while everybody is taking sides either with kp or ecb... one thing with which everyone seems to agree is that the kp-gate could have been managed better...behind closed doors...sans selective leaks...
since kp-gate is flooded with inane articles...for...against...i don't want to waste much time in adding my two cents...
having said that...however...i particularly liked shane warne's views that a parent body and captain should be capable enough to manage different personalities...characters...
that its not important to be liked by team mates...as every player in the team is there to do a job...and its the job of management to work around players to achieve team goals...
this is where strauss and ecb have failed in my view...
we too have a case here that desperately need attention and i genuinely feel dhoni in general and bcci in particular have failed in managing a career...
sree santh's...
he is a character...he can be a drama queen...he can be all this and that...
but he can bowl...
when he bowls...the upright seam and swing is a delight...not only to fans but purists alike...
he might pump fists returning back to his mark...he might appeal a bit long laced with drama...he might stare a batsmen on his follow through...but he is not the first bowler to do that...he will not be the last bowler to do that...
he can go overboard at times...but one thing which is clear and indisputable...he wants wickets with every ball he bowls...he is an attacking bowler with a heart...
he is what we see...but we don't necessarily see what he is...
if only he is not judged by his every expression...every flux of his muscle...every delivery he bowls...his every move on and off field...
if only we don't follow him like he is a terrorist that can explode a bomb any minute...we might still able to save a career...
a bowler who can bowl...a bowler that team india needs so desperately...but don't want to admit...
i hope and wish that when he makes a comeback...he would be given due space but more importantly the management will do away with the glasses tinted with skepticism whenever he is around...
ps: thanks balajhi of @nbalajhi to rekindle that old flame on twitter...
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after zaheer khan's injury the latest news being that sreesanth too is returning home leaving the already reeling bowling attack bit more thin...
although it is questionable that why zaheer was selected in the first place coz he was struggling even in odi series... was not looking fully fit... but at least there our bunch-of-jokers were consistent with their 'selection policy' which is to select (unfit) players on hope that they will be fit by the time series will start... rather than proven fitness though certain yuvraj would like to disagree with me...
one would like to believe that sree's injury is bit freakish and can happen to any bowler... but closer look at the 'selection policy' makes one think differently...
it's common knowledge in cricket that bowlers... specially pace bowlers... need some overs under their belt to be back in the groove... to gain bowling rhythm... loosen up bowling muscles... they cannot be installed from one place to another like bowling machines out of cold... though even machines require bit of warming up...
if it was clear in our bunch-of-jokers minds that ishant and sreesanth will be our 'test bowlers' then why they deprived both these bowlers some good overs and exposure in england for india-a tour...?
now suddenly the onus is on 'cold' ishant to be the leader of the pace attack and i will be least surprised if he too falls out midway during the series...
the least common sense we can expects from these gents, who get paid 40 lacs per annum to play the musical chair game, was to send them on india-a tour so that they would have been in perfect shape going into the sri lanka series which has already been labeled as unfinished business...
but as they say... common sense is the most uncommon thing these days...
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india require him at the top of his game...specially with injury of zaheer the indian pace cupboard is looking thin and bare...with not many fast bowlers knocking team india's door with conviction...
also for the fact that i strongly feel...sreesanth along with ishant and zaheer can make cricketing equivalent of 'bermuda triangle' in which lots of teams will sink without a trace...
i wrote this when there was not even a whiff of sreesanth in the air...
we knew sree will have to reborn to make it to team india again coz such was the insulation shield build around team india for him at that time...
so the freesanth was born on bored on 15th of august 2009... india's independence day... to free him from all the prejudices... and since then we have been running single minded campaign for him...
in fact cricket superblogroll announcing BCC! as the 'featured blog' has this to say... which is still up there...
And on site are real cool characters like Jatman (Sehwag), Che (Cheteshwar Pujara), Yawn T Roads, Bored Peon & Bored Neon, KhufiaBaaz, the thankless 'Thank You Sachin!' Group and the pointless FreeSanth venture.
i don't blame them... it did appear pointless to many...
now that he has come and pulled the rug from under non-believer's feet... with the five-for in his first comeback test innings after 18 months of enforced exile... it feels good that the player one was backing has come good... sree is freesanth again...
so thank you sree and well done!
but remember... its just the start though... keep all the wishes and praise you are getting now in your stride... you will need them when you will go wicket less on some days and people will inevitably try to reason it with sree the persona... rather than sree the bowler...
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Watching Sreesanth bowl is a fascinating experience. You know what he is capable of in his bowling art - that proud seam and the rest of it - but you also know that he is prone to self-destruction. The entire package is so sizzling that you can never turn your eyes off him when he is on the field.
sriram veera commenting on sree on 2nd day of irani trophy...
whenever one talks about sree santh the discussion invariably moves to how bad he is with his over the top antics... he did this... he did that... "isska kuch nahi ho sakta" etc... etc... and unfortunately ends with it...
no one talks about how he can be rehabilitated again to perform the role in indian cricket... specially when indian pace attack is bowling like a navigator who is on a mission to explore every possible spot in 22 yards of the pitch...
aren't elders in the joint family supposed to sit with wandering young member of the family when they feel the need...? or has he already gone beyond the possibility of returning to the main stream...
is the problem is only with sree... or we are also the part of the problem...? check it out at bored...
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continuing his impressive form for warwickshire so far... sree took 4 wickets in 8 overs for 36 runs... reducing yorkshire to 100 for 7...
the change this time was... that he was asked to open the bowling for the first time... while till now they used him as first change bowler... maybe they wanted him to get into some kinda rhythm before asking him to open the bowling for them...
sree paid back the faith shown in him in style and if all goes fine may well get his first five-for for warwickshire... i hope he gets it... each wicket will take him closer to his ultimate goal of getting his place back in team india... which was slapped away from him...
for more detailed account of his demolition spell... log in here at BCC!...
update: as anticipated sreesanth got his first five-for with first innings figures of 15.2 3 93 5
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At Trent Bridge, Sreesanth made an impressive debut in Warwickshire colours, shining both with the ball and the bat against Nottinghamshire.
In his championship debut match, the India discard came as the first change bowler and removed Adam Voges, Ali Brown and Mark Ealham for a decent figure of 14.1-1-65-3.
In reply to Nottinghamshire's first innings total of 388, Warwickshire folded for 219 with Sreesanth turning out to be their second highest scorer.
The Kerala speedster remained unbeaten after an entertaining 63-ball 30, which included three fours and two sixes.
as they say...nice beginning is half the job done...keep the good work going sree!!
btw...in the same match both bell and trott scored centuries for warwickshire...following on...
ps: anybody know what sree did after hitting those sixes...??!!
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...too can reinvent himself... and make a comeback as strong... focused bowler for his own good...?
that sreesanth is a good bowler and has talent to go far in international cricket is the fact not many can dispute...
its also not hidden fact that he is not liked by even his own colleagues...his temperament and over the top antics has been his biggest enemies...
that slap-gate didn't helped his matter too and became the cause of his falling out of favor...and eventually the reason of his prolonged ouster from the team india... coz despite being the victim of harbhajan's wrath... it somehow convinced team think tank that's its better to leave him alone...
then came the god send chance knocking at his door... to play for the warwickshire county for the rest of the season...
recently...on being asked about sreesanth move to join county...this is what zaheer said...
He's made a very wise move. He's a good bowler but has had injuries and issues. The best part about county cricket is you get to play non-stop and you're doing stuff absolutely on your own. You are not in a familiar environment. That forces you to think much more. If you are serious, it improves your game.
may be this was the 'dressing down' sree needed at this stage of his career...
left to fend himself...far away from alluring media spotlight...suddenly living a normal life simply as one of the many players over there...after used to of being chased in public...it can clear lots of clutter in your mind and then you are forced to think things which you would have not thought of in normal course...like zaheer experienced himself...
before zaheer joined county cricket to resurrect his sinking career...he too faced almost similar uneasy questions...on his bowling...on his attitude towards game and team...but how he used county stint to reinvent himself...to come out as better bowler is very well documented...
so if zaheer can...why not sreesanth too...?
now that sreesanth will play for warwickshire for the rest of season...i hope and wish that he will use this as an opportunity to stake his claim not only with irresistible performances but also with fresh attitude towards game...
india require him at the top of his game...
specially with injury of zaheer the indian pace cupboard is looking thin and bare...with not many fast bowlers knocking team india's door with conviction...
also for the fact that i strongly feel...sreesanth along with ishant and zaheer can make cricketing equivalent of 'bermuda triangle' in which lots of teams will sink without a trace...
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following on report in cricinfo that both sree and bhajji are keen to move on i specifically liked this portion...
Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth offered to share a room, had lunch together and told Sudhir Nanavati, the BCCI's probe commissioner, during his hearing on Friday into their controversial face-off after an Indian Premier League match last month, that they would prefer to forget the incident and move on from there.
i think its an excellent idea...
they can settle some pending scores in the confined atmosphere of hotel room...
who ever steps out night after gets selected in the team...
and we all move on...
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sources close to bhajji said that like last time this time too it was 'misinterpretation' of words...
instead of 'hard luck' he allegedly heard 'hard @uck'...
hence the slap...
anyway, Bhajji is banned from rest of IPL for doing what others were contemplating to do but had no courage....but now they wont have to worry...
hopefully sree santh too has learnt overtly due lesson...
Hayden and Symods too know what to expect when shaking hands with bhajji next time...
we have learned from our sources close to BCCI that more than the slap...huge charges of 'that' chartered plane did it for bhajji...
BCCI just gleefully accepted the long awaited opportunity...
as for bhajji...
he has more options up his sleeves...
see everybody is happy...
except for certain Mr. Mukesh Ambani...
last heard...he is looking for where to complain for the daylight robbery of his $112 millions...
can you help him...oh sorry...who can help him...?
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for batting...
every youngster selected for this series should look this series as make or break series and put price tag on his wicket…nothing less than over my dead body will do…if they are to be called future of indian cricket...
if not for anything than just for the fact that they have got this golden opportunity bcoz collective experience of over 20k runs has been sacrificed for them....and they should respect that…and remember that...
for bowling...
i can safely predict that if our current lot of pacers are handled well any team will think twice before giving us green top...
it was a sight to watch ishant and sree bowling yesterday...and it felt nice to see that now we have got bowlers who can give it back what our batters have received all their life...
moment of the day!!
for those who saw the match live...and for those who didn't...the moment of the day was when tiwari was sitting next to sachin soaking up whatever he was sharing…like a true student!! where on earth one can get this experience...
the senior was preparing the younger one before passing on the baton...priceless!!
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