WEST INDIES
Strengths: On paper, possess all the virtues of a good one-day unit: a free flowing top order; a stylish middle order; a dangerous lower order; a fine fielding unit and some attacking fast bowlers. Sarwan's return will supplement Lara, Samuels and Bravo. In Powell, Taylor, Colleymore and Bradshaw, the Caribbeans possess an attack that is penetrating but at the same time accurate.
Weaknesses: A long tail and an erratic wicketkeeper prone to rushes of blood. Inconsistency has been the bane of West Indies cricket with collapses having become routine. Very suspect temperament of the younger lot. Gayle, Sarwan and Samuels are not success stories against the best in the world.
Opportunities: Playing hosts. West Indies is unique for the conditions you get across the various grounds during different months of the year. First time international cricket is being played here so early in the season. With the spotlight on them, there is very little opportunity for players to wander into forbidden pastimes. Brian Charles Lara is in his last ODI series and he is special! An easy opener against a depleted Pakistan
Threats: Pressure of being hosts. A very demanding population. Likely to win their group emphatically and so complacency could creep in which is so typical of them. The curse on the host nation!
Counsel: Be ralaxed and enjoy the experience. Use Sarwan lower down the order and Ramdin higher up. Play just one of Taylor and Powell. Lara should come in no higher than 5.
Verdict: Their brand of cricket plus their familiarity should find them a spot in the semis. The pressure of the big situation will get to them after that. Expect Taylor and Samuels to establish themselves.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
The World Cup Swat- Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA
Strengths: The islanders arrive into this tournament with a formidable top order, a solid middle order and an effective lower middle order. Jayasuriya, Tharanga and Sangakkara are in scintillating form. Murali makes Sri Lanka the only side in the tournament which can attack in the middle overs. A pair of promising quickies to boot. Can compete with the best in the field.
Weaknesses: Overseas record; the form of Attapattu and Jayawardene; a longish tail; a waning Chaminda Vaas and a couple of profligate fast bowlers.
Opportunities: The venue for the Group Matches, Trinidad resembles the Premadasa as far as nature of the pitch is concerned and should ease them into the tournament. Haven't locked horns with the major powers for some time which gives them scope to surprise.
Threats: India in the Group Stages who have had the Mickey on them of late. Their three major role players still nostalgic and overcome by the '96 experience. A good finish would please most.
Counsel: Assign roles to batsmen. Too many similar batsmen seeking identity in the middle order. Be selective with the bat. Attack with the ball and use Fernando and Malinga. Lay emphasis on wickets with Murali. Don't be the usual defensive self on the field.
Verdict: Will push hard but just miss out on the semis. Lack of ambition amongst many members of the team and a general easy going nature of team evident in India. A star will be born in the form of Upul Tharanga. Vaas, Atapattu and Jayasuriya will quit in unspectacular fashion.
Strengths: The islanders arrive into this tournament with a formidable top order, a solid middle order and an effective lower middle order. Jayasuriya, Tharanga and Sangakkara are in scintillating form. Murali makes Sri Lanka the only side in the tournament which can attack in the middle overs. A pair of promising quickies to boot. Can compete with the best in the field.
Weaknesses: Overseas record; the form of Attapattu and Jayawardene; a longish tail; a waning Chaminda Vaas and a couple of profligate fast bowlers.
Opportunities: The venue for the Group Matches, Trinidad resembles the Premadasa as far as nature of the pitch is concerned and should ease them into the tournament. Haven't locked horns with the major powers for some time which gives them scope to surprise.
Threats: India in the Group Stages who have had the Mickey on them of late. Their three major role players still nostalgic and overcome by the '96 experience. A good finish would please most.
Counsel: Assign roles to batsmen. Too many similar batsmen seeking identity in the middle order. Be selective with the bat. Attack with the ball and use Fernando and Malinga. Lay emphasis on wickets with Murali. Don't be the usual defensive self on the field.
Verdict: Will push hard but just miss out on the semis. Lack of ambition amongst many members of the team and a general easy going nature of team evident in India. A star will be born in the form of Upul Tharanga. Vaas, Atapattu and Jayasuriya will quit in unspectacular fashion.
The World Cup Swat- South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA
Strengths: A well oiled machinery and an impeccable fielding unit. Great depth in batting with effective finishers like Kemp, Boucher and Pollock to supplement the flair of Kallis, Gibbs and Smith. Fiery fast bowling unit.
Weaknesses: Suspect mental temperament and an unnerring ability to choke. Bowling attack one dimensional with negligible slow bowling options and a batting line-up that is vulnerable to high quality fast or spin bowling. A captain who loses his cool when the going gets tough.
Opportunities: The game against Australia could be the springboard for a great campaign. Have the best record in the Caribbean of all the teams. With boundaries likely to be at a premium, their fielding could shut teams out. Teams will be wary of the numero uno.
Threats: Sense of complacency. Their run in recent times has been at home where they are pretty much invincible. Seamer friendly conditions back home have blinded them of the lack of variety in their attack. A single defeat and it could all unravel.
Counsel: Hit the ground hard and aggressive. Try and dominate the opposition thus leveraging your opposition. Make others fear you and therein lies your best chance. Use Andrew Hall and Pollock judiciously with the old and new ball respectively. Kallis should bat at 3 and told to play aggressively.
Verdict: See them losing to Australia in the Group Stages and things going badly thereafter. Too much sameness in the bowling attack will see them clobbered by good batsmen. Top sides will sort their top order out. No semifinal berth.
Strengths: A well oiled machinery and an impeccable fielding unit. Great depth in batting with effective finishers like Kemp, Boucher and Pollock to supplement the flair of Kallis, Gibbs and Smith. Fiery fast bowling unit.
Weaknesses: Suspect mental temperament and an unnerring ability to choke. Bowling attack one dimensional with negligible slow bowling options and a batting line-up that is vulnerable to high quality fast or spin bowling. A captain who loses his cool when the going gets tough.
Opportunities: The game against Australia could be the springboard for a great campaign. Have the best record in the Caribbean of all the teams. With boundaries likely to be at a premium, their fielding could shut teams out. Teams will be wary of the numero uno.
Threats: Sense of complacency. Their run in recent times has been at home where they are pretty much invincible. Seamer friendly conditions back home have blinded them of the lack of variety in their attack. A single defeat and it could all unravel.
Counsel: Hit the ground hard and aggressive. Try and dominate the opposition thus leveraging your opposition. Make others fear you and therein lies your best chance. Use Andrew Hall and Pollock judiciously with the old and new ball respectively. Kallis should bat at 3 and told to play aggressively.
Verdict: See them losing to Australia in the Group Stages and things going badly thereafter. Too much sameness in the bowling attack will see them clobbered by good batsmen. Top sides will sort their top order out. No semifinal berth.
The World Cup Swat- Pakistan
PAKISTAN
Strengths: A vastly experienced middle order with Younis, Yousuf and Inzamam besides Mr. Bang Bang, Afridi. Exciting young fast bowlers and a high quality leg-spin bowler in Kaneria.
Weaknesses: A top-order that excites none but the opposition; a prodigal wicket-keeper; a highly immobile fielding unit; a long tail and a bowling attack high on quality but very low on form. Akthar and Asif were touted to be the remedy for their ills but without them and that wily customer, Abdur Razzaq, their attack is pretty uni-dimensional.
Opportunities: Pakistan's cricketing history is replete with heroics when least expected and to call the current situation a crisis would be an understatement. Inzamam and Woolmer will find the squad easier to handle without Akthar. Inzy and Yousuf in the twilights of their career. Complacent opposition.
Threats: A tough opener against West Indies especially without Afridi. It could all go wrong from there. Expect some interesting comments by Akthar, Imran and Miandad to fuel the situation.
Counsel: Stick together and be aggressive with the bat but very disciplined with the ball. Cut out the flair play. Maintain a low profile.
Verdict: Difficult to see them make much of an impact. Just too many things weighed up against them. Super Eights is as far as they will get.
Strengths: A vastly experienced middle order with Younis, Yousuf and Inzamam besides Mr. Bang Bang, Afridi. Exciting young fast bowlers and a high quality leg-spin bowler in Kaneria.
Weaknesses: A top-order that excites none but the opposition; a prodigal wicket-keeper; a highly immobile fielding unit; a long tail and a bowling attack high on quality but very low on form. Akthar and Asif were touted to be the remedy for their ills but without them and that wily customer, Abdur Razzaq, their attack is pretty uni-dimensional.
Opportunities: Pakistan's cricketing history is replete with heroics when least expected and to call the current situation a crisis would be an understatement. Inzamam and Woolmer will find the squad easier to handle without Akthar. Inzy and Yousuf in the twilights of their career. Complacent opposition.
Threats: A tough opener against West Indies especially without Afridi. It could all go wrong from there. Expect some interesting comments by Akthar, Imran and Miandad to fuel the situation.
Counsel: Stick together and be aggressive with the bat but very disciplined with the ball. Cut out the flair play. Maintain a low profile.
Verdict: Difficult to see them make much of an impact. Just too many things weighed up against them. Super Eights is as far as they will get.
The World Cup Swat- New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND
Strengths: The most lethal fast bowler in the world, Shane Bond; a most consistent and effective lower middle order; the best spin bowler in world cricket; an astute captain; a great backroom staff but most importantly something quite foreign to New Zealand cricket- some top order batting of note. Like the Proteas, the Black Caps are quite out of this world when it comes to fielding and in Ross Taylor, they seem to have unearthed a gem. Watch out for the old firm in the form of McMillan and Styris.
Weaknesses: Abyssmal history of fitness. Shane Bond is odds on to break down and Jacob Oram might not be the same force irrespective of the number of fingers that he decides to bring along. Lack a central inspirational figure like Chris Cairns; have a poor record on slow tracks; and have very little ammunition in their bowling but for 007. A suspect top order and Kyle Mills' absence might hurt.
Opportunities: With England in the group, an opportunity to coast to the Super Eights. Unknown exciting commodities in the top order and with very few sides having depth in their bowling in one-day cricket, a batting line-up that runs deeper than the Pacific could drown a few teams.
Threats: Very few stand out batsmen or bowlers which could send them burying for cover in the face of quality. They don't go into this tournament as the 'usual' dark horses but as one of the leading contenders and hence, teams are unlikely to be complacent.
Counsel: You have got most things in order, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to play Patel, the off-spinner too, for very few teams do so. Don't play Bond against the minnows and build your campaign around Oram. Make more use of the power plays while batting.
Verdict: Would be a shock if they don't reach the semis and might just creep into the finals but shouldn't win. Rely too much on McCullum and Oram who aren't very effective against spin. Quality teams will take note.
Strengths: The most lethal fast bowler in the world, Shane Bond; a most consistent and effective lower middle order; the best spin bowler in world cricket; an astute captain; a great backroom staff but most importantly something quite foreign to New Zealand cricket- some top order batting of note. Like the Proteas, the Black Caps are quite out of this world when it comes to fielding and in Ross Taylor, they seem to have unearthed a gem. Watch out for the old firm in the form of McMillan and Styris.
Weaknesses: Abyssmal history of fitness. Shane Bond is odds on to break down and Jacob Oram might not be the same force irrespective of the number of fingers that he decides to bring along. Lack a central inspirational figure like Chris Cairns; have a poor record on slow tracks; and have very little ammunition in their bowling but for 007. A suspect top order and Kyle Mills' absence might hurt.
Opportunities: With England in the group, an opportunity to coast to the Super Eights. Unknown exciting commodities in the top order and with very few sides having depth in their bowling in one-day cricket, a batting line-up that runs deeper than the Pacific could drown a few teams.
Threats: Very few stand out batsmen or bowlers which could send them burying for cover in the face of quality. They don't go into this tournament as the 'usual' dark horses but as one of the leading contenders and hence, teams are unlikely to be complacent.
Counsel: You have got most things in order, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to play Patel, the off-spinner too, for very few teams do so. Don't play Bond against the minnows and build your campaign around Oram. Make more use of the power plays while batting.
Verdict: Would be a shock if they don't reach the semis and might just creep into the finals but shouldn't win. Rely too much on McCullum and Oram who aren't very effective against spin. Quality teams will take note.
The World Cup Swat- India
INDIA
Strengths: Possess the form batting order heading into the tournament. An assortment of contemporary greats, useful fast bowlers with the ability to strike early and high quality spinners; on paper, India look to be a major threat. Dravid, Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni in the middle will supplement a dangerous top order; Munaf and co. will form a probing seam attack and Harbhajan will keep batsmen honest with his tweakers.
Weaknesses: An aged side coupled with Harbhajan's inability to bowl batsmen out means India will struggle in the middle overs. This will be the worst fielding side in the competition with only Pakistan and England for company; bowling at the death has also been an area of concern besides an unsettled opening combination. Question marks persist over Sehwag and Pathan.
Opportunities: The toughest group in tough batting conditions might prove to blessing in disguise. India's record over Sri Lanka has been exemplary and individuals desperate to prove their mettle might just make India an irresistable combination.
Threats: Individuals in the dusk of their career with a weight of achievements behind them. Side too pedigreed and succeptible to major shifts in form & performance. No major expectations within the squad.
Counsel: Forget Sehwag and Uthappa; think of Pathan to partner Ganguly and bowl cutters on the slow tracks. Think of Dhoni as an option in the top order while batting first. Get Kumble playing as second spinner as his intensity would be welcome in the middle overs when India get insipid.
Verdict: This is more of a gut feeling which cannot be rationalised. India look odds on favourite to reach the semi-finals after which individual masterclasses are going to win them the competition. A fitting riposte by Greg Chappell!!!
Strengths: Possess the form batting order heading into the tournament. An assortment of contemporary greats, useful fast bowlers with the ability to strike early and high quality spinners; on paper, India look to be a major threat. Dravid, Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni in the middle will supplement a dangerous top order; Munaf and co. will form a probing seam attack and Harbhajan will keep batsmen honest with his tweakers.
Weaknesses: An aged side coupled with Harbhajan's inability to bowl batsmen out means India will struggle in the middle overs. This will be the worst fielding side in the competition with only Pakistan and England for company; bowling at the death has also been an area of concern besides an unsettled opening combination. Question marks persist over Sehwag and Pathan.
Opportunities: The toughest group in tough batting conditions might prove to blessing in disguise. India's record over Sri Lanka has been exemplary and individuals desperate to prove their mettle might just make India an irresistable combination.
Threats: Individuals in the dusk of their career with a weight of achievements behind them. Side too pedigreed and succeptible to major shifts in form & performance. No major expectations within the squad.
Counsel: Forget Sehwag and Uthappa; think of Pathan to partner Ganguly and bowl cutters on the slow tracks. Think of Dhoni as an option in the top order while batting first. Get Kumble playing as second spinner as his intensity would be welcome in the middle overs when India get insipid.
Verdict: This is more of a gut feeling which cannot be rationalised. India look odds on favourite to reach the semi-finals after which individual masterclasses are going to win them the competition. A fitting riposte by Greg Chappell!!!
The World Cup Swat- England
ENGLAND
Strengths: For the first time in its history, England goes into a competition on the back of its batting. Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood and Flintoff represent a potent middle order. Flintoff is probably the best third seamer heading into the competition and Panesar has already established himself as an effective spinning option.
Weaknesses: A bowling attack comprising Lewis, Plunkett, Tremlett and Anderson shouldn't make many batsmen lose sleep especially on some of the placid tracks. A below par fielding unit and a succeptible top order plus a captain whose chances of turning up twice in a row is only slightly better tha England's chances of winning the tournament.
Opportunities: The easiest group in the tournament. Have traditionally done well against the Kiwis in one-day cricket and a victory could give them a directional impulse. Opponents might take England a bit too lightly.
Threats: The innate feeling in the side that test match cricket is more challenging. England's team is nothing but a motley crew whose primary idea of a World Cup is a good time in the Caribbean.
Counsel: Keep the beer cans out of bounds and have Michael Vaughan as non- playing captain.
Verdict: The Barmy Army will create more of a flutter than this English team. Will cause an upset or two courtesy Flintoff and Pietersen but the beaches are where you will find the English cricketers during the semi-finals. Duncan Fletcher will bow out with ignomity.
Strengths: For the first time in its history, England goes into a competition on the back of its batting. Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood and Flintoff represent a potent middle order. Flintoff is probably the best third seamer heading into the competition and Panesar has already established himself as an effective spinning option.
Weaknesses: A bowling attack comprising Lewis, Plunkett, Tremlett and Anderson shouldn't make many batsmen lose sleep especially on some of the placid tracks. A below par fielding unit and a succeptible top order plus a captain whose chances of turning up twice in a row is only slightly better tha England's chances of winning the tournament.
Opportunities: The easiest group in the tournament. Have traditionally done well against the Kiwis in one-day cricket and a victory could give them a directional impulse. Opponents might take England a bit too lightly.
Threats: The innate feeling in the side that test match cricket is more challenging. England's team is nothing but a motley crew whose primary idea of a World Cup is a good time in the Caribbean.
Counsel: Keep the beer cans out of bounds and have Michael Vaughan as non- playing captain.
Verdict: The Barmy Army will create more of a flutter than this English team. Will cause an upset or two courtesy Flintoff and Pietersen but the beaches are where you will find the English cricketers during the semi-finals. Duncan Fletcher will bow out with ignomity.
Friday, March 02, 2007
The World Cup Swat- Australia
AUSTRALIA
Strengths: The most versatile batting line-up in world cricket; an opportunistic fielding cordon and mental fortitude without parallels. With Ponting, Hussey, Symonds and Clarke, Australia can attack, slaughter and decimate. A bowling attack that can leave out the two best test match bowlers in the world speaks volumes of their depth. There is no evident weakness in this unit.
Weaknesses: The bowling attack wears a non-penetrative look in the absence of Brett Lee; Andrew Symonds is the most valuable one day cricketer in the world and question marks over him aren't bound to fill them with confidence. Lack of wicket taking slow options in the middle overs have seen Australia struggle to defend totals. Brad Hogg is short of match practice and Johnson and Bracken have petered away after impressive starts. They are no longer an intimidating force.
Opportunities: A victory against South Africa and Australia would be on its way. The format of the tournament gives Australia time to set its house in order. Australia don't particularly like losing and canalizing this anger could imply dire consequences for other teams. Ask England.
Threats: A difficult clash against South Africa in the Group Stages who have had the better of Australia in recent times. A loss there and teams are going to relish the challenge thereafter. Australia's big three rivals have had the better of them in recent times and they don't possess the aura about themselves any longer.
Counsel: Since bowling is your grey area, go in with the extra bowler which means that Shane Watson gets the nod for opening the innings ahead of Mattie Hayden. Bank on Tait and Hogg for Carribbean wickets are conducive to wrist spin and reverse swing. Chase when you win the toss and give the new cherry back to the 'Pigeon'- Glenn McGrath. Your most important match in the competition is South Africa in the Group Stages.
Verdict: Nobody is going to stop the Kangaroos from getting to the 'Last Four' but the absence of Brett Lee means that this won't be a third consecutive World Cup victory. Hussey, Ponting & McGrath will have huge tournaments whereas it is going to be no fairytale ending for Gilchrist and Hayden. Expect the next generation of cricketers to leave their stamp.
Strengths: The most versatile batting line-up in world cricket; an opportunistic fielding cordon and mental fortitude without parallels. With Ponting, Hussey, Symonds and Clarke, Australia can attack, slaughter and decimate. A bowling attack that can leave out the two best test match bowlers in the world speaks volumes of their depth. There is no evident weakness in this unit.
Weaknesses: The bowling attack wears a non-penetrative look in the absence of Brett Lee; Andrew Symonds is the most valuable one day cricketer in the world and question marks over him aren't bound to fill them with confidence. Lack of wicket taking slow options in the middle overs have seen Australia struggle to defend totals. Brad Hogg is short of match practice and Johnson and Bracken have petered away after impressive starts. They are no longer an intimidating force.
Opportunities: A victory against South Africa and Australia would be on its way. The format of the tournament gives Australia time to set its house in order. Australia don't particularly like losing and canalizing this anger could imply dire consequences for other teams. Ask England.
Threats: A difficult clash against South Africa in the Group Stages who have had the better of Australia in recent times. A loss there and teams are going to relish the challenge thereafter. Australia's big three rivals have had the better of them in recent times and they don't possess the aura about themselves any longer.
Counsel: Since bowling is your grey area, go in with the extra bowler which means that Shane Watson gets the nod for opening the innings ahead of Mattie Hayden. Bank on Tait and Hogg for Carribbean wickets are conducive to wrist spin and reverse swing. Chase when you win the toss and give the new cherry back to the 'Pigeon'- Glenn McGrath. Your most important match in the competition is South Africa in the Group Stages.
Verdict: Nobody is going to stop the Kangaroos from getting to the 'Last Four' but the absence of Brett Lee means that this won't be a third consecutive World Cup victory. Hussey, Ponting & McGrath will have huge tournaments whereas it is going to be no fairytale ending for Gilchrist and Hayden. Expect the next generation of cricketers to leave their stamp.
Building up to the World Cup
This promises to be the most intensely fought World Cup ever. The Pontings, Flemings, Dravids, Jayawardenes, Vaughans, Inzamams, Smiths and Laras of this world will their teams to do battle in this cricketing extravaganza. Will Ponting and company emulate the Windies and make it a hat-trick of World Cups or is the Australian supremacy a thing of the past?
Next up, a SWOT analysis of all the major pretenders.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
My 15 BLUES
I suspect that when the 'Colonel' & company sit together to decide the 15 who would take the flight out to the Caribbean, there would be billions wanting to be a fly on that wall. Every four years, this major upheaval in our mindset is ample reflection of an entire nation's conscience possessed. If 2003 was all about Laxman or not, 2007 has a few more intricate issues attached. A look at who will make the cut for the WC starting in two months time.
The safest bets would be on the wicketkeeping and spinning department. India have come a long way since 2003 when Rahul Dravid did a Gianlugi Buffon. Rahul might have looked more like a football goalkeeper in his efforts, but he did a mighty fine job ala the Italian custodian. Mahendra Dhoni has captivated international audiences ever since he set foot on the international stage and though he still has his critics, there is no doubt that his dismantling of international attacks has been consistent and effective and that he is a safe bet behind too. Dinesh Karthick has shown lot of spunk and fight and he is a mighty good fielder too. India will need Karthick in the middle order as a specialist batsman to rotate the strike.
India will struggle with their fast bowling department. Agarkar and Zaheer will lead the pack but that is again a step back from 2003 when Zaheer, Nehra and Srinath were at the peak of their prowesses and represented India's most potent fast bowling attack. Sreesanth has been India's revelation in 2006 but except for a 6 wicket haul against England in the early part of the year, his performances in the one-day format have been built more around passion and aggression rather than consistency. I would have to put Pathan in this category even though I am sure he will end up playing just the Group stages in the World Cup. India's success in the one-day format, when it happened, was due to Pathan's new ball bowling and his presence allowing India to play five bowlers. At the World Cup, that would mean playing Kumble and Harbhajan together, a combination that would take some stopping in slow, low Caribbean conditions. Kumble's bowling over the last 24 months has been right alongside the likes of Warne and Murali whereas Harbhajan was the best slow bowler in one-day cricket in the year 2006 with an economy rate of around 3.7 .
Without Pathan, five bowlers would mean too long a tail and with 20 over powerplays, it would take a very brave team management to play two spinners in an Indian setup with four bowlers. Hence, to say that Pathan would be crucial to India's chances would be a gross understatement. India will risk Munaf as their fifth seam bowling option inspite of his fickle fitness for prior to South Africa, he was head and shoulders above the rest when it came to the fast bowling stakes. His height and ability to hit the deck gives the attack some variety as well. People might consider Ramesh Powar unlucky to miss out but facts will suggest that his best bowling performances have come against shoddy opposition. Brian Lara and Sarwan consistently found him out on India's last trip there. His will be a career in the shadows- a large shadow that.
India's travails in the batting department have been well documented and with six spots up for grabs, there is bound to be some serious thought there. Yuvraj, Sachin, Rahul and Sourav are sure to take up four of those spots. His lengthy layoff not withstanding, Yuvraj is India's best middle order batsman as he showcased in 2005 and early 2006; Sachin is still indispensable for he offers flexiblity in the batting department with the array of strokes he possesses and his bowling has always come up trumps in pressure cooker scenarios; Dravid continues scaling new heights and Sourav has made too 'impressive' a comeback, and is probably odds on favourite to open.
I feel the selectors should have given Ganguly an extended run before coming to a conclusion. A 98 on a flat pancake against a travel weary bowling attack is not exactly my idea of returning to form. The signs were there: balls smoted out of the ground, the quick dab and runs and of course a run-out. Yes, Ganguly ended up being India's top run getter in the test match series but the selectors seem to be losing sight of the fact that Ganguly's performances in the test match arena had been 'passable' leading upto the time he got dropped. It was his one-day efforts that had taken a more drastic dip, averaging under 20 against test playing nations over a two year period. I hope that the "Prince" is back for good but my gut feeling is that his selection will go down as one made in haste. Sourav will disappoint.
That leaves us with two more spots. Sehwag, inspite of all his miseries is too serious a matchwinner to be ignored. His bowling will also be valued and towards the end of the South African series, there was a certain commitment that didn't reflect on the scorecards. The last spot will be a tussle between Robin Uthappa and Suresh Raina depending on their performances over the next few matches. My call would be Robin for he is a good top order one-day player and Greg and Rahul seem convinced that they need a specialist opening bat.
That would leave Laxman with the strange honour of never having been in a World Cup Squad; Kaif would be desperately unlucky to miss out despite having scored three fifties in the West Indies, unfortunate for a honest tryer who has somehow been always typecast as villain whenever India has lost in recent times. Raina's time will definitely come.
My call on what the World Cup squad would be:
Rahul Dravid (c), Sachin Tendulkar (vc), Virendra Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthick, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, S. Sreesanth
Expecetd Duds: Irfan, Sourav
Expected Hits: Sachin, Karthick
And since I am sticking my neck out, a chocolate on my part for every error that I make and spotted by you. So chocolate-crazy people, the comments section is all yours!
The safest bets would be on the wicketkeeping and spinning department. India have come a long way since 2003 when Rahul Dravid did a Gianlugi Buffon. Rahul might have looked more like a football goalkeeper in his efforts, but he did a mighty fine job ala the Italian custodian. Mahendra Dhoni has captivated international audiences ever since he set foot on the international stage and though he still has his critics, there is no doubt that his dismantling of international attacks has been consistent and effective and that he is a safe bet behind too. Dinesh Karthick has shown lot of spunk and fight and he is a mighty good fielder too. India will need Karthick in the middle order as a specialist batsman to rotate the strike.
India will struggle with their fast bowling department. Agarkar and Zaheer will lead the pack but that is again a step back from 2003 when Zaheer, Nehra and Srinath were at the peak of their prowesses and represented India's most potent fast bowling attack. Sreesanth has been India's revelation in 2006 but except for a 6 wicket haul against England in the early part of the year, his performances in the one-day format have been built more around passion and aggression rather than consistency. I would have to put Pathan in this category even though I am sure he will end up playing just the Group stages in the World Cup. India's success in the one-day format, when it happened, was due to Pathan's new ball bowling and his presence allowing India to play five bowlers. At the World Cup, that would mean playing Kumble and Harbhajan together, a combination that would take some stopping in slow, low Caribbean conditions. Kumble's bowling over the last 24 months has been right alongside the likes of Warne and Murali whereas Harbhajan was the best slow bowler in one-day cricket in the year 2006 with an economy rate of around 3.7 .
Without Pathan, five bowlers would mean too long a tail and with 20 over powerplays, it would take a very brave team management to play two spinners in an Indian setup with four bowlers. Hence, to say that Pathan would be crucial to India's chances would be a gross understatement. India will risk Munaf as their fifth seam bowling option inspite of his fickle fitness for prior to South Africa, he was head and shoulders above the rest when it came to the fast bowling stakes. His height and ability to hit the deck gives the attack some variety as well. People might consider Ramesh Powar unlucky to miss out but facts will suggest that his best bowling performances have come against shoddy opposition. Brian Lara and Sarwan consistently found him out on India's last trip there. His will be a career in the shadows- a large shadow that.
India's travails in the batting department have been well documented and with six spots up for grabs, there is bound to be some serious thought there. Yuvraj, Sachin, Rahul and Sourav are sure to take up four of those spots. His lengthy layoff not withstanding, Yuvraj is India's best middle order batsman as he showcased in 2005 and early 2006; Sachin is still indispensable for he offers flexiblity in the batting department with the array of strokes he possesses and his bowling has always come up trumps in pressure cooker scenarios; Dravid continues scaling new heights and Sourav has made too 'impressive' a comeback, and is probably odds on favourite to open.
I feel the selectors should have given Ganguly an extended run before coming to a conclusion. A 98 on a flat pancake against a travel weary bowling attack is not exactly my idea of returning to form. The signs were there: balls smoted out of the ground, the quick dab and runs and of course a run-out. Yes, Ganguly ended up being India's top run getter in the test match series but the selectors seem to be losing sight of the fact that Ganguly's performances in the test match arena had been 'passable' leading upto the time he got dropped. It was his one-day efforts that had taken a more drastic dip, averaging under 20 against test playing nations over a two year period. I hope that the "Prince" is back for good but my gut feeling is that his selection will go down as one made in haste. Sourav will disappoint.
That leaves us with two more spots. Sehwag, inspite of all his miseries is too serious a matchwinner to be ignored. His bowling will also be valued and towards the end of the South African series, there was a certain commitment that didn't reflect on the scorecards. The last spot will be a tussle between Robin Uthappa and Suresh Raina depending on their performances over the next few matches. My call would be Robin for he is a good top order one-day player and Greg and Rahul seem convinced that they need a specialist opening bat.
That would leave Laxman with the strange honour of never having been in a World Cup Squad; Kaif would be desperately unlucky to miss out despite having scored three fifties in the West Indies, unfortunate for a honest tryer who has somehow been always typecast as villain whenever India has lost in recent times. Raina's time will definitely come.
My call on what the World Cup squad would be:
Rahul Dravid (c), Sachin Tendulkar (vc), Virendra Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthick, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, S. Sreesanth
Expecetd Duds: Irfan, Sourav
Expected Hits: Sachin, Karthick
And since I am sticking my neck out, a chocolate on my part for every error that I make and spotted by you. So chocolate-crazy people, the comments section is all yours!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Solitude, CAT and more arbitrariness
Solitude borne out of laziness has been the theme of the last week, so much so that this shall be my 4th post in a week- one less than than the number I have managed to put together in a year's time.
Even semesters mean festivity in IT-BHU and four-day weeks. Over here, a working day is a relative term as all 'nerds' and 'geeks' in this 'elite' institute will happily testify. Technex-The Annual National Technical Festival (sounds cliched) came and went. Technex has taken gargantuan leaps since I have been here and this year's event appealed even to the author-a person with esoteric tastes.
It is also nice to see the Men in Blue get back to winning ways. They have had a baptism by fire of late and it pains you when the nice men in this world (read Tendulkar and Dravid) come under stick. Another couple of victories and the entire nation is going to go nuts about India's chances at the World Cup. India's time at the world stage will come only when they unearth good wrist spinners, death bowlers and at least a few bricks in the middle order to supplement the 'Wall'. Fielding and youth was the number one priority not long back, and today, only Pakistan can pose a stiff challenge for the tag of the most inept fielding unit.
Logic can be ludicrous in cricket!
In between, I managed to enroll myself, technically speaking, for CAT classes. I don't particularly fancy the odds there but in hindsight, I feel that I have let myself be dragged into that whirlpool which tries to engulf you at the start of a year where every self-respecting third year student has to become career conscious. I think the entire rat race has resulted in absurdity and wierdness unparalleled. However, I must admit that I had fun. Attendance compulsions in my department have meant that I have not sat in a class with single digit strength for a long time. The change was refreshing!
Besides, to hear an 'eccentric Bong' extolling the virtues of my name was enlightening. Coming from a typical middle-class Tamil background, it was embarassing having to own up my ineptitude at the Vedas. I will remain a novice in this field all my life.
There are a couple of people cursing their offspring at this point of time somewhere in this world!
He demeanour was comical to say the least. His gait wouldn't give you the impression of an entertainer but there was something about his demure approach and his tendency to refer to the world of sports in case any clarification was required that fascinated me and had me awestruck. References to Owens, Navratilova, Aldrich, Gower and Boycott are not necessarily the worst way in the world to keep me interested. I fancy that I have an enjoyable year ahead there.
Our comparison with the IITs holds no basis when it comes to the number of selections to IIMs and the reasons are not too difficult to behold. I cannot refrain from taking a jibe at the general intellectual milieu pervading here- a matter of no little concern, but something that will be brushed under the carpet along with the relevance of acads in a year where compensation packages have reached unprecedented heights. The number of quizzes, debates and other intellectual activities are constantly on the wane. Technex didn't even bother with a Quiz this time around. The comparison with IITs is so very obviously being done by short-sighted people.
Is anybody looking at the larger picture? I can only hope that India's economic boom is for ever!
Even semesters mean festivity in IT-BHU and four-day weeks. Over here, a working day is a relative term as all 'nerds' and 'geeks' in this 'elite' institute will happily testify. Technex-The Annual National Technical Festival (sounds cliched) came and went. Technex has taken gargantuan leaps since I have been here and this year's event appealed even to the author-a person with esoteric tastes.
It is also nice to see the Men in Blue get back to winning ways. They have had a baptism by fire of late and it pains you when the nice men in this world (read Tendulkar and Dravid) come under stick. Another couple of victories and the entire nation is going to go nuts about India's chances at the World Cup. India's time at the world stage will come only when they unearth good wrist spinners, death bowlers and at least a few bricks in the middle order to supplement the 'Wall'. Fielding and youth was the number one priority not long back, and today, only Pakistan can pose a stiff challenge for the tag of the most inept fielding unit.
Logic can be ludicrous in cricket!
In between, I managed to enroll myself, technically speaking, for CAT classes. I don't particularly fancy the odds there but in hindsight, I feel that I have let myself be dragged into that whirlpool which tries to engulf you at the start of a year where every self-respecting third year student has to become career conscious. I think the entire rat race has resulted in absurdity and wierdness unparalleled. However, I must admit that I had fun. Attendance compulsions in my department have meant that I have not sat in a class with single digit strength for a long time. The change was refreshing!
Besides, to hear an 'eccentric Bong' extolling the virtues of my name was enlightening. Coming from a typical middle-class Tamil background, it was embarassing having to own up my ineptitude at the Vedas. I will remain a novice in this field all my life.
There are a couple of people cursing their offspring at this point of time somewhere in this world!
He demeanour was comical to say the least. His gait wouldn't give you the impression of an entertainer but there was something about his demure approach and his tendency to refer to the world of sports in case any clarification was required that fascinated me and had me awestruck. References to Owens, Navratilova, Aldrich, Gower and Boycott are not necessarily the worst way in the world to keep me interested. I fancy that I have an enjoyable year ahead there.
Our comparison with the IITs holds no basis when it comes to the number of selections to IIMs and the reasons are not too difficult to behold. I cannot refrain from taking a jibe at the general intellectual milieu pervading here- a matter of no little concern, but something that will be brushed under the carpet along with the relevance of acads in a year where compensation packages have reached unprecedented heights. The number of quizzes, debates and other intellectual activities are constantly on the wane. Technex didn't even bother with a Quiz this time around. The comparison with IITs is so very obviously being done by short-sighted people.
Is anybody looking at the larger picture? I can only hope that India's economic boom is for ever!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The enigma that is Dada
So, after a couple of sentimental outpourings it is back to my core competency. If you reckon that a decent grade score (on the donward spiral all the time) makes me a talented or even an interested 'Mechaniche', nothing could be farther from the truth. It is back to my comfort zone and back to a person who has probably intrigued me the most, myself apart.
The ephemeral Yorkshirean still calls him the "Bengal Tiger" or the "Prince who could smash spinners out of the park with my grandma's broomstick". Shane Warne and Steve Waugh remember him as "an irritant" who had the audacity to look the Aussies into the eye and keep people waiting at the toss. Freddie Flintoff calls him a "royal" who never practised and took cricket as a pastime but would still celebrate (showing off a muscular frame) as if he had won matches on his own. In the eastern parts of India, he is God and held on the same pedestal as Durga. In any dressing room, he is called Dada with a mixture of respect, envy and intrigue.
Fascinating!
No person has captivated the public conscience in recent times for his methods and actions as much as Sourav Chandidas Ganguly has. Not even Shane Warne. When you do a personality check with Warney, you wonder about this fuss. This guy doesn't smoke, neither does he get watered down and create trouble at places, nor does he get hooked up with all handsome looking females that he comes across. But the cynosure of all eyes nevertheless!
His roll of honour includes over 15000 international runs, 150 international wickets and100 international catches. But one suspects that Sourav Ganguly will be remembered more for his bare-chested celebrations, his verbal ding-dongs with the Aussies, his ability to infuriate the opposition, his perceived 'rudeness' to the Srinaths (At a crucial moment in the Trinidad test, he was caught by cameras gesticulating to Srinath besides abusing him), for thinking that Kumble was a good option as 12th man, for his candidness but at the same time his remarkable ability in not getting bogged down even under the extremest of situations.
His trademark punches through the off-side (which had Dravid claiming , ''through the off-side, first there is God, then there is Sourav") will be missed, his characteristic jig down the track at the first sight of a spinner will be missed and his dismantling of the quickest bowlers in the world in manners never seen before will be missed as well. So will his fielding with only one serious competitor- Inzamam.
He will be remembered for introducing Sehwag Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Dhoni and Pathan to world cricket. He will also be remembered as the captain who got his bowlers to bowl straight by instating Rahul Dravi as wicketkeeper, for prolonging Jumbo's career but at the same time cutting down that of the Mysore Express. He defied logic by getting Sehwag to open in Test cricket; having specialist batsmen to bat at No.8 in one-day cricket; preferring Dinesh Mongia and Sanjay Bangar to Laxman in a World Cup squad; winning test matches in Australia, England and the West Indies and reaching a World Cup final with a side not having an all-rounder, a specialist fast bowler, a wicket-keeper or a wrist spinner.
My take on Dada doesn't match up to the intrigue of the man. A middle class Bengali with a beatiful celeb wife plus a comfortable livelihood, I beleive has got more to do with his downfall than anything else. At the end of it all, Sourav will look back at his career with the greatest tinge of regret. Greatness was always just a step away but for some strange reason, he always shunned that step trying to get the entire team there. I feel that there came a point in time when Dada got so engrossed about how his 'Men in Blue' were doing that he lost sight of the fact that he was a batsman blessed with great talent but weaknesses manifold and that the opposition would always come hard at him.
To crucify him for that would be unfair, for Sourav I thought, always looked at ways to get the most a bunch which was very limited in talent. Greg offered him a way out by offering him a way out of the captaincy and back to the nets but the proud middle class Bengali in him surfaced and he took it as a personal affront. Over the last few years, one couldn't but help get the feeling that Ganguly started overestimating his abilities as a batsman. His best efforts, be it in England or in the West Indies had been exercises in dogmatism, perseverance and determination more than the brutesque power, timing and lazy elegance that had always been his trademarks. When in the late 90's he was the most realiable outfielder and slipsman, here he was- an embarassment to modern day athleticism. When he was a safe bet as third seamer in the late 90's with match-winning spells in the longer format, here he was, trying to match Kumble on the speed gun.
Ganguly, for me, will have to go down in history books, as the captain who transformed the way India played cricket and how the world looked at India as a cricketing nation; the finest Indian left-hand batsman; the best all rounder India has seen in one day cricket after Kapil and Sachin; a fierce competitor who hated losing and instilled pride, aggression and respect in Indian cricket. Gone were the quota systems and the laidback approach that had been the bane of Indian cricket.
On a global stage, I beleive, Dada will be put in the bracket of the Flemings and Gowers in terms of batsmanship, undoubted ability with brilliance in spurts whenever one doubted, lazy elegance and a blessed sense of timing. I do beleive that Sourav had more weaknesses than the other two; both were fine players of the short-pitched stuff and equally comfortable off their legs, but just the fact that Sourav got there is a tribute to his mental strength and dogmatism.
As for the World Cup, my call is that Dada will have a pretty barren spell. A string of low scores with a gem or two interspersed in between might not be the best way for 'The Prince' to bid adieu to 'his' stage, but it would be so unlike the man and his career if he went out as per his whims. Sourav has had his opportunities but he has never been able to chart his own course or destiny.
That is how history will define him- a great captain and a damn good cricketer.
The ephemeral Yorkshirean still calls him the "Bengal Tiger" or the "Prince who could smash spinners out of the park with my grandma's broomstick". Shane Warne and Steve Waugh remember him as "an irritant" who had the audacity to look the Aussies into the eye and keep people waiting at the toss. Freddie Flintoff calls him a "royal" who never practised and took cricket as a pastime but would still celebrate (showing off a muscular frame) as if he had won matches on his own. In the eastern parts of India, he is God and held on the same pedestal as Durga. In any dressing room, he is called Dada with a mixture of respect, envy and intrigue.
Fascinating!
No person has captivated the public conscience in recent times for his methods and actions as much as Sourav Chandidas Ganguly has. Not even Shane Warne. When you do a personality check with Warney, you wonder about this fuss. This guy doesn't smoke, neither does he get watered down and create trouble at places, nor does he get hooked up with all handsome looking females that he comes across. But the cynosure of all eyes nevertheless!
His roll of honour includes over 15000 international runs, 150 international wickets and100 international catches. But one suspects that Sourav Ganguly will be remembered more for his bare-chested celebrations, his verbal ding-dongs with the Aussies, his ability to infuriate the opposition, his perceived 'rudeness' to the Srinaths (At a crucial moment in the Trinidad test, he was caught by cameras gesticulating to Srinath besides abusing him), for thinking that Kumble was a good option as 12th man, for his candidness but at the same time his remarkable ability in not getting bogged down even under the extremest of situations.
His trademark punches through the off-side (which had Dravid claiming , ''through the off-side, first there is God, then there is Sourav") will be missed, his characteristic jig down the track at the first sight of a spinner will be missed and his dismantling of the quickest bowlers in the world in manners never seen before will be missed as well. So will his fielding with only one serious competitor- Inzamam.
He will be remembered for introducing Sehwag Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Dhoni and Pathan to world cricket. He will also be remembered as the captain who got his bowlers to bowl straight by instating Rahul Dravi as wicketkeeper, for prolonging Jumbo's career but at the same time cutting down that of the Mysore Express. He defied logic by getting Sehwag to open in Test cricket; having specialist batsmen to bat at No.8 in one-day cricket; preferring Dinesh Mongia and Sanjay Bangar to Laxman in a World Cup squad; winning test matches in Australia, England and the West Indies and reaching a World Cup final with a side not having an all-rounder, a specialist fast bowler, a wicket-keeper or a wrist spinner.
My take on Dada doesn't match up to the intrigue of the man. A middle class Bengali with a beatiful celeb wife plus a comfortable livelihood, I beleive has got more to do with his downfall than anything else. At the end of it all, Sourav will look back at his career with the greatest tinge of regret. Greatness was always just a step away but for some strange reason, he always shunned that step trying to get the entire team there. I feel that there came a point in time when Dada got so engrossed about how his 'Men in Blue' were doing that he lost sight of the fact that he was a batsman blessed with great talent but weaknesses manifold and that the opposition would always come hard at him.
To crucify him for that would be unfair, for Sourav I thought, always looked at ways to get the most a bunch which was very limited in talent. Greg offered him a way out by offering him a way out of the captaincy and back to the nets but the proud middle class Bengali in him surfaced and he took it as a personal affront. Over the last few years, one couldn't but help get the feeling that Ganguly started overestimating his abilities as a batsman. His best efforts, be it in England or in the West Indies had been exercises in dogmatism, perseverance and determination more than the brutesque power, timing and lazy elegance that had always been his trademarks. When in the late 90's he was the most realiable outfielder and slipsman, here he was- an embarassment to modern day athleticism. When he was a safe bet as third seamer in the late 90's with match-winning spells in the longer format, here he was, trying to match Kumble on the speed gun.
Ganguly, for me, will have to go down in history books, as the captain who transformed the way India played cricket and how the world looked at India as a cricketing nation; the finest Indian left-hand batsman; the best all rounder India has seen in one day cricket after Kapil and Sachin; a fierce competitor who hated losing and instilled pride, aggression and respect in Indian cricket. Gone were the quota systems and the laidback approach that had been the bane of Indian cricket.
On a global stage, I beleive, Dada will be put in the bracket of the Flemings and Gowers in terms of batsmanship, undoubted ability with brilliance in spurts whenever one doubted, lazy elegance and a blessed sense of timing. I do beleive that Sourav had more weaknesses than the other two; both were fine players of the short-pitched stuff and equally comfortable off their legs, but just the fact that Sourav got there is a tribute to his mental strength and dogmatism.
As for the World Cup, my call is that Dada will have a pretty barren spell. A string of low scores with a gem or two interspersed in between might not be the best way for 'The Prince' to bid adieu to 'his' stage, but it would be so unlike the man and his career if he went out as per his whims. Sourav has had his opportunities but he has never been able to chart his own course or destiny.
That is how history will define him- a great captain and a damn good cricketer.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Ode to Team Opulence
"All the world's a stage and........." - William Shakespeare
The wonderful thing about life is that it compels man to be content with just a bit part in this global theatre. The more you try and do it all yourself, the more lonely and cornered you become.
Opulence 2007 was probably one such story. The story of a failed division of labour where everything which encompassed the crux of the fest- celebrities, marketing, design, event management and even putting up of publicity paraphernalia was handled by a very limited group of quality-oriented workaholics.
"Quality in everything" had been our motto right from day one. It might have just proved to be our undoing, for by the end, there was nobody managing the fest; all were working for it.
The team that worked for us was an interesting one. A mix of some of the nicest guys and girls you could ever come across (I just cannot beleive how a group could have so many like-minded individuals). Be it boozing out two days before the fest or attending classes on the morning of the fest or even behaving like a set of the most irresponsible brats, I beleive there was never a word spoken to them in anger. There were pleas, requests, orders and so on.... but never anything derogatory. All negative sentiments would be would be wonderfully suppressed and the only avenue for giving vent to all the pent up emotion would invariably be within the confines of our room. In hindsight, that was wonderfully orchestrated.
How frustrating can it get than being forced to go to the booking office when Prahlad Kakar was sending the house in raptures or to go to see off celebrities when somebody else for whom you had worked your ass off was holding centrestage. It is a pity when you work hard all year to put something in place and you don't get to see even a tiny part of it sans the valedictory! I am not the only one awaiting the Opulence videos to see how it all went. Justice can sometimes be cruel in its ways of implementation!
Digressing as I am, it is probably because I am just a bit overcome with emotion. The strange thing about our team is that we somehow were never able to muster up enough and tell the co-ordinators, "the fest is all yours", and leave it all to them.
I still recall how we used to go and put up posters for we thought that the team under us might be too tired. Mistaken priorities!
As careless, irresponsible and 'mischievous' as they have been all along, I still envy some of the IInd yearites for the talent and potential that exists there. 'Tactitude' and 'Brand Aid' were two events whose conceptualization was first-class and as an impassive novice, feel, challenged the thought process no ends. The amount of quality, passion and desire that the Ankits, Parikshits, Vigneshs, Rahuls, Gauravs and Chagganis of this world possess is tremendous. But the issue all along was whether they were able to buy into our vision and commitment?
I am also grateful to all my event team members. Vineet & Anshul surprised me pleasantly with the push that they had to get more participation for Manthan; Nimit & Deepak in Cognoscenti were no less enterprising; so were the Vibhores, Amits & Anshumans in Ventura. Saurabh, Kshitij and Prativesh were the go to guys whenever a need arose.
Adiosyncrasy has been the soul of Opulence in all its three editions for we have never failed in getting the best ad-makers. I could never quite gauge the Bhoopendras, Paliwals, Sonis and Sonals but one incident that happened during the course of Opulence would suffice for them.
Prahlad Kakar kept gazing at the wall mags and admired its beauty. That from the greatest. Kudos to you!
It is a bit strange that only the convenor gets an opportunity to become emotional during the valedictory. Opulence 2007 has been all the more richer for all these wonderful people and all I can say is .....Thanks a ton!!
P.S. The number of exclamation marks are suggestive.
The wonderful thing about life is that it compels man to be content with just a bit part in this global theatre. The more you try and do it all yourself, the more lonely and cornered you become.
Opulence 2007 was probably one such story. The story of a failed division of labour where everything which encompassed the crux of the fest- celebrities, marketing, design, event management and even putting up of publicity paraphernalia was handled by a very limited group of quality-oriented workaholics.
"Quality in everything" had been our motto right from day one. It might have just proved to be our undoing, for by the end, there was nobody managing the fest; all were working for it.
The team that worked for us was an interesting one. A mix of some of the nicest guys and girls you could ever come across (I just cannot beleive how a group could have so many like-minded individuals). Be it boozing out two days before the fest or attending classes on the morning of the fest or even behaving like a set of the most irresponsible brats, I beleive there was never a word spoken to them in anger. There were pleas, requests, orders and so on.... but never anything derogatory. All negative sentiments would be would be wonderfully suppressed and the only avenue for giving vent to all the pent up emotion would invariably be within the confines of our room. In hindsight, that was wonderfully orchestrated.
How frustrating can it get than being forced to go to the booking office when Prahlad Kakar was sending the house in raptures or to go to see off celebrities when somebody else for whom you had worked your ass off was holding centrestage. It is a pity when you work hard all year to put something in place and you don't get to see even a tiny part of it sans the valedictory! I am not the only one awaiting the Opulence videos to see how it all went. Justice can sometimes be cruel in its ways of implementation!
Digressing as I am, it is probably because I am just a bit overcome with emotion. The strange thing about our team is that we somehow were never able to muster up enough and tell the co-ordinators, "the fest is all yours", and leave it all to them.
I still recall how we used to go and put up posters for we thought that the team under us might be too tired. Mistaken priorities!
As careless, irresponsible and 'mischievous' as they have been all along, I still envy some of the IInd yearites for the talent and potential that exists there. 'Tactitude' and 'Brand Aid' were two events whose conceptualization was first-class and as an impassive novice, feel, challenged the thought process no ends. The amount of quality, passion and desire that the Ankits, Parikshits, Vigneshs, Rahuls, Gauravs and Chagganis of this world possess is tremendous. But the issue all along was whether they were able to buy into our vision and commitment?
I am also grateful to all my event team members. Vineet & Anshul surprised me pleasantly with the push that they had to get more participation for Manthan; Nimit & Deepak in Cognoscenti were no less enterprising; so were the Vibhores, Amits & Anshumans in Ventura. Saurabh, Kshitij and Prativesh were the go to guys whenever a need arose.
Adiosyncrasy has been the soul of Opulence in all its three editions for we have never failed in getting the best ad-makers. I could never quite gauge the Bhoopendras, Paliwals, Sonis and Sonals but one incident that happened during the course of Opulence would suffice for them.
Prahlad Kakar kept gazing at the wall mags and admired its beauty. That from the greatest. Kudos to you!
It is a bit strange that only the convenor gets an opportunity to become emotional during the valedictory. Opulence 2007 has been all the more richer for all these wonderful people and all I can say is .....Thanks a ton!!
P.S. The number of exclamation marks are suggestive.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Thanks a Ton!!!
I feel tired, exhausted, worn out and whatever else you could associate with a state of mind where you just want to sit all day reminiscing with a sense of nostalgia at all good things past. January 15th had to arrive one day and even though I had been looking forward to the weekend with considerable eagerness for over a year, I couldn't help but feel that pang of disappointment when it finally came and went.
Opulence 2007 was the result of a year's work and though that might sound immodest, it was precisely a year back that Mr. Con (Vik) called me into his room and introduced me to two handsome hunks- Mr. Cool (Ash) and Mr. Smart ( Ravs). For a second, I was left wondering whether there was an audition of some sort taking place and it left me flabbergasted when I was told that Mr. Cool and Mr. Smart would be part of the core team for Opulence 2007. Here were two guys, admittedly handsome, but what were they doing in a fest core committee? Two guys who were not necessarily amongst the spotlight in IT (my skewed viewpoint about things) and whom I didn't even know inspite of having worked together in the last edition.
I have had no illusions since that second.
Mr. Smart has intrigued me right from Day One. Here, I thought was a brain to be picked with just the right mix of pragmatism and vision for a none too flamboyant person like me. Here was somebody in whom I could see a bit of myself. Searching for an identity initially, Ravs left me stumped with his observations, insights and plans ....His professionalism and efficiency was unmatched at any point of time throughout the whole team and his handling of resources (something I think of as one of my few strengths) was exemplary. His schedules were the only ones that were adhered to during the entire period and towards the end his dedication, single-mindedness and commitment to meet deadlines was something to be wondered at. He sometimes frustrated you with an inhuman stoniness once a marketing deal was clinched or a celeb was confirmed but talk of girls...and entertainment....there was that all too familiar blush and energy. Opulence, I believe took the greatest toll on him for towards the end you could see him giving it his all with his mind wandering somewhere else ( I wonder...). Mr. Smart grew in stature the most during Opulence. His confidence in testing unchartered waters was striking but he never seemed to lose focus about his career and the larger picture throughout. His sense of helplessness towards the end at some very lethargic work being done by those under him was something that only amused me. Maybe, he could get involved in the dynamics of the rest of the team but Mr. Smart, I believe is very versatile and fairly talented and I wouldn't be surprised if our courses meet.
Now talk of commitment, work ethic and sacrifice, Mr. Cool would win any contest hands down. From marketing co-ordinator to celebrities, logistics to hospitality and anything else that would make anybody despair, Mr. Cool was there for you. The thing that stood out about Ash was the extravagance, pomp and fun that he brought to the table with anything that he did. Over the course of a year, I can not recall Ash losing his cool. Yes, there were the occasional "F*** Yaar"s but they were outnumbered comprehensively by the "Mast Kaam"s and "Phodu Bandha" s. I have been trying hard to convince him that he could make a great entertainer with the general poise and panache that he possesses. I felt sorry for Ash towards the end for he had put in his all for a year and he had been forced to put in more during the three days which mattered. If anybody deserved to take the first row during the Kakar workshop with feet up and at the end of it all say "Kya Phodu Bandha Hai Yaar", it was Mr. Ash. But true to form, he would be at the station or the airport awaiting some team or celebrity without any sense of time. If I were to be asked about Mr. Ash, doing what he enjoys doing is the way forward for him. Any assignment involving travel, adventure and quality and I sort of know who is going to do best. Mr. Cool could do with a bit more confidence but his commitment and dedication is going to make him the loved one.
And finally Mr. Con. I would rather be critical of him for that would save my time and give my blog some space to put up something more interesting. If I were to be part of an oganisation that was on the lookout for a leader, I would have a very easy task of telling them where to look for. Energy, Vision, Principles, Fundamentals, Articulation, Tech-Saviness, Aesthetic Appeal, Commitment, Dedication, Passion were some of the very few qualities that I could find in him. But, the two things that really stood apart about him were his abilities to think on his feet and the efficiency that was part of his 16-hour work days. His mind never seemed to get exhausted even if his body did and his brain which kept churning constantly was responsible for most of what was put together during Opulence 2007. Be it H.R, marketing, micro-management and creating 'hypes', his clock was always ticking. We might have staged a hugely successful 'Big Fight' with the MBA issue being hotly debated but through Mr. Con, I can see why the course was designed in the first place. Mr. Con made it a point to relax everybody whenever the team was at its lowest ebb. He did this so passionately and unerringly that I often got the impression that he had noted this down somewhere.
The only issue that I had with Mr. Con was that he gave his gut feeling too much importance. Sometimes, the entire world was scheming against him as well as Opulence and on other occassions it was the usual "no money, no participation and no celebrities" refrain. Yes, there were incidents to justify the approach but maybe such things could take a backseat when the quality of your fest is at stake. We live in an all embracing world and maybe, just maybe, there are larger things in life. Towards the end, I sympathised with him for I got the feeling that he had beem trying to use the best principles of corporate management in whatever he had been trying to do. Whether these need to be used in a college festival is a totally different question altogether. There are some people who like to perform routine and demeaning jobs, some have to be kicked on the back all the time and very few 1st yearites can feel good about sticking posters.
And here I am doing what I am best at. Calling myself a part of the core committee; not having done a thing through the fest and the passing judgement about how everybody worked. That is the adidas addict for you! How the festival went and how well we worked I guess is upto posterity but if there was one thing that I would carry back from Opulence 2007, it is the mates that I have made- Mr. Smart and Mr. Cool. I thought that my friends from school would never be rivalled but I can say without an iota of a doubt that I have been mistaken. How I wish that we could spend our entire lives the way we have spent the last year! Thanks a lot, guys! Thanks a ton!
Opulence 2007 was the result of a year's work and though that might sound immodest, it was precisely a year back that Mr. Con (Vik) called me into his room and introduced me to two handsome hunks- Mr. Cool (Ash) and Mr. Smart ( Ravs). For a second, I was left wondering whether there was an audition of some sort taking place and it left me flabbergasted when I was told that Mr. Cool and Mr. Smart would be part of the core team for Opulence 2007. Here were two guys, admittedly handsome, but what were they doing in a fest core committee? Two guys who were not necessarily amongst the spotlight in IT (my skewed viewpoint about things) and whom I didn't even know inspite of having worked together in the last edition.
I have had no illusions since that second.
Mr. Smart has intrigued me right from Day One. Here, I thought was a brain to be picked with just the right mix of pragmatism and vision for a none too flamboyant person like me. Here was somebody in whom I could see a bit of myself. Searching for an identity initially, Ravs left me stumped with his observations, insights and plans ....His professionalism and efficiency was unmatched at any point of time throughout the whole team and his handling of resources (something I think of as one of my few strengths) was exemplary. His schedules were the only ones that were adhered to during the entire period and towards the end his dedication, single-mindedness and commitment to meet deadlines was something to be wondered at. He sometimes frustrated you with an inhuman stoniness once a marketing deal was clinched or a celeb was confirmed but talk of girls...and entertainment....there was that all too familiar blush and energy. Opulence, I believe took the greatest toll on him for towards the end you could see him giving it his all with his mind wandering somewhere else ( I wonder...). Mr. Smart grew in stature the most during Opulence. His confidence in testing unchartered waters was striking but he never seemed to lose focus about his career and the larger picture throughout. His sense of helplessness towards the end at some very lethargic work being done by those under him was something that only amused me. Maybe, he could get involved in the dynamics of the rest of the team but Mr. Smart, I believe is very versatile and fairly talented and I wouldn't be surprised if our courses meet.
Now talk of commitment, work ethic and sacrifice, Mr. Cool would win any contest hands down. From marketing co-ordinator to celebrities, logistics to hospitality and anything else that would make anybody despair, Mr. Cool was there for you. The thing that stood out about Ash was the extravagance, pomp and fun that he brought to the table with anything that he did. Over the course of a year, I can not recall Ash losing his cool. Yes, there were the occasional "F*** Yaar"s but they were outnumbered comprehensively by the "Mast Kaam"s and "Phodu Bandha" s. I have been trying hard to convince him that he could make a great entertainer with the general poise and panache that he possesses. I felt sorry for Ash towards the end for he had put in his all for a year and he had been forced to put in more during the three days which mattered. If anybody deserved to take the first row during the Kakar workshop with feet up and at the end of it all say "Kya Phodu Bandha Hai Yaar", it was Mr. Ash. But true to form, he would be at the station or the airport awaiting some team or celebrity without any sense of time. If I were to be asked about Mr. Ash, doing what he enjoys doing is the way forward for him. Any assignment involving travel, adventure and quality and I sort of know who is going to do best. Mr. Cool could do with a bit more confidence but his commitment and dedication is going to make him the loved one.
And finally Mr. Con. I would rather be critical of him for that would save my time and give my blog some space to put up something more interesting. If I were to be part of an oganisation that was on the lookout for a leader, I would have a very easy task of telling them where to look for. Energy, Vision, Principles, Fundamentals, Articulation, Tech-Saviness, Aesthetic Appeal, Commitment, Dedication, Passion were some of the very few qualities that I could find in him. But, the two things that really stood apart about him were his abilities to think on his feet and the efficiency that was part of his 16-hour work days. His mind never seemed to get exhausted even if his body did and his brain which kept churning constantly was responsible for most of what was put together during Opulence 2007. Be it H.R, marketing, micro-management and creating 'hypes', his clock was always ticking. We might have staged a hugely successful 'Big Fight' with the MBA issue being hotly debated but through Mr. Con, I can see why the course was designed in the first place. Mr. Con made it a point to relax everybody whenever the team was at its lowest ebb. He did this so passionately and unerringly that I often got the impression that he had noted this down somewhere.
The only issue that I had with Mr. Con was that he gave his gut feeling too much importance. Sometimes, the entire world was scheming against him as well as Opulence and on other occassions it was the usual "no money, no participation and no celebrities" refrain. Yes, there were incidents to justify the approach but maybe such things could take a backseat when the quality of your fest is at stake. We live in an all embracing world and maybe, just maybe, there are larger things in life. Towards the end, I sympathised with him for I got the feeling that he had beem trying to use the best principles of corporate management in whatever he had been trying to do. Whether these need to be used in a college festival is a totally different question altogether. There are some people who like to perform routine and demeaning jobs, some have to be kicked on the back all the time and very few 1st yearites can feel good about sticking posters.
And here I am doing what I am best at. Calling myself a part of the core committee; not having done a thing through the fest and the passing judgement about how everybody worked. That is the adidas addict for you! How the festival went and how well we worked I guess is upto posterity but if there was one thing that I would carry back from Opulence 2007, it is the mates that I have made- Mr. Smart and Mr. Cool. I thought that my friends from school would never be rivalled but I can say without an iota of a doubt that I have been mistaken. How I wish that we could spend our entire lives the way we have spent the last year! Thanks a lot, guys! Thanks a ton!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
LIVER 'pool' ed
What a month that was? Oft used to describe a month that passed by rapidly, I could come across nothing else to capture the worst month of my life in a nutshell. I have often heard about ups and downs being a part of life and experienced it too, but it has always struck me as being something too trivial. It was a month I had been looking forward to for a year because birthdays come just once a year and I was to finally get rid of the immaturity associated with teenhood. The start of the English Premier League season and the prospect of getting back behind
August 1: My uncle comes to
August 2-16: Life passes off as usual with time passing off quickly even with my doing nothing. Classes, sleeping and browsing take up most of the time. Have numerous meetings to give our management festival 'OPULENCE' some shape. Put the final touches to a pretty lousy brochure but am still satisfied. At least some work done. Behave like a stupid 'professional' politician in refusing to give up my post of TPR. Feel gung-ho about it. Try in vain to get some other TPRs elected to assist me in this crucial month. Miss another 3 classes due to general laziness.
August 17: Get my training set up. Am quite happy for that is a major headache out of the way and I get paid as well. Miss 7 classes having to involve myself in what was supposed to be a tough selection procedure but in the end turns out to be quite biased. My classmates exercise their legs and try desperately to get some leather off their slippers when I return with promises to repeat the process over the next few days. What a weird world! My body pains as I go to sleep.
August 19: Opulence general body meeting takes place. Am excited at the way the meeting proceeds and also at the response. Eat heavily in the afternoon as a consequence. Wake up at night feeling uneasy. Decide to take a fast at night despite having been a very profitable Saturday.
August 21: It is my birthday and my classmates repeat the entire exercising process very extensively for around an hour just as the day dawns. Go to sleep once again with pain, wondering. Bathe for the second time in the morning this semester before going to class. Sport a new T-shirt and get back in the afternoon buzzing. Plans have already been set up by my classmates on my treating them at the TAJ that night. Withdraw money after sending my parents unconscious. Feel uneasy in the evening but still drag myself to the temple. Get a fever and dinner is off. I thus save some money or so I think.
Read on below….
LIVER 'pool' ed contd......
A prosperous month continues....
August 22: Wake up feeling terrible. Think it might be the after effects of deficient sleep over the past week. Go to class. One of my friends detects a tinge of yellow in my eyes which no one else can. Ridicule him with a tinge of fear within. Go to the doctor after class who assures me that it isn't a case of jaundice but still asks me to test for it. Get tested and go back relieved. Feel weak the whole day. Go to collect the results wearing shorts. The results reveal that I have substantial jaundice. The bilirubin levels are 3.6 with the normal limit being 0.8 and SGPT levels are 15000 with the normal levels being 50. I abuse for the 5th time during the day and change into lowers. Call my parents up who want me to leave immediately for my uncle's house in Delhi. (My parents being in Trivandrum, it would have probably taken me the rest of the month to get there). Board the Rajdhani that night courtesy the real wonderful friends I have got who display admirable selflesness. Am forced to run the entire station to catch the train, not advisable for a jaundice patient.
The next month is spent without oil, fat, salt, spices, sweets.....the list is too long. Mineral water, papayas, coconut water, glucose and a very very restricted diet has left me shrivelled and completely worn out mentally and physically. How do you spend a month with no books and television for they strain your eyes just lying on a cot thinking of life's glorious uncertainities? My bilirubin levels still conspired to rise till 14 which sent my doctor getting me to scan my liver in search of stones or cysts. Besides, my fitness conscious classmates had ensured a bent tailbone with appreciable swelling. What worse for a person needing bedrest than be unable to lie down upright or sit down? Things got to such a state that I was pretty much willing the levels down. All my shirts bore a familiar look of yellow. To make matters worse, my friends were reminding me about my attendance, missed tests, missed classes,missed whatever; Liverpool lost to Everton, Chelsea and only managed to draw with PSV; India finished 11th at the hockey World cup; Sania lost in the 2nd round at the US Open; India's cricket team was losing; the management fest was losing (so the convener says though I refuse to believe that my absence can affect anything) and all the plans that I had with regards to training remained just that. I had lost count of the number of classes missed when I returned on September 20th though I reckon my current attendance is around 55%. My Professors have already asked me to get it to 70% if I need to have a shot at writing the exams. How very assuring for a person who is mentally and physiaclly worn out, whose last checked bilirubin levels were 4.1 a week back, who no longer wants to take tests for there might be insufficient blood and who has been forced to return and attend classes just because of the attendance mess! I have forgotten how buttter tastes; the tastiest thing I have is mineral water and being still confined to bed in the hostel unsure as to whether I will be able to write the end semester exams and pass this year can't necessarily be described as the best state of mind to get into. The academic backlog of a month in what is supposed to be our toughest semester not withstanding, things are looking up. Liverpool have won against Newcastle and Tottenham; Sania Mirza won 3 matches in a row; India won a cricket match; Opulence work is proceeding; a fresh set of plans have been hatched to improve the training scenario courtesy 3 more TPRs to accompany me; and I am attending classes. Do reckon that I am due for a bit of luck and good fortune and a few comments for my posts would not be a bad way to start. But I still need to do something like 140 consecutive classes to get my attendance back on track, I am still agnostic and all the jaundice expenses have eaten into all that money that I had .....
August 22: Wake up feeling terrible. Think it might be the after effects of deficient sleep over the past week. Go to class. One of my friends detects a tinge of yellow in my eyes which no one else can. Ridicule him with a tinge of fear within. Go to the doctor after class who assures me that it isn't a case of jaundice but still asks me to test for it. Get tested and go back relieved. Feel weak the whole day. Go to collect the results wearing shorts. The results reveal that I have substantial jaundice. The bilirubin levels are 3.6 with the normal limit being 0.8 and SGPT levels are 15000 with the normal levels being 50. I abuse for the 5th time during the day and change into lowers. Call my parents up who want me to leave immediately for my uncle's house in Delhi. (My parents being in Trivandrum, it would have probably taken me the rest of the month to get there). Board the Rajdhani that night courtesy the real wonderful friends I have got who display admirable selflesness. Am forced to run the entire station to catch the train, not advisable for a jaundice patient.
The next month is spent without oil, fat, salt, spices, sweets.....the list is too long. Mineral water, papayas, coconut water, glucose and a very very restricted diet has left me shrivelled and completely worn out mentally and physically. How do you spend a month with no books and television for they strain your eyes just lying on a cot thinking of life's glorious uncertainities? My bilirubin levels still conspired to rise till 14 which sent my doctor getting me to scan my liver in search of stones or cysts. Besides, my fitness conscious classmates had ensured a bent tailbone with appreciable swelling. What worse for a person needing bedrest than be unable to lie down upright or sit down? Things got to such a state that I was pretty much willing the levels down. All my shirts bore a familiar look of yellow. To make matters worse, my friends were reminding me about my attendance, missed tests, missed classes,missed whatever; Liverpool lost to Everton, Chelsea and only managed to draw with PSV; India finished 11th at the hockey World cup; Sania lost in the 2nd round at the US Open; India's cricket team was losing; the management fest was losing (so the convener says though I refuse to believe that my absence can affect anything) and all the plans that I had with regards to training remained just that. I had lost count of the number of classes missed when I returned on September 20th though I reckon my current attendance is around 55%. My Professors have already asked me to get it to 70% if I need to have a shot at writing the exams. How very assuring for a person who is mentally and physiaclly worn out, whose last checked bilirubin levels were 4.1 a week back, who no longer wants to take tests for there might be insufficient blood and who has been forced to return and attend classes just because of the attendance mess! I have forgotten how buttter tastes; the tastiest thing I have is mineral water and being still confined to bed in the hostel unsure as to whether I will be able to write the end semester exams and pass this year can't necessarily be described as the best state of mind to get into. The academic backlog of a month in what is supposed to be our toughest semester not withstanding, things are looking up. Liverpool have won against Newcastle and Tottenham; Sania Mirza won 3 matches in a row; India won a cricket match; Opulence work is proceeding; a fresh set of plans have been hatched to improve the training scenario courtesy 3 more TPRs to accompany me; and I am attending classes. Do reckon that I am due for a bit of luck and good fortune and a few comments for my posts would not be a bad way to start. But I still need to do something like 140 consecutive classes to get my attendance back on track, I am still agnostic and all the jaundice expenses have eaten into all that money that I had .....
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Delusion that is…..Contd.
So, why this rather strange title to go for this blog ? After all, what is so delusory about the Brazilians ? Aren’t they the innocent group of individuals who believe in the philosophy of ‘Joga Bonito?’ It is this issue of perceptions that I would like to deal with in this post. Personally, I am not one who used to believe in using stats and numbers to my advantage. I was at best a very hesitant follower of history, something my quizzing credentials would not quite stand testimony to. In fact, I loathed statistics and believed it was a creation of the media to bore people. This was until I got across this book, Freakonomics by a ‘mad’ economist as Stephen .D. Levitt describes himself. A book that I would instantly recommend to everybody, Stephen did a damn good job of convincing me about the power of statistics and numbers. From someone who had the ‘bikini’ approach (as the MP Sardar would put it) towards numbers, I have started believing in using Levitt’s simple philosophy of asking the most ridiculous questions to challenge the age-old perceptions. If Levitt could ask whether a gun is actually more dangerous than a swimming pool or whether money does win elections as is perception and prove them to be convincingly wrong; surely there is scope for this question to put forward: ‘Are Brazil an attacking side after all ?’ In retrospective, are
It would be only fair to say that till the 1980’s
For sake of comparison, let us put in the Azzuri and the Nazis (oops 50$ down the drain)- perceived to be the two most boring sides in football with tactics based more on strength and unity than technicality and flair. Brazil came to the 90’ WC with what is widely accepted as its worst side in modern times- another of those conspiracy theories for they said that about their teams in ’94,’98 and’02. This is a classical case of ‘conventional wisdom’ and perception not quite in collusion as John Kenneth Galbraith would put it for if you were the worst side, how could you be the most entertaining one? And mind you, in all these tournaments
Put in arguably the easiest group in’90 along with
Fast forward to ’94,
Now to ’98 when Ronaldo and Rivaldo graced the WC stage for the first time joining the still potent Bebeto alongside the ‘magic’ Denilson.
Finally to ’02 when all the speculation was surrounding Ronaldo who after the mystery final in ’98, was making an appearance in a WC after a season plagued by injury.
’06, Germany has been similar in the sense that they have progressively got better scoring 7 goals in all ( as of now) in the group stages conceding just once.
So, where does this leave us with? The tally, skeptics might argue is certainly impressive. It certainly is. But the point that has been missed is that
It is this same aura of invincibility surrounding their defence that seems to be existing within the team that I believe will prove to be the undoing of the Samba boys. Cafu and Robert Carlos are not in the same league anymore and
Delusion that is the Samba Boys
If you were to hear about
Life does come to a standstill literally. Government timings have been changed, television sets have been installed in prisons for fear of riots and special channels have been established to provide the most in-depth coverage to its citizens. But for them it is only the World Cup matters. Defeat in the final is considered to be a national catastrophe as the 0-3 defeat to
The primary reason that the Samba Boys enjoy such backing throughout the globe is because of the attacking flair they have possessed over the years. No other nation has captivated and left audiences spellbound with their riveting style of play as much as
1930,
The first World Cup resembled a carnival in that all those who wished could play at the finals. This was probably the only Brazilian squad that went to a WC finals without any stars. Characterized by regional imbalance- all but one member of the squad hailed from 
The team (line-up in the first match, againstYugoslavia): Joel; Brilhante and Itália; Hermógenes, Fausto and Fernando; Poly, Nilo, Araken, Preguinho (C) and Teóphilo.
Reserves: Velloso (G), Zé Luiz, Oscarino, Benevenuto, Ivan Mariz, Fortes,
Coach: Píndaro de Carvalho.
Going into the sub zero temperatures of
The team: Pedrosa, Sylvio Hoffman, Luiz Luz; Tinoco, Martim (C), Canalli; Luisinho, Waldemar de Brito, Armandinho, Leônidas, Patesko.
Bureaucratic hassles ensured that
1938,
The team (line-up in the first match, against
1938 represented the first time that
Leônidas was one of the best Brazilian players of all time. He was the inventor of that difficult movement called bicycle. Leônidas was the main striker of the 1938 Cup, with seven goals. Because of his talent and the fact that he was one of the first black men to bright in a World Cup, French media called him "Diamant Noir", or "Black Diamond" in English, or "Diamante Negro", as he became known in Brazil. Leônidas knew how to use his color. There are records that, when he scored the last goal against
1950,
The team (line-up in the first match, against
World Cup football returned after the war enforced break and the Brazilians came into the tournament as favourites. Da Silva was 12 years older but was still playing professionally. The backbone of the Brazilian team comprised of Barbosa (considered, along with Gilmar, who was champion in 1958 and 1962, one of the best Brazilian goalkeepers of all time), the captain Augusto and the forward Ademir de Menezes, who would score nine goals to become the striker of the Cup. Besides, Brazil still had Jair da Rosa Pinto, skin and refined, and Zizinho, who happens to be the declared idol of Pelé, when the King was young (Zizinho did not play the first two matches in the Cup only because he was recovering from an injury).
Ademir de Menezes, Barbosa, Zizinho
1954,
Line-up in the match against
Djalma Santos, Brandãozinho, Nilton Santos, Pinheiro,
Mario Américo (masseur), Castilho and Bauer;
Julinho, Didi, Baltazar, Pinga and Rodrigues.
Known as the man who shut up Maracana after 1954, Julinho moved to Fiorentina, Italy, and was fundamental for the team to conquer their first scudetto, in 1955/56; Julinho was invited to play the 1958 Cup, but refused, honestly saying that someone playing in Brazil deserved the chance; he came back to Palmeiras -and the Brazilian team - in 1959; in a match in Maracanã, Julinho was announced as substitute of Garrincha; 150,000 people booed Julinho as he entered the field; Julinho scored the first Brazilian goal in five minutes; he served for the second goal, as was the player of the match; in the end, the entire Maracanã stood up to applaud Julinho.
1958,
The line-up in the first match, against
De Sordi, Dino Sani, Bellini, Nilton Santos, Orlando and Gilmar;
M. Américo, Joel, Didi, Mazzola, Vavá and Zagallo.
Reserves: Castilho (G), Djalma Santos, Mauro, Zózimo, Oreco, Zito, Pelé, Dino Sani, Moacir, Dida and Pepe.
Coach: Vicente Feola.
In the build up to the tournament it was widely believed that
Why was Pele given # 10? In 1958, the numbers in the uniforms would be defined by the respective comissions, and would remain unchanged through the tournament. The Brazilian Comission, however, overlooked this norm. The Swedish comissioner, rushed before the first Brazilian match, decided to assign numbers by himself.
Pelé, the youngest and probably least known of all players, was given the #10. This is one of the mystical stories which surround the career of Pelé.
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