Mahendra Singh Dhoni's credibility

I wonder if anyone truly expected this Indian team to win any of the 2 series that they eventually lost recently. In South Africa and New Zealand. 

That they came close to winning 3 of those Tests, was an over achievement.

Indian teams struggle overseas and only the settled batting line ups with a couple of potent bowlers to exploit the alien conditions have traditionally been able to win games for India outside the sub continent. 

Indian teams have enjoyed brief periods of supremacy outside India. Ajit Wadekars team in 1971, Kapil Dev and his men in 1985 and Ganguly's teams 2003 onwards which won consistently abroad all had great batting line ups with skiful bowlers.

By contrast this team led by Dhoni is a new one. The batsman performed well above expectations and while the bowlers were amazing in patches, they were unable to sustain the advantage.

Hence when experts, including ex-cricketers criticize this team for coming up empty, I am temped to question their expectation and the basis for it. Add to that the attempt to include the colossal failings of India's ageing seniors and count them as losses against Mahindra Singh Dhoni seems rather unjust to me.

The team that refused to chase 90 odd in 15 overs in Domenica in 2011 and lost 8 straight games thereafter, and this team that came close to winning both in South Africa and New Zealand are different teams. The earlier team was humiliated. This one gave an excellent account of themselves. 

Given this teams performance, the right question to ask is, why did we hold on to Sachin and co for so long. Instead this team has been burdened with the disasters of their more eminent predecessors. 

I don't see how you can criticize Mahendra Singh Dhoni for leading a young, still learning team, to 2 away series losses. 

All is not well with Dhoni, though.

That however has little to do with the team's performance in the away series but Dhoni's testimony to the Supreme Court appointed commission that parroted his boss's stance that Gurunath Meiyappan was a mere cricket enthusiast in relation to his role at the IPL team CSK. When contrasted against the Mugdal committee eventual ruling rejecting this notion, India's cricket captain finds his credibility and integrity brought into question.

India's cricket stars can never be expected to truly speak their minds because the cost of doing that is often in millions of dollars. The BCCI is not averse to humiliating even its greatest cricketer in Kapil Dev, so that he falls in line. But surely at some point one of them will realize that their integrity is above the cash that the BCCI throws at them. Or may be not. 

I think Mahendra Singh Dhoni has implicated himself with his testimony into a position where I don't know if any of his on field exploits and bravado are enough to justify his hold over the national team captaincy. 

The BCCI has so far done nothing in response to the Mugdal committe report. Promises of cleaning up the league have remained promises. Perhaps forgotten. They seem unwilling to even impose their own rules. CSK continue to be a part of the league.

The BCCI is a strong politically influential body. However I do not believe they can continue to ignore the Mugdal committee findings. A committee formed by the Supreme Court of India. The only way I can see CSK still be a part of the IPL family and Mahendra Singh Dhoni continuing as India's captain is if the BCCI rewrite its own rules for the IPL to in effect legalize match fixing from retrospective effect. 

The sponsors have given no indication that a clean league is a prerequisite before they associate their brands with the IPL. The people have shown no indication that they pay money to watch sports. They come to the games to socialize and be entertained. They turn on the TV as an alternative to Reality Television. The players have time and again justified their quest for cash. The IPL will sustain, even if matches are fixed or even if there is just a perception that matches are fixed.

So why not make it official. Remove all pretense of wanting a clean league and a clean game. Let every one make money. Change the rules. Delete the clauses under which Gurunath Meiyappan is being pursued. 

Just don't call it sport.

Kumar Sangakara: Wants his cake and eat it too

I don't understand why it is important for cricket to feign 'nation's interest' when everything about the game seems business focused and justifiable for cash.

Over the issue of whether Kumar Sangakara should play for his IPL franchise or his home province (Kandurata Maroons), in the upcoming Champions League 2013, last week he was incensed that his board tried to 'frame the argument' in a way that made him appear 'disloyal to his country'. Kumar Sangakara and cricketers even greater than him in stature have always put country second when it comes to financials.

No one should grudge them for that and indeed it would be unreasonable, especially in today's environment, to expect cricketers to forgo their financial future to 'play for national interests' when the national boards themselves are chasing cash at the expense of everything that once was deemed sacred in cricket.

So if Kumar Sangakara stands to lose $140K USD, I think it is quite hypocritical of the Sri Lankan Cricket board to make him play for Kandurata in the name of 'national interest'.

Sri Lankan cricketers have routinely showed up late on foreign tours and padded up in Test Matches with hardly any practice just so they can earn a few more dollars playing late into the IPL. So why these pangs of wanting to appear 'loyal to the nation'?

It seems to me that cricketers want to have their money and want to appear patriotic at the same time. Cricket administrators have outsourced their jobs to Television executives in the need for cash but don't want their nation's cricketers to follow the same principle of cash by allowing them to choose their franchises.

Why cover the blatant dash for cash with a sham of a veil of national interest?

People (the common fan) have moved on. They have already seen the writing and are willing to recognize players for what they have to offer in terms of skill and entertainment value. Kevin Pietersen, Lasith Malinga, Sachin Tendulkar have fans all over the world even when they have, at one time or the other, compromised their nations interests over those of the franchises that offer them more cash.

Its time for cricketers to stop pretending, to stop hiding under the artificial veil of ..... "oh!....my country!".

With an Air of Resignation, Anger, Hopelessness and.....

The last thing that seems to be on everyone’s mind is the cricket. Mumbai took home the IPL trophy, but there has been very little talk about that. All the talk has been about BCCI, corruption, spot-fixing, money, resignation and non-resignation. Swift constructive action eliminates rumor, innuendo and speculation. But why should anyone expect it out of the BCCI? What really surprises me the most is that Indians expect other Indians to do what they themselves would never do!

The BCCI is dominated by a rabble of politicians and their campaign contributors. It is a place to trade favors, jockey for influence and sweep dirt under the carpet. Why did politicians get elected to prestigious BCCI posts in the first place? The answer is probably very simple. The membership of state associations is dominated by the rich and powerful. From the erstwhile kings and nawabs that originally sponsored cricket, it moved into the hands of corporate scions that needed to indulge in some pass time with their money. They in turn confer these offices on the politicians who gladly return their favors in other ways. Politicians’ very existence depends on the perception of being powerful, administratively astute and organized. So the quid pro quo serves them very well.

These politicians appoint the judges, bureaucrats and officers to investigative agencies. Given the coalition politics in India, no politician is going to ever piss off another one completely unless he is devoid of all ambition. My theory is that any politician devoid of ambition would never get involved in cricket administration. He or she would be happy being politicians and managing their constituencies and their constituents’ expectations. So a mix of ambitious politicians and their influential, rich and powerful friends runs Indian cricket and now dominates world cricket.

As such any bad news is not good for any of these guys. So sweeping things under the rug is the best solution for all problems. Appointing three member panels with two Tamil Nadu judges to probe a Tamil Nadu industrialist whose son-in-law is in a Tamil Nadu jail reeks of just that - an attempt to sweep things under the rug. Any punishment meted out to Srinivasan will not be in the Dalmiya league. Dalmiya tried to keep out Pawar and got his wings clipped and his very life was made miserable. Srinivasan on the other hand gets a ‘he is an honorable man’ from the MCA president who is a proxy of Sharad Pawar.

Indian culture works such that quid pro quo conversations are probably happening daily to give Srinivasan an honorable exit or at worst a slap on the wrist. A few players will be banned. The most cynical one would say that Asad Rauf will likely be hung out to dry. He is a Pakistani and what better way to fool the Indian public than point the finger at a Pakistani. No one in India will stop watching the IPL or any other cricket game. If cricket descends to being a version of WWF, so be it. Indian fans will not care because they have no other forms of entertainment. Films, politics and cricket are all that binds Indians. Everything else is divisive.

So just as easily as Sanjay Dutt gets a bunch of sympathy votes though he has broken the law and Salman Khan breaks records at the box office despite being a drunk driver who killed someone, Srinivasan and his son-in-law may resurrect themselves because an alternate narrative will emerge sympathetic to their state, that will make enough excuses for enough Indians to start looking the other way or even supporting them because their livelihoods and their election depends on these guys.

And what about the cricket? The BCCI wallahs keep telling us that they are paying the first class cricketers more money than before and that they are spending more money than before on Indian cricket. But clearly, not enough is being spent on developing cricket in India and clearly they are not doing enough to maintain the sanctity of the sport. That’s because you can’t expect the fox to guard the hen-house. A majority of them are in it for themselves.

Cricketers also understand that sport is now a job. And pissing off your boss is the last thing you do to stay employed. Kapil’s humiliation is a classic example of how independent opinions are treated in “democratic” India. In the end, the feudal structures that operated for centuries continue to operate now and have made ethics and morality a convenient choice.

The cricketers are an underclass and those that criticize Dhoni for not speaking out don’t understand that speaking out will serve no purpose. Kumble’s silence makes that clear. So be prepared for a prolonged spell of gloom or simply tune out and find another sport to follow. India will infect every other nation’s cricket, due to its money and emigrant cricketers. And if you are looking for a clean sport, watch something else.

Patent Pending - A solution to fix Spot Fixing

If the BCCI is serious about the existence of the IPL; we have a solution. A solution that turns fixing on its head.

Our "patent pending" solution for eliminating the evils of fixing, is easy to implement and benefits all...

What is fixing after all?

The way we see "fixing", it is when a bookie influences the outcome of a ball or a match. What if we turn it around? What if we let the players influence the outcome of balls and matches; like it supposed to be; but lets say we also offer the greedy bastards means to make a quick buck in the process?

How does it work...you may ask.

Lets say you are Sachin Tendular.

Hypothetical.

And you wake up one day and feel that Harbhajan should open the bowling.

Now this is valuable information to bookies.

He (as in Sachin) auctions that decision. Not the actual decision of course but the fact that he has information to share...

With the highest bidder...

Bidders are among a network of BCCI approved, betting franchises.

Everyone's son-in-laws can own one!

Betting houses will pay millions for this kind of information.

Same with a lowly guy like R.P. Singh...Lets say in a team meeting his captain says...Greet Suresh Saina with a bouncer, I don't care if you bowl a wide or a no ball, as long as he is rattled.

Auction that...

Yes Bank, can facilitate secure payments between franchised betting houses and the players accounts.

Players pay a cut to the BCCI for the extra earnings.

The bookie who wins the bid, has presumably paid a lot of money to buy that information and you can be assured that he isn't going to share it with anyone.He simply uses it to set his odds accordingly.

What if the match situation changes and say Sachin decides its not wise to open with Harbhajan.

What then?

Well he can adjust some bandages in his fingers to signal, "The deal is off" and Yes Bank returns to the bookie the bid money.

What better way to preserve the sanctity of sport while allowing underpaid cricketers make a few bucks so that they can feed their wives and children.

What's in it for the bookies?

Guaranteed, cheap, high quality, reliable information without the costly operations...

We have submitted this to the BCCI. They have set up an independent committee to determine if they have received the proposal.

What about the law...you may ask?

This breaks no laws. Bookies are not influencing anything. It can actually be positioned as a "welfare program" for the underpaid cricketers and the BCCI and the Betting houses can get tax exemption from this.

IPL 6 - A Cynics Review

Here we offer a complete review of the IPL season 6... 

Let the obscenities begin...

That's how we kicked off our cynical attempts at mocking the IPL (and Sachin). Neither disappointed. Sachin has truly reduced himself to a lovable comic hero and the IPL lived up to its promises of obscenities; although a murder or a drug charge would have really helped its image. Failing that; the scandals we got were juicy enough but pretty much in line with what the world expected the IPL to be.

The new controversies failed to break new ground.

However the promise is there. There is no limit to what one can expect to happen in the IPL a few years from now

CSK admit, they have made a strategic blunder. Its the West Indians and not the Sri Lankans who hurt their sentiments

While it may be true that the Sri Lankans have hurt the sentiments of the good people of the State of Tamil Nadu, West Indian Pollard, playing for the Mumbai Indians plucked a catch off Dhoni at deep mid-wicket to deny CSK a win in the early match up between the 2 sides.

To the immense maturity and restraint of N Srinivasan, he allowed West Indians to continue to visit and play in Tamil Nadu, even when there was conclusive proof that West Indians like Pollard are likely to help their teams win games against Chennai.

Opinions Predicts what Wasim-bhai will not say: Bowlers in the IPL are getting easy wickets because of Sachin

Wasim Akram as the Pakistani bowling coach commented that batsman are getting easy runs because they don't get to face the fearsome Pakistanis. Reality was bowlers were getting easy wickets because of Sachin and by the middle of the tournament they weren't even bothering to celebrate his wicket.

John Mooney clarifies: His 'slow and painful' tweet was meant for Sachin's trudge towards retirement.

John Mooney, the Irish cricketer observed on twitter that Sachin's trudge towards retirement was "slow and painful". The media misunderstood his comments entirely and twisted his words. They linked it to the death of Britan's Iron Lady. They said he was hoping her death was "slow and painful".

Things the media cooks up...

And the IPL meandered on...obsessed with it self and Sachin's 40th birthday. A 40 lb cake cutting ceremony to take the obscenities to the next level.

And then came the main event of the season.

The spot fixing scandal...

Have you heard of an actor charged for cheating because he spoke his lines from a different script?

 To prove that the IPL matches are unscripted games is a stretch. I have nothing against the format. T20 is a great format but the whole IPL setup is fishy. I don't worry too much about the 'conflict of interest' because firstly it is too obvious to be true and secondly there is no proof that that either the IPL or the BCCI have any interest in the game of cricket. 

Given the level of interest in the game across the country, given the existence of illegal betting in India and given how opaque the BCCI is in its operations, one cannot but assume; as extension; that the league is ripe for corruption. 

Many are worried about the "credibility of the IPL". I wouldn't bother. There are many things the IPL has gotten right about the IPL; like not bothering to establish any sort of credibility with its customer base. You can't lose something you never built. And you don't need to build something for the sake of building it, when you know the money will flow in anyhow

There is no onus on the BCCI to clean up anything. Why fix anything that ain't broke. From their perspective, nothing is broken. People still watch the IPL games. I do. Sponsors have not threatened to pull out because they know that you and me will watch anyhow. India's players have already resigned to their roles as entertainers, so they have virtually even less of a voice than I have on Indian cricket. They are trained from a young age to not speak their minds.

The IPL and the BCCI have proven that "credibility" is over rated. 

Of all the fishy things that have been allegedly happening in the IPL; the fishiest smelling is Vivian Richards saying Virat Kohli reminds him of himself. Investigate that I say...

Not for a minute I believe Richards feels that. A country obsessed with seeking validation of its cricketers from foreign greats is in search of the next Sachin. Richards is the new Bradman.

Then the IPL climaxed with the greatest joke of all..

Opinions Breaking News: N. Srinivasan to set up a committee to investigate who won the IPL

I mean how difficult is it to ascertain who is the owner of an asset? Any asset. Is the BCCI franchise operation so vague that to determine the owner of a franchise is not a routine exercise of pulling up the CSK file in a BCCI office and reading out whose name there is on the "owner" line? Why do you need a committee for that? 

And if; and this is a big if; the committee indeed has the freedom to report what is true and it does ascertain the Gurunath is the owner of CSK what is stopping N Srinivasan to propose another committee to investigate the findings of this committee.

I once laughed at the PCB and Ijaz Butt. I owe them an apology. I am sorry. Our guys are just as hilarious as yours. 

Players to get 'Hardship Allowance' to represent India

The BCCI today announced that all cricketers selected to play for India will get a 'hardship allowance' to cover for the inconvenience it may cause them for having to play any cricket outside of the IPL.

What is most generous about this new compensation announcement and something bound to 'warm the cockles of the heart' of domestic cricket fans is that this allowance is extended to even players who are forced to play in the Ranji Trophy much against their dream of only playing the IPL.

Explaining the latest bout of generosity from the BCCI, N Shrinivasan, owner of the Chennai Super Kings and the president of the Board said...

"It tears my heart to see our young and budding entertainers like Sachin Tendulkar who are forced to play for India purely as cricketers when there are millions to be made by playing private leagues across the world.  We believe no amount of money can compensate for the sacrifices these brave hearts make but this is a small gesture from"

His words seem to suggest that the BCCI will now allow Indian players to play in Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However he was non committal about that.

"As far as we are concerned no leagues like the IPL exist.We are yet to receive any thing in writing" he said

Initial feedback from the players however was discouraging.While no one was willing to speak 'for the record', it is understood that unless the allowance was greater than the IPL contract values, it is unlikely to create any incentive for players to sign up for the inhumane, arduous and extreme effort fullness of playing for ones country.

Meanwhile Statsguru, ESPN cricinfo's engine for all sorts of statistics will launch a new version of their engine for India's cricketers. Fans can now track each players earnings. Both domestic and foreign. Home and away.

What is the ‘sacred cow’ for the BCCI?

The specific history of Tony Grieg is inconsequential. In fact, given his past it is commendable that he spoke openly about his views on India.

We ourselves, on this blog, have been saying the same things with regards India, for over a year. Even while India was still #1 in the ICC Test rankings; we have been saying that India’s ranking has no “business case” and hence a matter of time before India disintegrate.

Tony Greig’s views on India were fairly straightforward…

1. The BCCI is pursuing money above all else
2. India’s stars are seeking a “fools proof” (not fool proof; mind you) when it comes to the DRS
3. The IPL is good but perhaps might cannibalize Test Cricket in India
4. India has the power and has used that power to block anything that is not viewed as aligned to her own interests
5. Test cricket is secondary to other forms of cricket for Indians. Players, administrators and paying public alike

I think his views very much reflect the unstated and implicit BCCI agenda. That does not make the BCCI agenda wrong or unworthy just as it does not make Tony Grieg’s views worthy of the criticism it has received in the Indian media.

T20 cricket and the private money it is brining in and influencing mainstream cricket, is like that 3^rd daughter in the movie Fiddler on the Roof. With each daughter Tevye, the father expands his belief system to be able to accept his daughters’ choices, till finally the youngest one makes a choice that is too far removed from what he is willing to compromise.

With the IPL people like me and obviously Tony Grieg…we worry what is the ‘sacred cow’ for the BCCI. What will they not allow in their pursuit of making billions? Once we know where the bottom is we will stop worrying.

I had hoped that Test Cricket is that sacred cow.

But then we have the Sachin Tendulkars who skips Test Tours to play the IPL, flirt with Roger Federrer and the BCCI allows it. So obviously it’s not sacred.

The BCCI may have every right to pursue their vision for cricket and they may well succeed in that just like Tony Greig has every right to speak his mind against it and everyone in India will reject it because of something ridiculous like the color of his tie or the choice of his perfume.

2nd grader announces retirement from international cricket

In a meticulously arranged press conference that could have put Rahul Dravid to shame, a 2^nd grade student from the deep interiors of North India; Tinku Sharma; today announced his retirement from Tests, ODIs and T20 Internationals cricket for India. He will be available to play in T20 leagues across the globe

It is indeed a reflection of the time we live in on many dimensions, the least of which is why the press even showed up for such a non-event to cover announcements from non-entities.

There isn’t any reason for anyone to care for or even know who Tinku Sharma is. He is just a normal kid. Well, as normal as one can be, growing up in the villages of India being raised by a father who is smitten by the IPL. Tinku, has not played any organized cricket and the only remotely verifiable claim of his cricketing orientation and expertise comes from his father’s recounting of the repertoire of shots his first born possesses at such a young age including the switch hit, dilscoop, the sweep (reverse of course) and the lofted shot over mid wicket.

As the press conference unfolded, many wanted to know the reason why some one who does not even represent India would announce retirement from the game.

“Well, I want Tinku to focus on the IPL and if he ever gets good enough to be picked for India, it would be a loss of millions of dollars to our family” said Sharad, Tinku’s father who is a Post Master at the local post office and a man of meager means.

Another dimension of this is of course the lure of the IPL and its long term impact.

Critics of the IPL were quick to point out the bad influences of the IPL that is driving young cricket enthusiasts away from the desire to play for their country.

Kirti Azad, a key member of the World Cup winning 1983 Indian cricket team, used this development to go on a hunger strike to protest the far reaching impacts of the IPL and the undesirable choices it is forcing our children to make.

In response, The BCCI is said to have initiated the process to recover all monies paid to Kirti Azad during his playing career; adjusted for inflation.

Ravi Shastri however countered that saying “When someone gets a stomach upset, it's because of the IPL. If someone gets an outside edge, it's because of the IPL”. He was suggesting that blaming everything on the IPL is the trend these days. He further implied that all less than profusely praiseworthy observations about the IPL need to be treated as “criticism” driven by jealousy or ignorance of market economics or both.

BCCI inside sources revealed that Ravi’s name will be forwarded to the President of India for Champion of Bharat Ratna

Tinku, who is a huge fan of Kevin Pietersen and considers him his God said, “Yes there is Sachin Tendulkar I am told but ever since I started watching cricket I think Kevin is more Godier than Sachin. Sachin can play only with one hand”

Sachin Tendulkar when approached for a comment said, “I started batting right handed on my own. No one can tell me which hand to use. I will silence all my critics”

Rajeev Shukla (IPL) and Ratnakar Shetty (BCCI) in a joint statement said, “If and when we decide to have an auction for 2^nd graders in the IPL, Tinku will be considered. As for this retirement, we have yet to receive anything in writing”.

IPL 2012 – What did we learn about Indian Cricket?

That Gautam Gambhir was a good vice-captain choice and had he not burned his bridges with Dhoni, would have become the next captain.

That Virender Sehwag is a version of Big Moose from Archie comics. He needs to limit his brain to thinking batting and not captaincy. Dropping Morkel was perhaps the stupidest move ever in a cricket game of extreme importance.

That Rohit Sharma is a fantastic prospect if he sorts out his mental troubles. His shot selection at times was too risky. He perhaps has the talent to pull those shots off, but he is playing for the galleries instead of the team.

That Ajinkya Rahane with somewhat less amount of talent than Rohit Sharma has outdone his Mumbai team-mate due to his discipline. And that he will score better runs (maybe not more) than Rohit Sharma.

That Manoj Tiwary and Murali Vijay have the class to play at the highest levels if only they had good coaches and a sustained run.

That Rahul Dravid continues to inspire in ways that Sachin Tendulkar has never managed to.

That Sachin Tendulkar has become a caricature of his exalted self. The best batsmen the world has ever seen will also be the one with the worst retirement plan ever.

That Saurav Ganguly has finally realized that his batting and captaincy like his hair-style are passé.

That Virat Kohli still has some time to go before he becomes one of the elites. See number one above. India would do well to transition from Dhoni to Gambhir instead of moving Kohli up the food chain.

That India has fast bowlers galore, but they need Wasim Akram to coach them and not Venkatesh Prasad or TA Sekhar.

That Paul Valthaty, Saurabh Tiwary, Manoj Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Manvinder Bisla have all already had their 15 minutes of fame.

That India has no spin bowlers with heart worth their name except R. Ashwin.

That Harbhajan Singh’s test career is well and truly over.

IPL 5 Playoff Predictions

KKR will beat DD in the first qualifier.

Juhi Chawla will tweet that KKR should thank SRK for the win because had he not showed up, none of the cricketers would have turned up to play either.

Rahul Sharma will not give up cricket.

CSK will eliminate Mumbai Indians.

Stories about cricketers sleeping with cheer leaders will fail to shock anyone. Least of all the players' wives and girl friends.

Aamir Khan in his episode for Satyamev Jayate will expose the 'casting couch' that forces young 'budding' cricketers to perform sexual favors for franchise owners and owneresses in return for IPL contracts. Aamir asks all of us to dig deep within us to find a solution.

Kirti Azad will break his fast.

CSK will win the second qualifier

Sachin Tendulkar will appear (to celebrate 43 days and 234 seconds since his 100th 100) on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition. In blonde hair and a polka dotted male bikini. Sales of Playboy and subscriptions to porn sites among Indian males will take a hit; across the world. Sachin will say   "I am a sportsman not a bikini model, the cover photo is in recognition of my contribution to the field of sports"

Indian government issues show cause notice to IPL franchises for failure to pay adequate taxes on IPL income. The franchises, in response, will fire all the security guards and to show how seriously they take their corporate responsibility suspend the cheerleaders for 35 seconds. 

CSK will win the IPL5

Some obscure TV channel will claim "proof" that the RCB v DC game was fixed. The tape will show school kids talking about Harry Potter. 

SRK's Wankhede ban will be over turned and millions will show up at the stadium even when no match is taking place, proving Juhi Chawla was right.

Gaelic

Gaelic: Is an adjective that means “pertaining to or belonging to the Gayle style of batsmanship”. The style originated in the vicinity of the not so ancient Caribbean islands with modern historians interpreting ancient African manuscripts as providing the precise origin to be Jamaica.

While historically most batting styles can be described using scoring methods and rates, stroke preferences, feet movement there has never been a common understanding of what Gaelic batting precisely involves. The parameters used to describe it are vague and often debated.

However one can tell in an instant if a given innings was Gaelic or not.

Researchers argue that the predicament exists because the style focuses on attitude rather than the process of batting.

It involves a complex, hard to measure mixture of disengagement, a mocking smile without even the hint of a smile ever flirting onto the lips, an outward display of boredom, extreme boredom to the point where the practitioner appears to be sleep walking and renders modern slow motion technologies useless.

It is said that slow motion pictures of the same shot take as long as the shot took in real time. The ability of the practitioner to slow things down during a Gaelic innings is its true mystique

There is a branch of Gaelic historians (historians who reasearch Gaelic batting) who have a more bookish and mathematical view of Gaelic batting which suggests that all batting that produces scores commonly found in book cricket is Gaelic.

This view is banned in Jamaica and the IPL.

Due to elements of mocking involved, Gaelic batting is often confused with Boltic running which also originated in Jamaica however the difference is; wherein a Boltic run appears to slow the opponents down leaving ample milliseconds for the Boltic runner to celebrate even before the finish line of the shortest of races; Gaelic batting makes the batsman appear in slow motion

Spot Fixing: Its all a media creation

So this is what we know...

There are enough players in Indian and Pakistani cricket that are corrupt.

Both with the Lord’s episode and the one in the IPL recently the guys actually orchestrating the spot fixing were media outlets. It tells us that if legitimate (as in real and not legal) bookies were to get access to players, matches could be ‘spot fixed’. The question of whether this is a common occurrence in India and Pakistan is still unproven. Spot fixing by real bookies that is.

To tow the standard BCCI and Sachin Tendulkar line, spot-fixing does seem like it is literally ‘created by the media’. I think we need someone to do a sting operation on these sting operations to suggest that the media does this to gain short term recognition and viewer ship. Media benefits from scandals and if one is not forthcoming they will manufacture one.

I am no fan of the IPL but I recognize why it is so popular. Fed on a diet of dull drab draws from the late 70s and 80s, I have fallen for the pure excitement that only a Test Match can provide. Now these exciting finishes in Tests are few and far in between but when they do happen, its well worth the wait for me. T20 by contrast seems manufactured, assembly line excitement.

The IPL is India’s pride and it has understandably provoked prejudiced reactions in the foreign media, where every drop in TRP ratings is cheered. I believe the IPL is a solid product but also disruptive to India’s national team and the West Indies; for now.

I don’t think the latest revelations by India TV are going to do much to dampen the enthusiasm around the IPL. The good thing about the franchise model is that they are owned by reputable businesses run by highly successful and respected people. The BCCI board it self has reputable names. No one can afford to be seen as corrupt.

In that, I inherently believe the IPL model protects itself from rampant corruption. The steps the BCCI and the franchises take to root out corruption will be genuine and quick. Additionally, as the franchises get more powerful over time, the power to make all kinds of decisions will get distributed.

To use the example of a few stray cricketers who succumb to TRP hungry news media, and paint the entire IPL as corrupt would be an opinion for sure; but not a reasoned one.

All you need to know about IPL 2012

Opinions On...Samit Patel

Totally, absolutely, vehemently profusely, and uncontrollablly inspired by Samit Patel, today I read the following statement to my wife. I had thought of calling a "press conference" but better sense prevailed.

"My biggest ambition is to be a good husband and a good father" I said. "I need to spend high volumes of time in our marriage to push my case for an occasional night out with friends. If I was selected for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus then I would miss several dinners and lunches at home and that won't help me at a time when I need to do everything I can to impress you"

"I have listened to the advice from people that I trust and it is clear that this decision is the right one to have made for domestic reasons. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus is an exciting enterprise and I would like to be involved in it in the future, but not to the detriment of my marital ambitions"

Cricket Professionals

There has never been a better time to be an Indian cricketer. Annual contracts, a variety of formats to choose from and a board that's as capitalist (profit oriented) as they come. We have come a long way from an era where player power was meant to be squished with court cases. Vengsarkar couldn't write a column to generate a few extra bucks to ensure that his future was more secure.

The number of elite Indian cricketers has gone from four in my early days of watching cricket to at least 20 now. Gavaskar,Kapil Dev, Vengsarkar and Vishwanath were the only superstars. Compare that to today's situation where India can easily field at least two superb ODI teams. The number of opportunities for cricketers to show their wares has increased a thousand fold. Any domestic cricketer today who is a reasonable performer can expect recognition and visibility. Had poor KP Bhaskar played in this era, would he have been ignored?

Playing for Club is playing for Country

At some point someone will realize that the same limited set of overworked players aren't going to be able to sustain our World Champion status in One Day Internationals, entertain us at IPL games and sustain our number one ranking in Tests.

We need a larger pool of players and we need players to specialize...not just as bowlers, batsmen and wicket keepers but specialize in formats too.

The alternative adopted by administrators the world over, which is largely push the players to make an illusionary club v country choice; is short sighted, self serving, mean, wicked and ultimately harmful to the game. Many talk about "a window"... but that too is a band-aid fix. India has a built-in IPL window and yet the next few weeks promises to unfold like a soap-opera starting with the Gautam Gambhir situation.

The IPL Qualifier, Qadir on Qadir and Showing Cause

First things first.... The IPL

Un-lose-able

Normally as most commentators would say; it doesn't matter how you get them; its the runs on the board that count.

Today the Chennai Super Kings disproved the theory.

If Gayle doesn't contribute then even a total of 175 can be chased. Perhaps its the way he gets those runs. Each time Gayle has got the runs the Royal Challengers from Bangalore have won and every time he hasn't they have lost. It almost does not matter what the others do.

Another reason Bangalore lost is because we @ Opinions are beginning to suspect that its not luck; its just that Mahendra Singh Dhoni might simply be "Un-lose-able". May be the games he does lose are the games he does not want to win.

IPL playoffs explained

Once the top 4 qualifiers for the playoffs are determined; how many games does it take to crown a winner.

3 is reasonable answer. But if its the IPL we are talking about; and indeed we are; then the answer is more like 6 games spread over 7 days.

Here is how it will work.

Chris Gayle to plead not guilty to assault charges

BANGALORE — The West Indian born opener of the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore intends to plead not guilty to assault charges after the violent treatment of Brett Lee and Jaidev Unadkat, his attorney said Sunday.

Chris Gayle was taken off his team bus at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium by officers from the Bangalore Police Department  about 10 minutes before it was to depart for the team hotel. He was turned over to police for questioning later in the afternoon, said Babban Bholenath, Bangalore Police Department spokesman. Chris Gayle, 31, was arrested at 2:15 a.m. IST Sunday on charges of a criminal batting act, attempted rape of the reputation of international bowlers and unlawful treatment of bowlers, and was awaiting arraignment, police said.

Opinions On... Saurav Ganguly

His debut Test innings at Lords, where he scored a century was a comeback...sort of. He was clearly out of depth in that one ODI he played for India in Australia 4 years earlier. It was said that he refused to carry drinks and from what people could see on TV, could not bat nor run between the wickets.

He just didn't seem to belong.

If he would have been discarded for good, we wouldn't even have noticed it. But he persisted and 19 years later playing in his 4th IPL season he played an innings for Pune Warriors that had all the buzz of a debut.

That is Saurav Ganguly for you....