as he took out Brian Lara for 33. (Time mark 4:03)

#7. India v Australia, Wills International Cup, QF, 1998. Dhaka

Sachin's day at the office that day reads, 141 runs off 128 balls and 4/38. One man wrecking crew. The Aussies were probably having nightmares how much Sachin had whupped them in 1998. I could not find the video for this match online. If someone has it, please pass it along.

#8. India v South Africa, Hero Cup Semis, Last Over

South Africa needing 6 runs off the last over, Sachin came on to bowl and gave away only 3. I remember watching this game as a 16 year old and being completely a nervous wreck. Sachin kept his cool and was way beyond his years. A major glimpse in to his psyche that would show the potential the man had! Cricinfo had included it at #25 in the list of 50 magical moments in cricket. Time Mark 1:10 begins the last over by Sachin.

#9. First Test Match Century

India were in a dire situation of losing the test match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Needing an improbable 408 runs to win the match, India were reeling at 109-4 when SRT walked in. While couple more wickets fell, he played a long inning in the company of Prabhakar and scored his maiden test ton (119 not out) and secured a draw. I had written about my memories of this test match recently.

#10. India v South Africa, 1996-97, Capetown Test Match

India was having a terrible tour of South Africa, after being humiliated in Durban. My college class were on an industrial tour and we couldn't wait to get to Jamshedpur and get to the hotel, so that we could catch India batting in the 2nd test at Newlands, Capetown. South Africa posted a massive 529/7 in the 1st inning and India were doddering at 58 for 5, when one of the most special partnerships in test cricket I have ever witnessed or read/heard about happened between Sachin and Azharuddin - for the sheer elegance whilst being absolutely brutal. I remember us getting to the hotel and staying near the front desk for 3 hours while watching the partnership. Spectacular.

Click here for the Youtube Link

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Next Post: #11-#20.

An eye for an eye

Today, the sniper, John Allen Muhammed, who shot 11 people in the D.C. area in 2002 was put to death. One of the family members responded, after the execution by lethal injection, thus: "I feel better. I think I can breathe better," Nelson Rivera said as he watched the execution of convicted killer John Allen Muhammad. "I'm glad he's gone because he's not going to hurt anyone else."

I don't get it. If you wanted to feel better and be glad that he is not gonna hurt anyone else, why not just let him be in prison for life. Why go for the death penalty?

An eye for an eye, seems to be the driving force here. I am not a proponent of death penalty. However, people who commit crimes, need to be punished and given time to think over what they have done. Our society, the way it is set up, is very fragile and the laws are in place, so that the society doesn't descend to anarchy.

I have heard it a zillion times, that the United States is a land where people are given a second chance. Where is that philosophy when it comes to death penalty? Its not as if death penalty discourages serial killers and such atrocities. If you are not gonna desist someone from committing a crime with the prospect of life in prison, you definitely ain't gonna do it with death penalty. In fact, death penalty is an easier way out for those who commit the crimes. Instead of a life in prison, mulling over what they did, you are providing an easy escape by putting them to death. Taking someone's freedom is a harsher punishment than just taking their life.

I have heard from talking heads and interviews with the victim's families that the execution of the perpetrator, may provide closure on the issue. Really? No, Really? How do you attain closure where a loved one was so abruptly taken away from your life? How is it any different if the loved were to die in a car crash or an airplane accident? Time heals everything. I just cannot subscribe to the idea that watching the death of the perpetrator somehow brings closure. It is sick. In fact, it turns the clock back, thousands of years on "civilization" as we call it.

However, not everyone of the victim's families were gungho about the eye for an eye attitude. Bob Meyers, one of the 11 victim's brother, put it this way: "God calls for me to do that in the Bible and the second thing is related to that. If I don't, it rots me from the inside out. It doesn't really hurt John Muhammad or anybody that I have bitterness against."

In my opinion, if you are trying to run a civilized society, death penalty does not have a place in it. It feeds in to the basal blood thirst for revenge and nothing else.

Defending a Small Total

I had mentioned in my previous post that I will write a 4 piece article on the different strategies in defending and chasing a total. This only applies to limited overs cricket. All my knowledge comes from watching Cricket for the last 25+ years and playing it for about the same time, plus competitive cricket since my high school years.

In this piece, I intend to address the question of defending a small total. Of course, all this is applicable when you have players that can execute your plans and ideas, more often than not. Else, its a vain academic exercise.

Since a lot of the competitive cricket I have played is of the 40-over format, I am going to discuss my strategies for trying to defend the small total with respect to that format. In a typical 40-0ver match, a total of 200-240 (at a run rate of 5-6 per over) is considered a safe total and anything above 160 (and less than 200) is a competitive total. However, for totals less than 160, you have a fight on your hands. Of all the one-day international matches (totally, 1919 to date), there have been only 144 matches where a team batting first, has scored less than 200 and won (Source: Cricinfo Statsguru). That 144 is out of 924 instances where a team scored less than 200, which is merely, about 16%.

1. Opening Gambit

While defending a small total, it is highly imperative that you pick up an early wicket or two. I always tried to use bowlers, not necessarily express pace, but those that have excellent control, up front. I provided them plenty of wicket taking options, when setting the field, while at the same time, provide a bit of cover, if the batsman come out smashing. A typical field set up would be, if the conditions assist the swinging ball - 2 slips, point, gully, cover, mid-off, deep midwicket, long on and straight-ish short midwicket. If there is not much swing, remove the slip and have a short cover. I try to have a deep midwicket and long on, just in case the other team has ideas of making a short work of the total. But, if they show any tentativeness up front, I'll bring another fielder in to put additional pressure and try to squeeze out a wicket.

2. Powerplay strategy

With the introduction of power plays in to the modern scheme of things, it adds an additional dimension to the game and another thing the fielding captain needs to think about during the course of the game. Since the fielding side is allowed only two fielders outside the circle, it becomes imperative that the chosen fielding positions are important. Not just stopping scoring options, but also as a wicket taking option. Sometimes, the bowlers want to keep a fine-leg, so that if they err in line, they don't get picked off for easy boundaries. Sure, that's good thinking, but that's not gonna cut it in power play. I prefer to have a deep midwicket as a default power play fielding position. In the leagues that we play in, the players, tend to be stroke makers more often than players who exploit gaps in the field. So, in my opinion, they usually cannot resist going over the top in the early overs and predominantly aim to target midwicket and given the width, square-point areas. If I have the confidence in my bowler to maintain a line at the stumps, I usually gave them protection for erring in length by giving them midwicket and perhaps a long on. (If they could maintain both length and the line, they should be playing at the international level).

3. Bowling line up - Saving the best bowlers for the end?

Its my nature, as is the norm pretty much anywhere, to start the defense of a small target with your best bowlers and hope for some early wickets. Let's say your opening gambit paid off, and you got a couple of quick wickets upfront. Then as the match progressed along, you got couple more wickets and the opponents have scored a few as well. Let's say, the score is 70-4 in 16 overs, while the winning target is 155. You have used 4 of your front line bowlers, bowling 4 overs. The dilemma now is: Do you use a 5th bowler or other part-timers and play the waiting game and bring on your best bowlers for the crunch in the end? My attitude is to go for the jugular when you get a chance. Even a sniff. Bring your best bowler on for an over or two and try to get a wicket is my advice.

4. Field setting during the middle overs

When the power play is over, teams tend to spread out the field and try to avoid giving away boundaries. My idea here usually is to set an inside-out field, meaning, you have sufficient players to stop easy singles and put pressure on the batsmen to go for risky shots, while providing decent cover at the boundary as well. During the power play, its 7-2 (7 inside the circle and 2 outside) or 8-1. After play, I prefer a 5-4 or 6-3. The boundary areas I like to plug, are deep midwicket, sweeper cover and long on. In some cases, I provide a long off as well and keep 5 inside the circle. In case of 6 inside, i keep a straightish midwicket, squareleg, short thirdman, point, cover and mid-off. In case of 5, the mid-off, moves to long-off.

5. Extra-curriculars

Its very important to keep the morale up at all times. Either the captain or the wicket keeper have to take the responsibility of keeping the chatter going through out. Yeah, your bowlers may get hit for a few, misfields may happen, catches may be dropped, but, you need to motor along with the chatter. Good body language from the captain and the wicket-keeper is a must for the other team members to follow suit.

I often took it upon myself (whether as a captain or as a player in the team) to needle the opposition a little bit to see where their temperament and focus is. As a bowler, once a while, I'll walk down the pitch and give the batsman a piece of my mind on what I think of him. I also preferred once in a while to stand at a short leg position to keep chatting away to distract the batsman. Throw in a couple of F-bombs here and there, to get them thinking about it rather than Cricket and perhaps, complain to the umpire. I have seen opponents complaining to umpires about my swearing and making comments about their mothers. Of course, outwardly, I'll pretend as if I did nothing wrong, but I know my job is done. I have the batsman focusing on something other than the job he is supposed to do!

6. End Game

If a lot of things go according to plan, you will be approaching the end overs with a fighting chance. Probably, the equation may look like this: 3-4 wickets in hand, 25-30 to get in 7-8 overs. I relish such situations. I think I have been in such a position may be, 8-10 times as a captain in different formats of the game. If my memory serves me right, my teams have lost, just once. With tailenders batting, I prefer to have a slip in place. Too often, Captains think of protecting the boundaries and forget about taking wickets. I mean, you need to take 3 wickets to win the game or prevent the other team from scoring 25-odd runs. As a captain, you need to know which of your bowlers are your "go-to-bowlers". Not just on skill, but mostly on temperament. Remember -- the team/player that keeps cool in such situations, will win out more often than not.

Its a bit of a cat-and-mouse game at this point. You need to choke off the easy ones and try to create tentativeness in the batsmen when they are going for 1s and 2s. Gives you an opportunity to get a run out. Here is the thing about bowling in the "death" overs - Keep it full, Keep it straight. End of Story. You don't need express pace.

When it gets really close, I usually step in and try to re-organize the field to give the batsmen something to think about and gives the bowler a breather. Typically, the bowler tries to rush through the over. In doing so, they get out of rhythm and might give away easy runs. Its my opinion that, you make the batsmen play the game at your pace. Slow the game down.

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I would rather act on a thought, than die wondering. I remember hearing it somewhere - "If a captain thinks that he should make a field adjustment or bring on a different bowler, he needs to act right away. Not wait for the end of the over (in terms of field placement) or wait for another 15 minutes. You have to lead with your instincts. There is no point in second-guessing or wondering what if. You make a decision on the field, you stick with it."

Not everything you plan, try on the field, is gonna work. Sometimes, everything you try may work, and you may still lose. But, at least, you can go home with the satisfaction that you tried. Everything.

To Do List

Following up on the theme from my previous post on Cricket captaincy, I am thinking of writing a 4 piece article on the approaches to winning a match. I want to put down my thoughts on approaches to chasing a target (big and small), defending a target (big and small), setting a total etc.

The Art of Captaincy

I am no Mike Brearley, but I have some experience in captaining a Cricket team. The first time I ever captained a team was when I was 11 or 12. It was a bunch of 6th and 7th graders playing cricket matches over the summer. There were not many strategies involved back then, because all you are trying to do is, just play and hope you win. The skill levels -unless you are wunderkind like Sachin Tendulkar - have barely developed and you do not much have a clue. You have a general idea of the concepts of the game and you run with it.

By sheer luck, I ended being the captain of the Penn State Cricket Club in 2003. The regular captain, was not present for the toss for a game, and since I was serving in an ad hoc role in the running of the club, the team members told me to go for the toss and the following week, since the regular captain could not travel for the game, I served as the captain and we won the game. It was a miserable season. The game for which I was the captain, was our second win in 8 games or so. However, I continued as captain for the rest of the season and the following season as well. I took the lead in the running of the practice sessions and people seemed to be comfortable playing under my captaincy. We won a couple more games that season but I started picking up on the little things that contribute to winning the games.

When you play in an amateur cricket league, albeit competitive, like we did, the skill levels are pretty even amongst the teams. The team that wins a game, is usually the won that wins the important moments in the game. PSCC lost about 4 games under my captaincy the first season in 2003, where we thought we had the upper hand three-fourths in to the game. This served as an important lesson for me, personally. The ability to identify moments in the game that will have a big influence in the outcome of the game. The captain, if not the team, needs to identify these moments before they actually materialize on the field, put the fielders in right position, have the right set of bowlers or batsmen operating. For example, let's say, we are defending 155 in 40 overs. The other team is 58 for 4 and is facing an uphill battle. They are looking to build a decent partnership and consolidate. So, they will try to avoid taking risks as much as possible. So, here, as the fielding captain, I would want to pack the inner circle with fielders to save the ones and twos, and dare them to take risks, if they wanna score runs. I have seen other captains - not only in the league we play in, but on the international level - back off slightly, to get through the overs and bowl their 5th and 6th bowlers. Typically, I try to bring on my best bowler of the day, or someone I think has shown to me in practice or earlier matches that he could really attack the batsmen. Of course, the fielders need to back up the bowlers and a captain is only as good as the team.

There was a conversation I had with my lieutenants from the season of 2004, Gautam and Viren, while sipping on cold beers, on the eve of a game. The 2004 season had started not so well for us, but we started to put together some wins and we were on a roll. I thought I had figured out how to make us win. I made, routinely, the right moves on the field, and the players seemed to enjoy playing and travelling. Viren told me that he was not happy with the way I was leading the team and that was a big blow to my ego. I swallowed my pride and asked him to elaborate. He mentioned that, although the players are having fun playing and winning games, the way I was on the field and during practice sessions left a lot to be desired. Especially, when it came to listening to the players. He was of the opinion that I did not listen enough to the players and it would only be a matter of time before players start resenting me. Especially, if we start losing a few games. Since we were winning a fair bit, and at least competing in games compared to the previous season, players were putting up with my bullshit.

Viren said, "Look. You need to pay attention to what the players have to say. You may not agree with their inputs. You may think it is downright wrong. But at least, pretend like you are listening. For some of us who have been here playing for the last 2 seasons, know how you do things but for the new comers, it does not sit right with them." It is one of the most important piece of advice I have received. The need to empower your players. The need for your players to feel that they have their captain's attention and the captain is listening and not treated like a child. I have tried to incorporate that since that day and provided avenues and space for the players on the team to come forward with their opinions and suggestions.

Another thing I learned was that the team, if they have been playing together for a reasonable amount of time, takes the character of the captain. Its extremely important for the captain to project an air of confidence, no matter the situation. There have been matches when we had no business winning. It goes with out saying that you need some feisty characters in your team, that just refuse to lose. A particular match from 2005 comes to mind. The opposite team needed 30 odd runs, with 6 wickets in hand and a lot of overs to go. If I were a gambling person, I would not put money on us. Against the run of play, I got a direct-hit run out, Charan bowled unbelievable well and dried up the runs and took a wicket. Viren got a couple of wickets, the fielders tried to back up the bowlers, there was a buzz on the field that we just can't lose. With only 6 runs needed, we got the final wicket and was one of the best wins I have been part of, with PSCC.

Typically, a team is made up of a handful of players who have played for a while, some really good players, some role players and a few who are new to the scene. It is the captain's job to make sure everyone is treated the same way, with no special concessions for any particular player. I would like to think I did a decent job of it. In fact, I would do the opposite of special concessions. I would be hard on some the of really good players to show the rest of the team that, no matter how good you are, you would be treated like just any other player and not to expect any special treatment.

There is a particular strategy I follow when we are batting first. I always give a small target to the players, that I think is a winning total. So, even if we were to lose some quick wickets, my players know that the target we need to get -that we could defend- is not far away and hence, they could play with freedom. For example, in a 40-over game, I always tell my players that, if we can get 120, we can defend it. It will be mighty tight, we have to bowl and field out of our skins, need to execute and have a couple of lucky breaks, but it is possible. Whenever I have played in the Penn State Cricket Tournaments, I always make 50 as the winning total (12-over game). In fact, we have successfully, defended 2 or 3 times, such low totals. Yeah, its nerve-wracking and your margin of error is pretty much, non-existent. But the adrenaline rush you get when you come through with the game on the line is well worth it!

Another thing I do as a captain is to take the pressure off of the team and put it squarely on me. During these games, there are situations when the people from other team could pick on someone "sledge" and I wanted to be the target of that, so that my players can focus on what they have to do, rather than have their attention distracted by inane comments. Growing up, I played backyard cricket with my 6 older brothers. Being the youngest, they would pick on me and constantly make fun of me etc. There were times when I would break down and walk off. But as they kept doing it, I made a pact to myself that I am not gonna let them get me out, no matter how hard they try. I would take blows to the body and never respond to their "sledging". While I was playing in IT-BHU, the comments from people outside the field of play (or "hooting" as we used to call it) was so extreme, that the things people say during a match here in Penn State or in Washington D.C. games, feel like compliments. So, these days, I take every opportunity to get under the skin of the other team. If they lose their cool and we get a wicket, great. If they make me the target of their sledging, better!

If you have a good team, like I did in the recently concluded tournament at Penn State, Captaincy is the easiest job in the world. Every one knows what to do, and have the skills to back it up. All you are doing then is, setting up a batting order and a bowling line up. However, the true test of captaincy is when you have a so-so team and/or facing adversity. The key things to remember (in my opinion anyway) are:

1. Project an air of confidence that you are not gonna let your team lose. Its infectious.

2. Manage the egos of the players.

3. Make sure everybody feels like they are a part. A part of something bigger than them.

4. Give the team small goals that they can achieve and let them play with freedom. You don't wanna tell the team, in its first game, they need to win the finals.

5. Identify the big moments of the game and make sure you dominate the other team on those!

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P.S. In my opinion, MS Dhoni is an unbelievably good captain. Team India, totally, lucked in to him. If not for weird circumstances before the T20 World Cup in 2007, where all the senior players chose to rest, he would not have become the captain. The aura of calm he oozes of, no matter the game situation, I am really envious of that. Although Ganguly was very instrumental in changing the image of Indian Cricket and providing an "edge" to the team, he looked like a nervous wreck when the games were close and I didn't think that's good for the morale of the team. I think Dhoni is the Indian version of Steve Waugh, Captain Cool, Ice Man, whatever.

Say Whaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt?!?!?!!?!?

Listen, I am huge supporter of Barack Obama. I think he has an absolutely fascinating personality. But, Nobel Peace Prize? Already?? Hmm.. Come on... Norwegians are getting lazy.

Finally!

Last weekend, The Penn State Fall 2009 Cricket Tournament was held. It was on a brand spanking new pitch that has been laid down through the efforts of a lot of PSCC members and the grounds keeping crew at Penn State. Once the astro turf get laid on top this concrete beauty, it will be perfect for traditional Cricket. Can't wait.

I have taken part in these "hard tennis ball" cricket tournament since its inception in 2004, in one form or another. I organized it couple of times (of course, with lots of help from the PSCC office bearers and other club members) and have participated as a player/captain a few more times. The closest I have come to winning the whole darn thing was last year, when the team got to the finals only to be completely outplayed and outclassed by the Nittany Warriors (led by an able but often short-tempered Sridhar). In the spring of this year, we ran in to Sridhar's team again but this time in Semis and were duly kicked out. They just had more talent and skill on their side, and we played poorly as well.

For this tournament, the prime mover was Mahesh aka Matter. He contacted three months before the tournament and gave me a list of people that we could put together and spelled out how desperate he was to put it across to Sridhar's team (Mahesh's team lost to them in the last tournament finals). He had an ace up his sleeve, which was very crucial to our eventual success in the tournament (Oh right, I did mention we won the tournament this time in my last post, correct?)

Vikram Kumar was the much sought after player prior to this tournament. Sridhar wanted im, Matter wanted him on our team, and I played along. You can look up his cricinfo page! (That's right, we had a player on our team who has his own cricinfo page!! Beat that!). Through a lot of negotiations, back room machinations, dozens of phone calls and emails, it was decided that Vikram was gonna play for our team. We originally had planned on bringing back some PSCC alums and also players from our Washington D.C. league team. On paper, we looked unbeatable and I even suggested we should print a t-shirt with "Champions 2009 Fall Cricket Tournament" on the back. The idea was shot down by majority and we only got a sweat shirt made!

The tournament format was slightly different this time, than all the prior tournaments. 10 teams; Points alloted for wins, run rates, wickets taken; Top 8 go through to quarterfinals and so on. We had our first match early Saturday morning (Oct 3). Due to some last minute situations, we did not get the same team that Mahesh and I had envisioned a month ago, but still we had a very solid team. Here is the line up: Mahesh, Vijay (Mahesh's high school buddy, who is now in Georgia Tech), Charith (PSU), Viren (PSCC alum), Shreyas aka Matla (DC team), Vickey, Rohan, Rampu, Vikram and me (All PSU). We had a good mix of batsmen, bowlers and all rounders, and more importantly, people with good cricket IQ. It has been my experience in all this time of playing organized Cricket -- Skills and talents can win you matches, but people with reasonable talent levels but high cricket IQ can win matches and tournaments. They just know the basics and can be consistent. Simple little things like backing up a throw coming in from the outfield, cut down on risks when you have to, while batting etc. For whatever reason, Mahesh had asked me to be the Captain of this team (There was no other way for me to force my way in to this talent laden team :) and I must admit, I did not have to do much captaincy when everyone just knows what they have to do. All I had to do was to make the bowling changes, here and there, get a set batting line-up by the time we get to Semis, tinker around a little to make sure everyone has had some form going in to Semis and are comfortable in their roles.

As luck would have it, we played the same team in our first two rounds and we whupped them. Both times, we got to bat first. Matter, Charith and Vikram buried them in the first match and I think we scored 120-odd in 12 overs. We restricted them to 60-odd. In the Quarter finals, facing the team and knowing exactly what was required against this team, we scored 180+ and got them out for 104. Our bowling looked really flat in the second match and way too many easy runs were given away. However, I noticed during this match that Matla does not get flustered by having to bowl late in the innings when the pressure is on. Although, we bowled not so well, I had the confidence in bowlers as they have come through many a time in the past. Our batsmen were clicking on all cylinders and our fielding was okay as well. Now on to the semis.

Funny thing happened on the way to the semis. The two strongest teams - on paper and according to me - were ours and Sridhars. However, it turned out, after the first round matches, these two teams were seeded 2 and 3, meaning, we will be meeting each other before the Finals. Lo and Behold, both the teams kept their promise and here we were, in the Semis, baying for each other's blood and Matter - for revenge. As Matter and I told each other, "Enough is Enough. Its time!".

As it turned out, it was one of the most gripping matches of the tournament (as you can expect when two really good teams go at each other) with its share of controversies. Words were exchanged, feathers ruffled, some names were called before and during the match. We lost the toss and were asked to bat first by Sridhar. We lost the early wicket of Vijay to a run out (I am still not convinced) and built a platform after the early set back. We were aided by some shoddy fielding effort where 3 catches were put down (2 of Vikram's no less). We had a reasonable effort going when the match turned on its head, when Akhil took 3 wickets in an over, including Vikram. He was going for a cute paddle shot (which he had executed in the earlier over too) and was bowled. In a split second, we were facing a severe setback with 56 runs on board and 5 wickets down already. Mahesh held one end up, scored a few lusty blows, Rohan aided him with a few of his one and we got to a really fighting total of 121 in the alloted 15 overs.

Its a middle of the road total, where you need a solid bowling and fielding effort to stay in the game and compete. By now, I had a good read on our bowlers and their abilities and temperament. It was absolutely crucial that we get an early breakthrough and that's exactly what Vijay gave the team, by bowling one of their better batsmen - Rahul - around his legs. There was a quiet period where the Nittany Warriors were focussed on consolidating and did an admirable job. They completely avoided any risks but took full toll when the opportunities were there to score. Going in to the break after 8 overs, it was very even-steven, with the Warriors at 44 for the loss of 1 wicket; 78 required in 7 overs with 7 wickets in hand. Very possible.

Right after the break, Viren took one of their batsmen out and in walked their captain, Sridhar. He played some exquisite and innovative shots and kept his team in the game. I knew, one wicket here, especially that of Sridhar, we will be cruising home. Controversy ensued with a catch at the boundary by Matter, off Sridhar, no less and the umpires decided that its not a catch. Off the very next ball, Sridhar was run out, going for a non-existent third run!! The floodgates were open and we took wickets every over and with an unlikely 24 required of the last over, Matla delivered a gem of an over and we were through to the Finals. The Man of the Match has to be Mahesh for his match-winning knock and helping us to a fighting total. Sweet revenge for him!

I umpired the next semifinal and knew from the looks of it, no matter which of these two gets through, they stood no chance. There was a mild upset in the 2nd semifinal which made our jobs of winning the finals, just a formality. We lost the toss (yet again.. 0 for 4) and bowled first. We kept them on a tight leash and restricted them to 90-odd in 15 overs. Matla, once again bowled brilliantly (took a five-fer), along with Viren.Vijay and Charith opened the batting and were scoring at more than 11 an over. Though we lost 2 wickets, the final outcome was never in question and Vikram got the winning run with a long single to long-off. So, after many attempts, here we are.. Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Fall 2009 Champions of the Penn State Cricket Tournament, The Cup Thookers!

Back Row (L to R): Vickey Kalaskar, Viren Patel, Charith Tammineedi, Vikram Kumar

Front Row (L to R): Subash Jayaraman, Mahesh Krishnamurti, Rohan Shirwaiker, Vijay Narayanan, Shreyas Shah

All the Way in the Front: THE TROPHY.

Update: Vikram was declared the "Player of the Tournament" for his batting and the phenomenal glove work behind the wicket. I think he had his hand in at least 50% of all the wickets we took.