1) “The Ganguly” Retires in Style:

After the shabby treatment of a gun on his head all the time his post captaincy days, and despite being the highest scorer in test cricket in 2007, the whimsical selectors hit their nadir in driving anti-Ganguly agenda when they dropped him for the Irani trophy in 2008. But under some sensible selection by the new committee, "The Ganguly" returned for a farewell series....and went out with a bang, head held high, a match saving effort in T1 followed by a match winning 100 in the T2 and almost did the unique hundred on his last test for a someone who scored a 100 on debut...finishing the series with an average of 50+

"The Ganguly" leaves behind a legacy of fight, determination and superior performances under severe adversity as a player....and set the bar very high for team performances and leadership, especially overseas, for those who followed him as captain. History will treat him with greater merit and rightfully as one of the legends and pioneers of Indian cricket.

Almost anti-climatically another great career of Kumble ended with lesser fan-fare and almost abruptly. Though he didn't time the end right, jumbo was one of the biggest match winners of all times...and gets our due salute.


2) India buried many ghosts at Chennai:

From whenever I have watched cricket Chennai has produced more heart-breaks for Indian cricket than any other venue.  The final frontier that Aussies conquered wouldn't have been had it not rained the last day in Chennai with India needing only 200 odd in 2nd inning; Vikram Raju devoid India of a win by forcing himself into history and dubious glory through an atrocious LBW & a tied test in 1985; the blown away to a home series defeat by Neil Foster of a B-grade Eng in 1984 despite Azhar's world record 100; and the biggest heart-break in 1999 when Mongia sold his soul and Tendulkar's majestic 130 odd couldn't take us home.....

But in 2008 Dhoni proved that he didn't need a Ganguly or a favorable toss to win...and in proving that India chased down a historical near 400, on a D5 crumbled and powdery pitch against an attack with two spinners...one of whom is deemed the best SLA of his time.

And Tendulkar buried the ghosts of Chennai heart-break against Pak nearly a decade back...and won it this time with a magnificent unbeaten 100, thus proving to be the test-match winner more times in the last 2 years than he has in the decade before that.

And Yuvraj overcame his personal heart-breaks and the slow spinners strangle on his career...to play what everyone wanted from him...a consequential test match inning and seal a long test match run for himself.


The world of cricket and the rhetorical experts of times when pitches were livlier and runs scored at 2.4RPO....will also hopefully shut up about "sporting-declarations".  Anything less than 450 doesn't remain safe these days with sides having Sehwag, SRT and Yuvi amongst their ranks....and days later SA reaffirmed the same against Aus.

WELL DONE!....Ironically it was Chennai the heart-break venue where Indian cricket chose to move to the next higher level.


3) IPL opens a new dimension in professional cricket:

Cricket took one giant leap in it's attempt to match the strides of professional global sports with commercial models as seen in American baseball and basketball and European & Latin American football. Multi-million dollars contracts in regulated auctioning, franchised teams, 20 overs prime time games with cheer girls, bollywood stars and starlets, sold out games in the stadiums and on TV, bigger hit than anyone could have imagined.

Many fallout of success of IPL....big star names and more importantly the young budding ones realize their market worth, BCCI firm their already iron grip on the game globally, internationalization potential of cricket to global newer market, exposure to Indian FC fringe talent ( like Yusuf, Gony, Nayar, Asnodkar and many more), fears of some of conventional cricket dying especially the ODIs.


Many liked it, some didn't under apprehensions and fear, part real and lot imagined....regardless IPL opened a new chapter in professional cricket that will stay and grow into a multi-Billion dollar "sportainment" industry.

The popularity and lure of IPL was exploited and opened doors in the same "market segment" for billionare Stanford's 20 million dollar farce, and left the orgininal but lower quality T20 ICL version still battling for survival.


4) The Rise of Dhoni:

The deemed maverick one off successful captain of T20 World Cup rose in stature and confirmed his credentials as the worthy successor of Indian cricket leadership in all forms.

He is cool, possesor of a very strong intelligent mind that can process many variables at a given time and hence remain ahead of any match situation in any form of cricket...and has the tact / diplomacy required to work the India systems laden with sycophancy and bureaucracy.

He outwitted the Aussies in the 2 games he captained and inspired a historic chase coming from behind at a venue where history was against us and in between thrashed Eng ignominiously 5-0 in ODIs.
Dhoni has set the bar rather high for himself with his early results and demonstrated superior intelligence.....which can become his problem too...as "great men are judged against their own peak greatness and not other's mediocrity".

With the reference bar as high as it is for him in intelligence and positive approach....the defensive / negativity to force a draw where a win was likely in Mohali has not gone well with critics.

And the critics are watching how his superior mind deals with the hanging around Indian cricket's neck the "greatness-of-Dravid" problem which many believe is the single biggest factor between old India and new aspirations to the #1 position.


5) Tendulkar Fullfills his Karmic Destiny:

The fifth spot had many candidates in my mind---the win in Perth against the adversity of hostilities in Aus, the spectacular collapse of world's batting greats to Mendis on SL tour; the rise of our pace bowling prowess of Zaheer and Ishant under the tutelage of Venkatesh Prasad; zaheer and Ishant each on their own; the best in Indian hisotry opening batting pair of Gambhir and Sehwag; Gambhir's rise on his own; Sehwag's 150 to save the test in Adelaide followed by a blistering 300 against SA in a single day.......BUT this spot goes to Tendulkar.

For two decades we wanted to see him win matches, in India & overseas chasing down world record scores.....a genius in a medicore side through 1990s finally realized all his destinies that he deserved in 2008. Match winning contributions in nearly every test match win this year...but
amazing unbeaten 100s in the chase in VB series in Aus.....and then the crowning glory of a masterpiece of class the unbeaten 103* in Chennai his acknowledged tribute to the victims of the terrible terror trauma in Mumbai.

For the sheer enormity of the feat, the occasion and as a tribute to one of the best batsman in the history, Tendulkar will remain cherished in our memories of 2008, when many had written him off as old and due for retirement after SL tour.

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