Cricket, India: A history
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[http://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2017%2F11%2F21&entity=Ar02318&sk=8ACAAE8E&mode=text Avijit Ghosh, November 21, 2017: ''The Times of India''] | [http://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2017%2F11%2F21&entity=Ar02318&sk=8ACAAE8E&mode=text Avijit Ghosh, November 21, 2017: ''The Times of India''] | ||
Revision as of 20:39, 21 November 2017
This is a collection of newspaper articles selected for the excellence of their content. |
An overview: 1932 to the present
(Partab Ramchand, Sep 21 2016, REMEMBER THE GIANTS The Times of India)
The team -over this long duration - had its share of ups and downs. Certainly there have been more valleys than hills in the graph, particularly in the formative years, and more so in the record abroad.
This is a journey that began on June 25, 1932. CK Nayudu led the Indian team on to the field at Lord's in the inaugural Test against England and the babes of international cricket were on their way . There was no storybook script, with the match being lost by 158 runs. But debutants India came out with a lot of credit. Indian teams took a long, long time to settle into a cohesive unit and the result was one disaster after another in the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, interspersed with the odd win. Before the present generation -brought up on round-the-year cricket -gets the incorrect idea, it must be stated that Test matches were few and far between in those days.
It took almost 20 years for India to notch up their first Test victory, but that inaugural win came only in their 25th Test. Tests were played with greater frequency in the '50s and '60s, yet India played their 100th Test only in July 1967.
Still, there was no denying the fact that by 1970 Indian cricket's overall record was quite dismal, with only 15 victories to show in 116 Tests only three of them abroad, that too against lowly New Zealand.
Whenever one discusses the history of Indian Test cricket, the year 1971 has to stand out. This was the break through year with historic series tri umphs in West Indies and England and the emergence of Sunil Gavaskar.
From now on there would be a marked upswing in the country's cricketing fortunes. With his superb technique and unruffled temperament allied to his dedication, determination and concentration, Gavaskar showed the way for others to follow.
From now on there would be no meek surrender, not to the fastest of bowlers, not even while playing on alien pitches in foreign weather conditions.A new crop of defiant -or stroke-playing -batsmen cropped up. With a vast improvement in the fielding standards and with a quartet of world-class spin bowlers in Bedi, Chandra, Venkat and Prasanna, Indian cricket at last started earning respect worldwide and the victories -both at home and abroad -became more frequent.
The one lacuna remained in the area of fast bowling. But with the discovery of Kapil Dev towards the end of the '70s, even this was bridged. Like Gavaskar before him, Kapil inspired a generation of fast bowlers and before long, the Indian attack wore a balanced look. The victories became even more frequent and various individual world records were set up. By the early '80s, an Indian was the leading rungetter and century-maker in Tests and he later went on to become the first [in the world] to cross the 10,000-run barrier in Test cricket.
A few years later, another Indian became the highest wicket-taker. Through the '80s, India's upward swing in fortunes continued with a series victory in England and two successive shared contests in Australia.
There was a surprising dip in the graph in the 1990s, with India suffering defeats almost everywhere even as they maintained their enviable record at home. But somehow one sensed that the nucleus of a worldbeating side was being formed, with Sachin Tendulkar being the flagbearer. For the first time an Indian was freely acknowledged as the best batsman in the world.
In the new millennium, Indian cricket touched new heights. The most lustrous batting lineup in the world took shape in the form of Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. With Anil Kumble as the kingpin of the bowling attack, there was a sharp rise in the winning graph.
Starting with the major turning point -Kolkata 2001 -Indian cricket went from strength to strength. The team showed it was capable of winning a series in England, winning a historic rubber in Pakistan, sharing contests in Australia and South Africa and winning a series in New Zealand for the first time in 41 years.
Even as the `Fab Five' -not to forget the irrepressible Virender Sehwag -bowed out of international cricket in the second decade of the new millennium, another set of batsmen and bowlers fit to wear their shoes took over.
The Indian team continues to be respected and even feared in international cricket. And while they are able to maintain a near impeccable record at home, it must be said that they can do better overseas. This is one reason why India's overall Test record sees their winning percentage as low as 25.85, below that of Australia, South Africa, England, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and ahead of only New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh As Indian cricket crosses an important landmark in Kanpur, it is imperative that the contributions made by the pioneers, who were symbols of courage in adversity in Indian cricket's early days in international cricket, should not be forgotten.
It is never easy to represent a country in its formative years. The dice is heavily loaded against them and more often than not these players were up against far more experienced sides that had all-time great cricketers in their ranks.
This is the time to remember not only the feats of the spin quartet, Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil, Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Laxman, Ganguly and Sehwag but also the deeds of Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Md Nissar, Amar Singh, Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar, Subash Gupte and MAK Pataudi.
A history by Boria Majumdar
Introduction
FOR INDIA, LIFE’S A PITCH
From minnows to World Champions, Team India has come a long way.
Boria Majumdar
The 1880s
Cricket in India had started in real earnest in the 1880s with the first Parsee tour of England in 1886. While this team was hastily put together and did not fare well, the second Parsee team to tour England in 1888 did much better. The improved standard of cricket in 1890s India is something the TOI drew our attention to when the Parsees, the early patrons of cricket, played G F Vernon’s touring English side in Bombay. Vernon’s team won all its matches in India except the one against the Parsees, which the visitors lost by four wickets. Commenting on the Parsee victory, Times of India wrote, ‘The Parsees are heartily to be congratulated on their really splendid victory . . . It is a great feather in the cap of the Parsees to have pulled off the match.’
1932
The improvement was consistent and it was finally in June 1932 that India cut their teeth in international cricket against the English at Lord’s. This tour, from its very inception, was controversial and was marred by a bitter tussle over captaincy, which was beautifully documented in the pages of TOI. The struggle between the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram and the Maharaja of Patiala for captaincy finally ended in favour of Patiala with Vizzy offered the strange designation of Deputy Vice Captain. He soon withdrew from the tour citing health reasons. Patiala followed suit and ultimately the Maharaja of Porbander led the first official Indian touring team to England. Interestingly Porbander was the worst player in the touring party and India’s first homegrown superhero, C K Nayudu, had the privilege of leading India out at Lord’s on June 25, 1932.
1971
After independence, TOI played an important role in documenting the growing importance of cricket in the Indian public imagination. Wins in the West Indies and England in 1971, considered watershed moments in Indian cricket history, found first-page mention as did India’s first ever Test win against England in 1952 in Chennai. K N Prabhu’s dispatches from the Caribbean in 1971 are invaluable in understanding the significance of this victory and in chronicling the early impact of Sunil Gavaskar on Indian cricket. To their credit the TOI correspondents were farsighted in their analysis. This is borne out from stories on Sachin Tendulkar’s debut series in 1989. Reporting from Pakistan, Sunder Rajan predicted that Sachin was a special talent.
Cricket nationalism
That cricket had become the most potent symbol of Indian nationalism was borne out from coverage of world cups in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007. The 1999 World Cup match against Pakistan occupied many pages drawing attention to the political significance of the encounter against the backdrop of Kargil. And in documenting the curse of match fixing in 2000 or the high of the 2011 World Cup triumph, the paper set new benchmarks. These reports will forever serve as valuable source for historians and aficionados of sport in understanding the emergence of cricket as India’s secular religion.
Bowlers for India post-2011 World Cup
The Times of India, Oct 30 2015
Rajesh Kumar
PACERS
ODIs
Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel, Ashoke Dinda, Zaheer Khan, Jaydev Unadkat, RP Singh, Abhimanyu Mithun
Tests
Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Stuart Binny, Praveen Kumar, Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Pankaj Singh z Laxmipathy Balaji, Parvinder Awana and Sandeep Sharma played in T20Is only
Spinners ODIs
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Virender Sehwag, Ambati Rayudu, Parvez Rasool, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Karn Sharma, Murali Vijay (captured one wicket in two innings), Sachin Tendulkar
Tests
Ravicwhandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Karn Sharma, M Vijay (captured one wicket in nine innings), Abhimanyu Mukund, Sachin Tendulkar
Unruly spectators: 1967-2015
The Times of India, October 7, 2015
Major incidents of crowd trouble in the past in India
1967 : India vs West Indies, 2nd Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Organizers had sold more tickets than there were seats. The ensuing chaos resulted in the crowd resorting to vandalism on Day Two of the Test. Assurances to players from officials finally saw the visitors win by an innings and 45 runs. A day's play was lost.
1984-85 : India vs England, 3rd Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata On the third day, the crowd -already angry to see Kapil Dev sitting out -got infuriated with captain Sunil Gavaskar for delaying the declaration. They pelted fruits and garbage. The match ended in a draw.
1996 : World Cup semifinal at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Frustrated over India's poor batting, the crowd burnt stands, threw bottles and garbage and forced organizers to abandon the match when India were 120-8 chasing 252. The game was awarded to Sri Lanka.
1996 : India vs Australia, Titan Cup league match in Bangalore All hell broke loose when Azharuddin fell to a dubious decision while India were chasing 216. Plastic bottles were thrown, forcing the game to be held up for a little over 15 minutes. India won a thrilling game by two wickets.
1999 : India vs Pakistan, Asian Test championship, Kolkata Sachin Tendulkar collided with Shoaib Akhtar while taking a single and was ruled run out. Angry spectators disrupted the game, which subsequently restarted. But next day, organizers were forced to evacuate the unrelenting crowd.Players completed proceedings in an empty stadium.
2002 : India vs West Indies, third ODI in Rajkot India were 200 for 1 in 27.1 overs in reply to West Indies' 300 when the crowd started throwing water bottles and sandbags at visiting players. Play was abandoned.
2015 : Second T20I, India vs SA at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack India's poor batting angered a section of the crowd and the game was halted twice. A section of the stands had to be emptied.
Draws
Draws caused by rain or bad light: 1948, 1969, 1971, 1979
Avijit Ghosh, November 21, 2017: The Times of India
Test cricket involving India has witnessed many tight finishes. Some of them were natural outcomes of the way the games unfolded. A few happened due to the elements. Back in 1948, one dramatic finish took place due to an umpiring gaffe. Here’s our top four...
1979: Eden Garden, Kolkata: Against West Indies: Alvin Kallicharan’s team held on in fading light to force an unlikely draw. The visitors were chasing 335. By the time the last overs were bowled, the street lights had come on. Bastman Sew Shivnarine was the WI hero scoring a dogged 36*. Scores: India 300 and 361 for 1. West Indies: 327 and 197 for 9
1971: Lords, London: Against England: Needing 183 to force an improbable win, Ajit Wadelkar’s India were 145 for 8 at tea – 38 short of win. Eknath Solkar (6) and Bishan Singh Bedi (2) were at the crease. But the score stayed that way as rain intervened. Scores: England 304 and 191. India 313 and 145 for eight
1969: Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad: Against New Zealand: India escaped with a draw due to an unsavory combination of riot, rain and allegedly biased administration. Time was lost due to a riot in the stadium when a spectator, who had rushed to the field, was roughed up by the men in uniform. Later, India were down in the dumps at 76 for 7 when rain stopped play. It is said, efforts to resume play were painfully slow. Scores: New Zealand: 175 and 181 for 8. India: 89 and 76 for 7
1948: Brabourne Stadium, Bombay: Against West Indies: Chasing their first ever Test victory, India needed just six runs to reach the imposing target of 361 with two wickets left. Led by Lala Amarnath, hosts had lost their eighth wicket at 321 but Dattu Phadkar (37 not out) and Ghulam Ahmed (nine not out) had dramatically taken the hosts to 355 when umpire Bapu Joshi declared the end of play. Incredibly, Joshi had ended the game with two minutes left when another over could have been bowled. Scores: West Indies 286 and 267. India: 193 and 355 for eight (Vijay Hazare 122)
1983 WORLD CUP
See also World Cup (cricket): 1983
K Shriniwas Rao | A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND | May 30 2017 : The Times of India
It was a fluke, they claimed, when India defended a low target to send the West Indies and the world of cricket into shock, and lifted the World Cup. The win changed the destiny of Indian cricket, changed the course of the game for ever, and brought an end to many a historical connotation that cricket had blossomed under until then. To say that it was the World Cup that changed cricket forever would be an understatement.
MOHINDER AMARNATH:
That unforgetful grin writ large on his face as he grabbed the stump and ran through a sea of people hovering from all corners of the stadium is now the stuff of dreams. Kapil Dev proudly held the trophy at Lord's but it was Amarnath's workmanlike bating and the underrated, uncanny ability to bowl tight spells that worked the magic for India. Of course, the unlikely heroes scripted a shocker of a success and it was this man's all-round performance that topped the charts back then.
KAPIL DEV:
That backward run for close to 20 yards, when he kept his eyes only on a ball that was hit towards deep mid-wicket boundary, and ran to pouch the catch of the tournament. That catch brought an end to the batting of the dangerous Vivian Richards, who looked like having made up his mind to single-handedly give the West Indies what they deserved. That tournament saw several other memorable performances, Sandhu's inswinger to Gordon Greenidge among them. But Kapil's catch will remain etched in memory for a very long time.
1989-2015: The era of the Fab Five
The Times of India, October 22, 2015
Virender Sehwag's retirement in 2015 officially brought the curtain down on a brilliant generation of Indian batsmen known as the `Fab 5.' Shashank Shekhar looks back at their contribution to the game and what they meant to the fans
Virender Sehwag's retirement from international cricket also brought the curtain down on a glorious chapter in Indian cricket. A group of supremely skillful batsmen and driven cricketers, called the `Fab 5', helped take Indian cricket to unprecedented heights, culminating in the team ascending t h e nu m ero u n o s t at u s in Tests for the first time, late in 2009. The members of this celebrated, and now venerated, group were Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, SouravGanguly, VVS Laxman and Sehwag. These men gave wings to the imagination of the Indian cricket fan, enthralled connoisseurs world over, brought dignity and grace to the sport and gave us fond memories to last a lifetime. With Sehwag closing the door on his career, this golden chapter passes into history . Seldom in cricket history, such brilliance has come together in one team. If one has to look for similar quality in one line-up, the mind goes to the feared pace battery of West Indies in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the Caribbeans used to field Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner with the likes of Colin Croft and Sylvester Clarke waiting in the wings. The `Fab 5' had almost everything that a true cricket fan could ask for. When playing, they were like a classical ensemble, profound, rich and in perfect rhythm. Yet, the orchestra was capable of changing gears and reaching buoyant crescendos as and when the situation demanded. They pooled their resources to lift the team. But while they complemented each other, they carved their own distinct niche. Their purpose bound them, their styles separated them. Similarly , Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and Sehwag had refreshingly different styles of expressing them selves with the willow. Tendulkar was the supremo, the modern Bradman who was just about perfect in everything he did in the middle. Dravid was the epic hero who combined great technique with mammoth powers of concentration.Ganguly was the fighter who batted with flair and tenacity while also marshalling his resources as captain. Laxman was the silent assassin whose batting was poetry in motion.Sehwag was the enforcer who rewrote the rules of batsmanship with his exceptional skill and amazing audacity . The `Fab 5' earned great respect for Indian cricket and renown for themselves for the way they were on and off the field. Tendulkar remains the biggest cricketer ever in terms of brand value and impact.Ganguly , now a leading cricket administrator, was a consummate general who gave belief to the Indian team and began the process which culminated in India gaining No. 1 status in Test cricket and winning the World Cup in 2011. Dravid, for many the best Indian Test batsman ever, is one of the most respected modern cricketers for not only his exploits on the field, but also as a statesman who has given a lot back to the game. Laxman has been hailed as one of the most elegant batsmen of modern times and a gentleman cricketer who eve ryone loved. Sehwag was the odd man out in the group with his `desi' background which he, of course, was most comfortable with. In fact, it was his untutored mind which let him play and live the way he has. He has little patience for things socially and politically correct.It showed in the outrageously effective way he has batted. The stats tell the tale of their monumental achievements. But these men are worth much more than the numbers. They have been wonderful ambassadors of the game. The added value to the sport they were part of and left the fans with many stories grand kids will be hearing in times to come. `Fab 5,' you will be missed.
2001-13: Crises lead to comebacks
The Times of India 2013/08/05
IN A HAPPY SPACE
Indian cricket’s most serious moments of crisis have led to some fighting comebacks. In fact, such has been the trend that the worse the crisis, the better has been the fightback. Here’s a look at how, when the game touched a big low, cricketers got together to give it all a new high...
2001: THE GHOST OF MATCH-FIXING IS BURIED
Soon after Delhi police caught Hansie Cronje on tape in 2000, the former South African skipper’s revelations opened a pandora’s box and cricket in India hit its first low in the wake of some very serious match-fixing allegations. Viewership and fan-following took a hit as investigations went on and suspicion — for the first time — got deeply entrenched in the game. The need of the hour was to restore its popularity in India, and it came a year later. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid came together in a historic 376-run stand at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and it infused a great deal of confidence in the minds of one and all. It would mark the beginning of an exceptional run that culminated with India claiming the number one spot in Test rankings in 2008.
2002 NATWEST TROPHY
K Shriniwas Rao | A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND | May 30 2017 : The Times of India
Not until the final one that India claimed with a historic chase of 326 runs could one have doubted that Sourav Ganguly's side wouldn't end up winning the series. That was the kind of form India were in and it would only mark the beginning of a run that changed the mental framework of a side labelled `poor tourists'.
MOHAMMAD KAIF:
87 runs off 75 balls, six fours and two sixes, a strike rate of 115.38 and a 121-run stand with Yuvraj Singh for the sixth wicket. Kaif played the kind of role in the final that was chiefly responsible for Ganguly's jersey-waving daredevilry at the Lord's. Ganguly himself was a contributor with a crisp 60 off just 43 balls and so was the dynamic Yuvraj Singh, scoring 69 from 63. Yet, it was Kaif coming in at No. 6 that changed the equation for India against a bowling attack that included Gough, Tudor, Flintoff, Giles and Collingwood.
RAHUL DRAVID:
With Sourav Ganguly handing him the gloves wicket-keeper's, of course Dravid transformed from a batting machine to a far more rounded contributor that made an unquestionable difference to India's combination of an eleven. Dravid scored 245 runs from six innings but that wasn't the only factor that underlined his contribution. Four catches, a stumping, and monitoring the field from behind the wicket, he marshalled India's resources to the T as Ganguly became the face of a side that dominated all ends.
2003: START OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOJOURN
...RAISES A STORM
A shaky start against minnows Netherlands, followed by a ninewicket loss to eventual titlewinners Australia was enough to politicians to stall parliament proceedings, public to burn effigies on the street and miscreants to pelt cricketers’ homes right at the start of the World Cup. The BCCI too had come under immense pressure to as India struggled to find their feet in South Africa. However, just when experts and commoners alike had begun to give up, Sourav Ganguly’s team rose like the phoenix, winning the next eight matches to make it to the final. The title-clash didn’t go India’s way but a lot of pride certainly got salvaged in the run.
2007: DISASTROUS WORLD CUP CAMPAIGNS
...HAS POSITIVE EFFECT
Greg Chappell’s experiment, fractured relationships and the debate on a possible divide between the senior and junior cricketers in the team took a toll on the World Cup campaign in the West Indies as Rahul Dravid’s team didn’t go beyond the first round. It was India’s worst outing and the anger of demanding fans led to further agony. Chappell had to leave but in the year that followed, the senior most cricketers in the side —now led by Anil Kumble — worked on the road to resurrection. The Asia Cup, followed by an impressive tour of Australia and success sought at home saw Team India make it to the top of the ICC Test rankings for the first time ever.
2011: TWO WHITEWASHES LEAD TO HUMILIATION
The enigmatic MS Dhoni’s worst moment as captain of Team India came in the aftermath of eight successive Test defeats in 2011 (four each in England and Australia). The result of it wasn’t just a public backlash but selectors too demanding Dhoni’s scalp as skipper and wholesale changes in the team. Dravid and Laxman — who had resurrected Team India’s fortunes a decade ago — called it a day and seniors like Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer were dropped as Dhoni began work on a younger team. The result came in the form of victories at home, followed by a 4-0 whitewash of Australia in early 2013. Dhoni’s captaincy received a fresh lease of life with the freedom to build a new Team India as he wished.
2013: SPATE OF WINS OVERSHADOWS IPL MESS
Shocking revelations of the involvement of BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law in the betting scandal raised a storm in the Indian cricket fraternity. BCCI’s many conflicts of interests, MS Dhoni’s player-management company, Delhi and Mumbai police investigations and heavy politicking caught Indian cricket in a mess and it did appear that matters would get worse. Far away from it all, Dhoni and a young Team India fought great pressure on and off the field to win the Champions Trophy in style — the only title missing from India’s cupboard — to restore a bit of faith among fans. India reclaimed the ODI top spot in rankings and the winning streak has continued.
2005- 2017: triumphs
See graphic
2015
India won the test series against South Africa, 3-0: See graphic.
2016
See Cricket, India: A history (2016)
2017
BCCI doubles retainer fees
HIGHLIGHTS'
Jadeja has been rewarded for his all-round show in the ongoing home season
Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay also jumped to the top category
The annual retainer amounts have been doubled for all the categories
NEW DELHI: Ravindra Jadeja has been rewarded for his all-round show in the ongoing home season as BCCI elevated him to Grade A in the annual contracts for the 2017-18 season announced on Wednesday. Along with Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay also jumped to the top category. The Committee of Administrators (COA) met earlier in the day to decide on the annual player contracts for men cricketers for the period ending 30 September 2017.
The annual retainer amounts have been doubled for all the categories and Grade A players will be paid Rs 2 Crore per annum, Grade B will be paid Rs 1 Crore per annum and Grade C will be paid Rs 50 lakh per annum, which is double the amounts paid in the earlier years. The match fee enhancement for men cricketers will be effective from October 1st 2016 onwards and Rs 15 lakh per Test, Rs 6 lakh per ODI and Rs 3 lakh for T20 international will be paid.
The seven cricketers in the top bracket are Dhoni, Kohli, Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Vijay. While seniors like Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra have found place in Grade B and C respectively, the biggest name missing is Suresh Raina, who till recently was a permanent member of the limited overs fixtures. Young Rishabh Pant is a part of Grade C contract. Raina had in fact played after October 1, 2016 but is not there in the 32-member list.
Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir are not in the list as they have played before the said date, from which the contracts are to come into effect. Grade A: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay
Grade B: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuvraj Singh
Grade C: Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Amit Mishra, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Ashish Nehra, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Parthiv Patel, Jayant Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Rishabh Pant
500+ conceded by India: 2012- 2014
Test matches that made history
India's 10 Greatest Tests
From The Times of India: see graphics on this page.
The Times of India
The Times of India
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Memorable test matches India vs. England 2008; Some of India’s famous series victories. The Times of India
Pitches
Substandard pitches in India: history
Mar 01 2017, The Times of India
With the Pune pitch being rated as poor by the ICC, TOI looks at other instances when other pitches in India were of substandard quality
INDIA VS SRI LANKA, DEC 25, 1997, INDORE
The second match of the India vs Sri Lanka series saw a bone-dry and chocolate brown surface greet both teams. India instructed the curator Narendra Menon to roll out another pitch. Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga had none of it and complained to match referee Justice Ebrahim that the pitch was being changed without informing him.Ebrahim ordered India to play on the original strip.Javagal Srinath's first ball exploded through the surface. The same over saw wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia collect a delivery over his head and one near the ankle.Srinath's second over saw more of the same and even injured No.3 batsman Roshan Mahanama. The umpires said enough is enough and the match was called off.Both teams played out an exhibition match which didn't see any pacers bowl.Sri Lanka won the 25-oversa-side match by two runs.
INDIA VS AUSTRALIA, 2004, MUMBAI
With the series lost, India were looking to salvage pride, but even they would not have bargained for a sand-paper type of pitch which saw 40 wickets fall in just over two days. India were bowled out for 104 and the Aussies responded with 201. Day Three saw both teams lose all their wickets.India got to 205 with 50s from Tendulkar (55) and VVS Laxman (69). A bizzare spell of play though saw India collapse from 182 for 4 with Michael Clarke taking 6-9 in 6.2 overs. Australia, chasing 107 for victory were bowled out for 93. Murali Kartik was the man of the match for his 3-32 despite Harbhajan Singh's five-for. The Aussies left generous traces of saliva on the pitch before leaving for home.
INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA 2008, KANPUR
After being blown away by the South African seamers in the second Test in Ahmedabad on a sporting wicket, MS Dhoni replaced an injured Anil Kumble as captain. He got a tailor-made wicket for his captaincy debut. South got 265, India scored 325. The hosts opened the bowling with Harbhajan Singh in the second innings and he took four wickets and Virender Sehwag took three as South Africa were bundled out for 121. Chasing 62 for victory, India won by eight wickets.
INDIA VS SRI LANKA, DEC 27, 2009, KOTLA
The fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned because the pitch was reckoned to be too dangerous after just 23.3 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillkaratne Dilshan were struck numerous blows on the body as the ball reared off a surface which had uneven grass covering and had numerous bald and dry patches as debutant pacer Sudeep Tyagi briefly metamorphosed into a combination of Marshall and Ambrose. The ICC match referee Alan Hurst deemed the pitch to be very poor.
INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA, NAGPUR, 2015
If one were to be kind to the pitch at the VCA for the third Test between India and South Africa, one can call it a dustbowl. India managed to win inside three days and with it they won the series, but no one remembers that triumph as Kohli's men won on a joke of a surface. 33 wickets of the 40 fell to spinners. In the first innings, South Africa were 12 for 5 before being all out for 79. No batsman reached 50 in all the four innings. The ICC promptly dismissed the surface as poor.
India troubled by spinners
The Times of India, November 6, 2015
Dean Elgar is not the only unknown
Dean Elgar is not the only unknown spinner to trouble India. There are other unassuming tweakers in the list:
KEN BARRINGTON, OLD TRAFFORD 1969
In reply to England's 490, India crashed to 208 with Barrington dismissing Chandu Borde, Bapu Nadkarni and Ramakant Desai. In the 2nd innings , he dismissed Polly Umrigar for 118 and Surendranath.England won by 171 runs.
MARK BURGESS, NAGPUR 1969
Burgess, a top-order batsman for New Zealand contributed to his team's 167-run win at Nagpur in 1969 their first ever over India. After top-scoring with 89, Burgess, who had only one wicket in nine Tests dismissed Wadekar, Venkataraghavan and Pataudi in eight overs.
GRAHAM HICK, KOLKATA 1993
India were well placed at 3465 with skipper Mohd Azharuddin looked set to get to his first double ton. But Hick, with his gentle off-spin dismissed Kapil Dev, Azharuddin for 182 and Venkatapathy Raju to trigger a collapse.
MICHAEL CLARKE, MUMBAI 2004
In the final match of the 2004 series in India, it was Clarke the bowler that sizzled. On a Wankhede minefield, Clarke stunned India in their second innings: 38 balls, six wickets for nine runs. No Aussie has claimed six wickets for fewer runs.
SHAUN UDAL, MUMBAI 2006
Aged 36, the Hampshire offie found a spot in the XI for the deciding Test in Mumbai, with India leading 1-0. Udal took 4-14 in 9.2 overs as India were bowled out for 100. It was his last game.
JASON KREJZA
The Tasmanian achieved the second best figures by an Australian on Test debut. However, he also conceded more runs than anyone in their maiden Test appearance. His debut inning figures of 8-215 and match haul of 12-358, troubled India.
Impact Index
India’s greatest
Numbers appear cold, perhaps even limited, yet they seem definite. But if you delve a little deeper, numbers tell you stories that you didn't know existed. Impact Index, a cricket analytics system created by Jaideep Varma in 2009, is based on a very simple idea -of accounting for every cricket performance first within the context of its match. And after that, the series or tournament the match is from. The quality of a batsman's performance, for instance, is measured on a variety of parameters: Pressure Impact, Partnership Building Impact, Runs Tally Impact, Strike Rate Impact, New Ball Impact, Chasing Impact, Batting Impact, Failure Rate (Batting), Series Defining Performance etc. The new methodology has thrown up a bunch of startling facts that's likely to stir a passionate debate in cricket-crazy India.
Dravid is India's highest impact Test batsman
No Indian batsman has produced more high impact performances in critical circumstances (in a series context) than Dravid. In fact, in all Test cricket, only Inzamam-ul-Haq has as many series-defining (SDs) performances as him (eight).Between 2001 and 2006, Dravid was the second highest impact batsman in the world after Inzamam-ulHaq. In that period, India made considerable strides in world cricket (including notable overseas wins), and it is uncanny how Dravid played the leading role every single time in those landmark wins.
He also has the second highest batting consistency in Indian Test history after Sunil Gavaskar. He has the highest Runs Tally Impact (proportion of runs made in every match relative to the match standard, with a higher value on `tough runs') and Partnership Building Impact (self-explanatory) in Indian cricket history . And the fourth highest Pressure Impact (of falling wickets) after Gundappa Viswanath, Chandu Borde and V V S Laxman. Interestingly, he even has the fourth highest New Ball Impact (ability to see off the new ball). There are only three batsmen ahead of him, all openers: Gavaskar, Gautam Gambhir and Navjot Sidhu. This is an indication of what a reliable No. 3 batsman he was. Combine all that with his longevity (163 Tests in 16 years, second only to Tendulkar), and his place cannot be disputed.
No Test batsman in history absorbed more pressure than Pataudi
The conventional view on Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (or Nawab of Pataudi Jr) is that he was one of India's greatest captains and an unorthodox, fearless player who gave India a sense of belief. And that he was a very good batsman who would have touched greatness if he had not lost one eye in an accident six months before his Test debut. All of this is true.But he was more than this -in deed, not just in potential.
In the history of Test cricket (minimum 40 Tests), no batsman in the world has absorbed more pressure (of falling wickets) in his career than MAK Pataudi. Those immediately below him include Peter May , Andy Flower, Angelo Mathews, Kane Williamson, Brian Lara, Warwick Armstrong, Younis Khan and Clem Hill (Williamson and Younis have ongoing careers, of course). Perhaps, more than anything else, this demonstrates Pataudi's greatness. Losing one eye was not his only cricketing tragedy -he was also not part of a world-beating side. It would be entirely human to not be fully motivated in such circumstances but it did not stop him from repeatedly playing at his best when his team needed it the most.
His batting average of 35 in 46 Tests (between 1961 and 1975) does not suggest that he was a world beater. However, in the five years when he was at his peak (196468), he averaged 56 in Australia (in three Tests), 45 in England (three Tests) and 43 overall in 25 Tests. Even this does not tell the real story, given how little success Indian teams had in those days, especially overseas, and how many players scored more runs and averaged more than him in world cricket.
Pataudi scored tough runs, more than anybody else in the world in that period. In fact, he was the second highest impact batsman in the world in this period (minimum 20 Tests), after Garry Sobers, partly because of his extremely high Pressure Impact. He also had one seriesdefining performance (vs Australia, October 1964) to his credit at a time when India hardly won any series.
India's most under-rated batsman in Tests & ODIs: Sidhu
Navjot Sidhu as a higher im pact Test batsman than Sehwag and Azharuddin, despite averaging just 42.13 with the bat and registering only 9 tons, will raise eyebrows. But when one analyses the significance and timing of his contributions, Sidhu emerges as the fifth highest-impact batsman in India's Test cricket history, after Dravid, Tendulkar, G av a s k a r a n d Viswanath (minimum 50 Tests). Despite a relatively high failure rate, Sidhu's high New Ball Impact and Partnership Build ing Impact suggest his effectiveness as an opener.
But the big reason for his high impact are those two seriesdefining performances he registered in just 51 Tests. In India's only Test match win (also series win) outside its own shores in the 1990s against Sri Lanka (1993), Sidhu was India's highest impact batsman (with 82 and 104). Then against Australia in the famous momentum-changing Chennai Test of 1998, Sidhu was India's second highest-impact batsman (with 62 and 64) and in the second innings, with India still in the arrears, he began a famous assault of Shane Warne (which Tendulkar continued spectacularly with his classic unbeaten 155). India came back from behind to win this match and later, the series.The frequency at which he produced a series-defining performance is the main reason why he is higher impact than Virender Sehwag -the latter had three SDs in 104 Tests compared to Sidhu's two in 51.
Also, Sidhu scored a higher proportion of runs in the matches he batted (Runs Tally Impact) than Azharuddin, and thus is of marginally higher impact than him with the bat. Interestingly, Sidhu's longevity is not as low as his tally of 51 Tests suggests, because his Test career actually lasted 16 years.
See also
Cricket, India: A history
