Thanks to Guru Greg! Rahul! Kiran More! Manya Shri Sharad Pawar ji & a bit late to join the party, Vengsarkar ji !!


No surprise at all!! Just go back to the archives ! Try and recollect what all of us have been screaming, sulking, hollering and crabbing all these days. We did anticipate this downfall... we did caution this diminution... we did communicate this calumny... we never got carried away by all this brouhaha...we won plenty of enemies... we earned ignominous malediction.

And here we are. The bubble burst... experiments are back-firing... groomed youngsters are now poaching... suave leader flunking... Guru Greg is gasping... where are you Mr. Kiran More? Thank you very much...

All said and done. I will not talk any more on what went wrong. We all know that few shameless species of Indian cricket have materialized their personal agenda at the cost of our emotions, demolished our self respect against their veins. But what kinda embracing to my woes is “are these men not ashamed?? Are they not god-feared? Do they not have an infinitesimal respect for the nation?? An atom like to accountability to this blue billion for who cricket goes beyond the blood, nerves, life, fun and daily bred butter...

If at all these extroverted, insane, unblushing and braindead blighters ever bothered to do a paltry piece of introspection at this dire hour. This time, for a change, keeping, the nation, game and profession on top of their favors, prefers and senile they wouldn't have made yet another ludicrous decision by sending this kooky and whacky VVS Laman to South Africa.

It's clearly evident, that Guru Greg has sullied the basic doctrines of Indian cricket those kept us alive and active in the game since ages!! And we just got an enlightenment of the basics of cricket, which preaches us to reinstate the experience when the stage is all set for the virtual obituary of our heroes, the multi billion brands, at overseas bouncy tracks. As always, when it comes to experience, two names pop-up in our mind-- Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. But what intriguing here is the how and why the later become an obvious choice compared to the former??

1) Sourav is a proven one-day performer. Tons of runs, load of records and innumerous match wining performances will add up to it. Of course, excellent batting record against South Africa in South Africa is an astonishing credential to his profile. Almost certainly, no contemporary cricket lover would ever like to compare VVS with Sourav at least in the ODI format.

2) Sourav got 10, 123 runs in 279 ODI with 40.65 average including 22 centuries and 60 half-centuries at a strike rate of 73.79. VVS got 2338 runs in 82 innings, with an average of 31.17 including 6 centuries and 10 half-centuries at a strike rate of 71.26.

Now tell me, in who is superior here, in terms of, a) Number of runs scored b) experience c) Number of centuries d) half centuries e) strike rate f) bating average

3) Here are the statistics of Sourav performance against South Africa in South Africa-- 9 matches, 9 innings, 1 century, 2 half centuries, 391 runs at an average of 43.44 (In fact, it's one of the best performance by an Indian player in SA).Where as VVS played ONLY one match, faced 10 balls, scoring FIVE runs before getting caught by Ntini in the bowling of Lance Klusenar.

4) Sourav has played 7 ODIs on Indian Soil Vs South Africa where he scored 370 runs with one century and 3 half centuries with an excellent average of 61.67, where as VVS has NEVER FACED A BALL IN INDIAN SOIL FROM ANY SOUTH AFRICAN BOWLER YET.

5) All of us know Sourav can bowl a bit and could be very handy in South African conditions where pitches relentlessly exercise seem and pace. His gentle medium pace bowling can definitely compliment the pace and spin bowling tracks and brings more options and variety to our bowling attack... We all know where VVS stands when it comes to adding value to the team as a bowler.

6) Lets consider their recent form before Guru Greg has written them off! Sourav played 44 matches and scored 1156 runs where as VVS played 27 matches and scored 866 runs in their last two years of international cricket that is in 2004 & 2005

7) Let’s compare the performance of both in the recent the domestic season...

a) Sourav played 3 innings in 2 matches and scored 159 runs with one century and an average of 53.00 in Duleep trophy, where as VVS has played 4 innings in 2 matches scored 113 runs with a petty average of 28.25
b) Sourav has played and tried to prove his form & fitness, with a little or no success in the Challengers Trophy 06-07 where as VVS pulled himself out of it with a hamstring Injury.
c) Consider other series’ we never miss out to understand that none of them had outplayed the other.

8) Team India now desperately lacking a good opening partnership. Having tried many combinations with Wasim, Rahul, Sehwag, Gambhir with Sachin, no wonder to say that Sourav’s Left handed bat would be a perfect fit to the bill. Which would not only be a most appropriate opening partner combination for Sachin, which also can take on the pace bowlers in the first 15 overs? Of course, both of them share the laurels for being the best opening pair for India.

9) Laxman apparently agreed in an interview that he is not a correct fit into the scheme of things for ODIs in Team India as far as the dynamic fast changing game demands are concerned.

10) While, these simple and little facts raising apprehensions about VVS Laxman's fitment measures for the ODI side & tackling the African challenges, one can never decipher the OBVIOUS reason for his selection overriding the most treacherous and prolific batsman of One cricket ever, Sourav Ganguly. If we have any heartfelt graceful for Sourav, lets feel sorry for him... “He is the master of this format of the game and he is not being allowed to take part in the game ... Just because of PETTY POLITICS”...

Now think -- Do we still need to see some more evidences to understand this tricky, wily and knavish treatment of BCCI towards certain players? Do they not have any selfish motives and obsessions behind this?? All this is happening for team benefit?? Is this a way to protect the values and beliefs of the one (blue) billions cricket buffets?? Do we still believe that cricket is a team game?? Should we still respect our think-tank as immaculate honkies of all time?? Should we still stake our blood, nerves, and lives to stand-up and cheer-up this bunch of vicious and venomous thickos ?? Think again ……………..

And above all!!! SHOULD WE STILL CALL IT CRICKET???????

:::::::::: Srikrishna Chintalapati