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So as you can see, when India and Pakistan clash, its intense. Pretty intense. And hence, the news of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) agreeing to a proposal by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play a bilateral series in December, was music to most cricket fans in the subcontinent. To most, though. Quite a few former players, including Indian great Sunil Gavaskar and Kirti Azad ??have come out strongly against this decision by the BCCI. Most of those who are against the series have two specific bones of contention:

1) This series comes right in the middle of England’s winter tour to India and hence will only tire out the Indian cricketers.

2) A strictly political reason :a lot of Indians believe Pakistan has still not cooperat??ed fully on brining the perpetrators of the ghastly ?26/11 attack on Mumbai, to justice.

For followers of the old a?dage:? politics and sports should be kept separate; there might be qualms of indignation. After all, why would you let issues like terrorism, security, safety enter the cricket field? Unfortunately, it is not as simplistic as that.

India and Pakistan are two countries who have so much history that when they clash, much of it bo??ils down on any sporting arena. It is just not possible for the countries ?to treat a clash with each other as just a mundane sporting event. The tension is too palpable.

It arises due to a complex history. The partition of India is probably the source, but the wars over Kashmir have also led to the animosity. I will not delve too much into the politics and intrica?cies. It is too easy to point fingers and believe the other country is responsible. Despite all the history, cricket has however helped to thaw relations, at times. Between 2001 and 2008, India and Pakistan toured each other quite a few times, helping to tone down the intensity of the clash.

Unfortunately, the 2008 Mumbai attacks led to a further breakdown of ties. And even four years later, that remains the main? stumbling block to the series going forward. A lot of Indian right-wing political parties do not believe India should cooperate with Pakistan in any way, till Pakistan takes appropriate steps in tackling terrorism, especially the perpetrators of the attack. They have warned to oppose any such resumption of India-Pakistan cricketing ties, thus farther casting a cloud on the series.

To be very honest, there is no easy solution. In the end, the issue is not simply a sporting one, it is political.?? And as we know, there are no easy answers in politics. There is the question of sentiment as well. Sentiments are still very high.

In the midst of all this, spare a thought for the players. They cannot complain about the pressure on them, because quite frankly, they will be branded as ‘cowards’, by the notorious subcontinental media. On the other hand, this unbearable pressure to perform seems too much. There have been instances of the house of cricket players being stoned, in the event of a bad performance. Would anyone honestly want to play in these kind of pressure? In the end, these are just cricket players, not soldiers or diplomats.

For the viewers, it will be a pulsating experience, if it happens. But for the players? They’ll probably just want to get over with it as quickly as possible.

The Asia Cup in its 12th edition is a funny old tournament at its best and w??ill be probably be paid little attention to, by the rest of the cricket world. However, it gives cricket lovers a chance to see India and Pakistan clash, a rivalry enjoyed by every subcont?inental cricket fan. India have been the most successful team in the tournament, winning it five times, including the last time it was played in 2010.

So, how important is the tournament to ea??ch of the participants?

India – Dhoni and Co will heave a sigh of relief, tinged with tiredness. From the bounce and the hardness of Australia, they will finally be in the much more familiar slow, spinny environs of the subcontinent. Obviously, they would have loved to play in India, but Bangladesh is familiar enough. India will take the Asia Cup seriously, as it gives them the opportunity to bounce back immediately after their failure Down Under. A comprehensive sweep of the tournament would quieten all the noise about Dhoni?s inabilities as a captain, his rotation policies and his rifts with Sehwag/Gambhir. However, any slip-up and the reaction will be unforgivable. The 15th March clash with Pakistan will be vital; after all, in the subcontinent, “One does not simply lose against Pakistan…”

There have been a few shake-ups to the squad, Sehwag and Zaheer have been left out (supposedly Sehwag had asked?? for rest himself!), and it will be interesting to see their replacements. Manoj Tiwary and Ashok Dinda, both from Bengal, a??re considered fine, promising cricketers and should look to prove themselves in conditions much more similar to home.

Pakistan – The heady euphoria after the 3-0 whitewash over England is in danger of evaporating after the reverse whitewash in the ODI series. Misbah is now considered Pakistan’s best Test captain, but his captaincy is being questioned in the limited overs format. Like Dhoni, this will be another chance for Misbah to prove his credentials. However, Pakistan will have their task cut out against India and Sri Lanka, and will have to put in that extra yard. Their bowling as always is strong, in the capable hands of Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman. Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema are no less capable, if less experienced. Do not expect Ajmal and Rehamn to weave the same magic all over again this time, all the three other teams can plan spin much better than the English.

Pakistan have dropped Adnan Akmal and brought in Sarfraz Ahmad as the specialist keeper, a move that will ??take some load off Umar Akmal and will hopefully inspire ?this talented cricketer to play without inhibitions.

Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka journey to Bangladesh after coming close to beating the Aussies in their own den and taking the CB series home. On current form, they are probably the favourites to win the Asia Cup; however, they will have to want to guard against player burnout. Jayawardene’s captaincy in Australia has inspired one and one all, and there is a distinct consistency in his team, something missing from all the other teams. Dilshan, Jayawardane and Sangakarra are all in pretty good nick, and their new find, Dinesh Chandimal has already got cricket watchers declaring that he is among the most composed young batsman in world cricket. Lasith Malinga had just one bad day in the CB series where he got thrashed around the park by the new Indian vice-captain Virat Kohli, but, make no mistake, he still is among the finest death bowlers in the world.

In a move which must be lauded, Sri Lanka have decided to rest Herath, Welegedara and Prasad in preparation for their series against England, which starts ??immediately after the Asia Cup. Legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who takes his place, is a pretty unkno??wn quantity. Can he turn out to be another Ajantha Mendis?

Bangladesh – Bangladesh are in a very Pakistani situation, their chief selector, Akram Khan resigned in protest against the exclusion of talented but inconsistent left-hander Tamim Iqbal. According to Akram Khan, Tamim Iqbal had been included in the final squad, but the Bangladeshi Cricket Board president had stepped in and rejected his inclusion. Now after three days of drama, the board has suddenly retracted from its stand and re-inserted Tamim in the squad. Internal policy matters be damned, such infighting among the board can only have a negative effect on any team, let alone, on-paper the weakest team in the competition.

Despite their growth as a cricket team, Bangladesh have a dismal record in the competition, with their only victory in 29 matches coming against Hong Kong. However, on their day, Bangladesh are capable of putting it across any team in cricket, and the raucous, joyous home support they are sure to enjoy, will provide them with a much-needed impetus. They will be captained by Mushfiqur Rahim, and their battery of spinners have proved to be hard to dominate, especially in subcontinental conditions. Mashrafe Mortaza, the tall highly-regarded Bangladeshi pacer makes his return to his side. Shakib-Al-Hasan, easily among the best ODI allrounders in the world today, is also in the team and is a player whom many teams have underestimated at their own peril. Tamim Iqbal is another player of the mould of Mohammad Ashraful, if he gets going, he’ll take the match out of the opposition’s grasp. However more often than not, he flops and the team collapses with him. Hopefully, all this controversy over his inclusion will lead him to put his head down and concentrate on his batting.

Secondly, and ma?ke no mistake about it, India are a decidedly better ODI team than a Test one. Even despite ??a 3-0 loss which has consigned them to 5th place in the ODI rankings.

And after a long and in the end, plain disappointing tour, I just have a few questions for the cricketin??g?? management in the country.

I will not go into the Test debacle, because there has already been far too much analysis done over there. Yes, 4-0 hurt, no cross that, stung. But, as I just pointed out at the beginning of my piece, India possess a decidedly better ODI team. Add to the fact that they are World Champions, winning a World ??Cup, just around 5 months ago. And the best result they could come away with, was, a tie?

What differentiates the Test series from the ODI series is the fact that India did, at leas??t, put up a fight. Unlike the Tests, there were moments and chances where India could have surged ahead. And therein, the problem lies.

If the cricket administration in India will take solace in the fact that India showed ‘fight’ and ‘character’ in the ODI series, then we have a big problem on our hands. No two words about it, the Test series is probably India’s nadir in the last ten years and I seriously doubt if India will actually play that badly again. Compared to their performance in the Tests, yes India played well. Compared to a level of performance you expect from a World Champion side, no sorry, India were painfully off the mark, even in the ODI series.

Again, I can hear the usual excuses. ‘We didn’t have Sehwag, Gambhir, Sachin, Zaheer.’ ‘They turned on the rain whenever we had a chance of winning’ And no, I’m sorry, they are excuses. Even without those 3, the Indian batting actually performed pretty decently. Rahane and Patel forged a very good opening partnership, Dravid as usual gave the solidity and even Kohli came into his own. Dhoni and Raina were brilliant in the series, proving why they’re rated so highly in the ODI circuit. Special mention has to be given to Ajinkya Rahane, who was thrown into the deep end and has come out with flying colours.

But, with the bowling attack India has now, any opposing team will back themselves to chase down however many runs India scores, a fact so well illustrated in the last two matches. There’s a telling statistic which adds to this. A look at the top 5 run getters in the series reveal four Indians – MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel and only one English player – Ravi Bopara. Now, cross to the highest wicket-takers and you get the following 4 English bowlers (Swann, Bresnan, Anderson, Broad) and only one Indian (R. Ashwin).

This rut in Indian bowling is not new; it’s been there for quite a while now and has just become even more glaring with the injury of Zaheer Khan. Praveen Kumar has been India’s best bowler in the entire tour, but would he really displace an Anderson, Broad or a Bresnan? I have my doubts. This was also talked up to be the tour where Harbhajan would ‘show up’ Swann as the premier off spinner in cricket today; I think we don’t really need to dwell on who showed up who. Also, who’s brainwave was it to take Varun Aaron, supposedly India’s fastest bowling prospect, on an all-expenses trip to England without giving him a game? What was the logic behind persisting with Vinay Kumar?

Vengeance should actually come soon, I don’t really expect England to win the ODI series when they come over to India. If nothing else, Yuvraj Singh should be back, and he’s a much better fifth bowling option to have, on the subcontinent, as he showed in the World Cup. Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and even Harbhajan, if he comes back, will suddenly find their teeth and look menacing on the slow and flat pitches of the Kotla and Hyderabad. But for how long will India blow away their opponents at home and meekly subside away? Every World Cup is not going to be held in India, after all.

The No. 1 spot has just not slipped away. It has been snatched away by men who have proved to be more competitive, tough and d?etermined. There is no harm in losing. But there is a lot of harm in seemingly handing over a title, earned after much hard work and grit, in ?the space of three weeks of some of the most awful cricket, the country has ever seen.

The gap between the 2nd Test and the 3rd Test meant the Indians were able to squeeze in a two-day tour g??ame against Northamptonshire. What should have been an opportunity to g?et back some lost confidence, did not follow the script. India conceded a first innings lead and by all accounts, will be considered losers of that warm-up match too.

The 3rd Test also coincided with images of chaos and disturbance in London and soon spreading to other parts of the UK. For a while, cricket took a backseat; there were fears whether the Test would even take place or not. But thankfully, good sense prevailed and the Test went ahead. And looking at the turnout with the crowd trooping in faithfully everyday dressed in a riotous colours and ch?eering each and every ball, it can be said that the right decision was taken.

Edgbaston, on paper, promised a pitch which would aid the spinners and not swing or seam as much as Trent Bridge. Strauss thus took a bold decision by putting India in. Sehwag and Gambhir trooped out, no doubt, aware of the fact that with them being re-united again, it represented India’s best chance to scupper England’s well-laid plans. Well almost. Broad brought India back to reality with a brute of a ball to dismiss Sehwag for a nought. The script would prove to be painfully all too predictable; Gambhir sought to cut loose with some glorious shots, but he played one shot too many to Broad who yet again accounted for another wicket with a pitched-up delivery. Tendulkar, no stranger to pressure, strode in, and promptly strode back out again, trying to drive Broad and edging to Anderson at slip.

All this while, Rahul Dravid, the best Indian batsman in this series by far, was doing what he has done best, all his career. Defending and blocking dourly, it seemed he had almost seen his way to lunch, before Bresnan produced the best delivery of the Test match, pitching on middle and strengthening to take out Dravid’s off stump. Raina never looked comfortable and succumbed to the double bluff perfected by England nowadays; pitch it short, short and slip in a fuller one. VVS Laxman who still hasn’t played the ‘Very Very Special’ innings the team needs; had got out pulling twice in the series before. He took India to a hundred with a exquisite straight drive before, yes, it’s true, pulling AGAIN, getting a top edge to long leg to Bresnan. Broad accounted for Amit Mishra, before finally MS Dhoni and Praveen Kumar launched a late rearguard, showing a bit of resolve. Dhoni and Kumar combined to hit a flurry of sixes, taking the total past 200 and Dhoni past 50. But the resistance did not last long as both Kumar and Dhoni were out within quick succession, leaving India a total of 224.

It would be difficult to summarise the England innings, so I’ll summarise it using three words: grit, determination and relentless accumulation. Cook’s innings will stand out, for his pure class, grit and application. Strauss would have fancied a century, but the umpire failed to notice a no-ball from Mishra and Strauss had to depart for 87. The rest of the England top order played knocks of different flavours, while Cook stood resolute at the other end. Bell scored 34, Pietersen an aggressive 63 and Morgan took advantage of Indian clumsiness (two dropped catches) to mix aggression and caution into another Test century, before driving to Sehwag off a Raina delivery. Bopara and Prior got out cheaply, but Cook remained, probably to murder Praveen Kumar and Co with frustration. England passed 600 easily, Bresnan getting to another 50 while Cook continued, going past 250. Just as England passed a colossal 700 with Cook six runs shy of a triple hundred, he played probably the one rash stroke of his innings off Ishant Sharma, uppercutting to Raina at deep point. England declared immediately, they had run up 710 runs for the loss of seven wickets; Alastair Cook had cemented his place as among England’s finest openers with a 294 off 545 balls, the second highest number of balls faced in an innings by an English batsman against India, next only to Geoffrey Boycott. India had dropped three catches through the course of an innings, one which prompted Rahul Dravid to throw his cap at the ground; they had looked listless and limp on the field and Amit Mishra had bowled more no-balls than the entire England team in the last two Tests.

With 486 runs left to score only to make England bat again and more than 2 days, the result was a pretty foregone conclusion, even with the hint of rain, bad light or even malfunctioning floodlights. But there was always Sehwag, India’s latest Miracle-Worker. But even miracles need a bit of preparation as Sehwag, playing his first Test in three months, bagged a king pair as he tried to drive Anderson ferociously only to nick to Strauss. Dravid and Gambhir played out time till the end of the Third Day, but the average Indian fan would not even bother turning up the next day.

The only question at the start of the 4th day was whether India could extend this till the 5th day which itself would be an achievement. They couldn’t even make it till tea. Anderson had Gambhir edging to second slip, before getting Dravid out with a snorter; however replays would later suggest that had Dravid asked for a review, he would have discovered that the bat had hit his shoelace rather than the ball. Laxman never looked comfortable before departing to Anderson, who had bagged the first five Indian wickets. Swann had been causing problems and after a close shout to Gambhir turned down the last evening, he accounted for Raina with a slider. Sachin Tendulkar though looked like he was playing in a different Test match, with some silken shots before getting out in the unluckiest way possible, run-out at the non-strikers end while backing up. Mishra left soon, but Dhoni and Praveen Kumar, probably in a fit of frustration decided to get some of their own back. Kumar after getting knocked on his finger, thrashed Swann all around the park, hitting three huge sixes before finally top-edging to Bopara on a Broad delivery.

Dhoni tried to delay the inevitable, scoring another quickfire half-century and looking more and more like the man who hit a straight six in the World Cup final. But Broad accounted for Ishant and Sreesanth really couldn’t hold on. Fittingly, it was Bresnan, probably the most improved cricketer in the series, who accounted for Sreesanth with a short of length delivery, sending the English team into delirium, the entire Indian nation into a fit of frustration and the No. 1 spot out of their pockets. England had bowled India out for 244 and had won by a whopping margin of an innings and 242 runs.

I have seen the Indian team in a lot of series over the past 10 years…Australia 2001, England 2002, Australia 2003 and then 2004, South Africa 2006, England 2007, Australia 2008,…there have been plenty of series defeats but a 3-0 thrashing is something I only remember from the days of old when India were very far away from being considered a superpower. This has been an embarrassment; it has been men against boys and unfortunately, despite whatever they’ve achieved in the past, India never looked No. 1 at any point in the series.

MS Dhoni and his bunch of amazing cricketers kick off their reign as World Champions July 21st onwards as they clash with England in a long tour spanning 4 Tests, 1 T20 international and 5 ODI’s. Yes, they did play the West Indies before that, but we?re discounting that; I mean, come on, India didn’t even play at full strength and most of the matches had a dull, disinterested look , only lit up by the occasional flashes of brilliance from Laxman, Dravid and Chanderpaul.

Not with England though. They’ve traditionally been ‘friendly rivals’, if there is such a term. No accusations of racism or shouldering each other, ala a Sydneygate or the Watson-Gambhir confrontation. Nor, a historical, smouldering rivalry ala Pakistan. England have always been more of a cerebral bunch of opponents.

India will arrive in England with a quiet air of confidence. They are the World Champions after all, defeating teams like Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on their way to a World Cup win which sent the nation into raptures of joy. They will carry pleasant memories of their last visit to England; in 2007, they secured their first ever Test series win in England, on the back of a game-changing nine wicket haul by Zaheer Khan in the 2nd Test of that series. England would do well to remember it; they riled Zaheer Khan in that test by scattering jellybeans on the pitch while he was batting. Zaheer got so incensed that he bowled with ferocity and venom picking up 5 English wickets in the next innings. There’s a moral there for the English if they can discover it.

A cursory look at the Indian Test squad reveals all the usual suspects. Despite all the talk about ‘youth’ and ‘new blood’, it is still the old guard of Sachin, Laxman and Dravid which India will depend upon to provide stability and assurance. Sehwag’s shoulder injury rules him out of the first Test; always a big blow for the team. The two relatively new faces in the team are Abhinav Mukund and Wriddhiman Saha. Abhinav Mukund has put in some decent performances in West Indies, but England should prove to be a very different ball-game for him, if at all he plays. Wriddhiman Saha slots in, in the role as the reverse wicket-keeper. Saha has been around for a few years now, and has the reputation of being a solid keeper as well as a batsman. However, it still remains to be seen if he?s good enough to be chosen as the 2nd choice Indian wicketkeeper, ahead of Parthiv Patel.

What is being keenly awaited though is the clash between India’s pacers and English batsmen. For the first time in many years, India are arriving in England with a formidable battalion of pacers; there’s Zaheer Khan, always dependable, a fiery, feisty customer with a special liking for the English. There’s Ishant Sharma who finally seems to be coming to his own after a good tour of West Indies. His ability to bowl short of the length and move the ball both ways is finally paying him rich dividends. Sreesanth is the unpredictable kingpin in the mix; playing him is always a risk, because he’ll either blast out the top order or lose you the match.

But it would be unwise to not focus on Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel. Both of them might not h?ave th?e charisma of Sreesanth but they both have oodles of tenacity and temperament. Munaf has only been getting better since the World Cup, while Praveen will want to prove to all and sundry and that he still occupies an important role in this attack. Strauss would also do well to remember to the threats posed by Harbhajan and Mishra; Bhajji has just gone to 400 wickets and he has recently spoken of his hunger to pick up more scalps, while Mishra, the only leg-spinner in the attack, brings in variety.

Strauss has recently admitted that this series ‘is going to be as big as the Ashes.’ Despite Sehwag being ruled out of the first Test, it?s not going to be an easy task for them to beat the Indians especially with the talent they have in their ranks. But betting against England would be foolish; defeating Australia in Australia is no mean task. This may sound cliched, but this is really ‘evenly-matched’. All I would hope for, from a neutral perspective, is that Sachin finally manages to score his 100th ton.

Now that Duncan Fletcher’s been appointed, he has an interesting challenge on his hands. The Indian media predictably has already bombarded TV screens and newspapers with all the nitty-gritties of his life. As a result, pretty much every Indian cricket fan now knows that Fletcher was born in Rhodesia in 1948, captained Zimbabwe to a win over Australia in the ’83 World Cup and became the coach of the South African domestic team Western Province in 1993 before leading them to victory in the first-class and limited-overs competitions. His record with England has been discussed threadbare: a dream spell up to the 2005 Ashes before plummeting to depths of woe. It has been said that Fletcher has never been a very media-friendly man. He will face his toughest test when he confronts the Indian media, who have never been known for subtlety.

The Road Ahead

So, what lies ahead for the new Indian coach? First and foremost, his equation with the current poster boy of Indian cricket, Captain Cool himself, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The bond forged between a captain and a coach has the capability to either destroy a team or inspire them to newer and greater heights. Ganguly and Wright instilled that never-say-?die spirit in the team in 2000 which later in 2011, was harnessed to its fullest potential by Dhoni and Kirsten. In between, Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid had a disastrous time, as India sought to experiment a bit too much and promptly were eliminated from the 2007 World Cup in the first round.

Fletcher’s equation with Dhoni is certainly a task uppermost on his agenda. The relationship Dhoni and Kirsten shared has almost become the stuff of folklore; it is well-known that Kirsten preferred letting Dhoni enjoy the limelight, while staying in the background himself. It would not be a bad idea for Fletcher to do something similar. He forged a very successful partnership with Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain, who both swear by his man-management qualities.

Dhoni however is different from the two. He is cool, calculating, but not averse to going by his gut feel. He will not like anyone interfering with his captaincy style, especially after he’s won a World Cup. Where Fletcher can probably help Dhoni is with his batting. Not to say, Dhoni is a bad batsman; he’s still among the very best in limited overs. But his batting in Test still provides scope for improvement, and Fletcher can probably sit with him and try and sort out some technical frailties.

The Little Master

Second to Dhoni, Fletcher and Sachin Tendulkar should have some interesting conversations. Only Sachin knows how much cricket he has left in him and probably it is a lot. Going by the odd chance that Fletcher still hasn’t figured out the kind of hold Sachin Tendulkar has in Indian cricket, he probably will in the next few months. But, being the senior most player in the team today, he will have a lot to share with Fletcher. Fletcher should sit with Sachin in his initial few days at the helm, as Sachin would be the best person to give him the lowdown into the madness that is Indian cricket.

Fletcher, known for ??being meticulous, also has to ascertain from Sachin how much cricket he has left in him, whether he will continue to play limited overs cricket etc. Though this sounds blasphemous, it is for the good of the team, after all, as this will help Fletcher plan and build his squad for the next few years.

The usual suspect: Bowling

How long does Zaheer Khan have? Fletcher needs to answer that, and answer that fast. Because, despite a World Cup win, the Indian bowling stocks are desperately thin. Harbhajhan Singh is still there, true, but despite being very effective over the past few months, he still does not resemble the ‘Turbanator’ of his prime. Go beyond those two, and you have a long list of people capable of bowling effectively, but unable to be called strike bowlers (Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra etc)

Kirsten did a damn good job with the thin resources available to him and the onus ?is on Fletcher now. Zaheer Khan has been shouldering the burden for too long and he needs a worthy sidekick. As mentioned before, there are already too many contenders and plenty still coming up in the Indian domestic circuit. Somehow, in some way, Fletcher needs to groom someone into becoming world-class. Maybe, he could try and harness an Ishant Sharma who has briefly in the IPL, looked vaguely similar to the bowler who hurried and heckled Ricky Ponting. Or perhaps he can guide the mercurial Sreesanth who on his days can destroy a South African t?eam in their own backyard?

Balancing the new and old

This is one issue which is pertinent only for the Test team and does not apply to India’s ODI and T20 teams. The future of Dravid, Laxman and though it sounds blasphemous, Sachin.

The sheer class which Dravid and Laxman bring to the Indian test team supersedes every other concern, whether they being too old or anything else. But retire they will someday, and this retirement day looms sooner rather than later. Fletcher needs to form a fair idea about them and start grooming their replacements. There are already talented Indian batsmen coming through the ranks but their biggest test will be on the Test arena. This is where Fletcher must identify and recruit potential replacements. Kohil is the next big thing in Indian cricket but he still hasn’t been properly tested in Tests. There are players like the extremely talented Chetestwar Pujara and Murali Vijay who are also knocking on the doors.

It would actually be foolish to think of a replacement for Sachin. What Fletche??r needs to ensure is a proper transition from one era to the other. A bunch of stars retiring all at once will lead to a Australia-like situation which will only spell doom. Fletcher must, at all costs, avoid that.

The BCCI and Fletcher

Indian coaches have a notoriously fickle relationship with the BCCI. They are praised to the skies one day after a comprehensive win. The next day, the Indian team loses by 10 wic?kets and the BCCI are qui??ck to blame the coach.

The mad, chaotic world of the BCCI is completely different from the professional setup of the ECB which Fletcher was used to. His capability to adjust again will be tested; what will also be tested are his networking skills. Whether his relationship with the selectors, the cricket officials or even the men who call the shots, Fletcher needs to maintain absolute neutrality. The corridors of cricket power in India are well known for being entrenched in a lot of wheeling and dealing; there will always be characters wh??o will want a favour and two. Dhoni and Kirsten also shared an uneasy relationship with the selectors; there were even times when Dhoni admitted he was not very happy with the team selected for him. Probably after a World Cup victory, Dhoni should get a bit more leeway regarding?? selectorial decisions, and Fletcher should use his immense cricketing acumen to help Dhoni spot rapidly rising talents.

The Immediate Goals

The number one team in Tests and the World Champions in ODI?s are still no 2. in the ODI rankings. And though Dhoni might say that rankings don’t matter, Fletcher’s first job is to get them to the top in the ODI rankings.

And for India to truly establish their dominance over the game, they will have to maintain that No 1. over the next few months. India tour West Indies in June-July, a tour where the Indian team will now be expected to dominate. Fletcher will probably join the Indian team in earnest when India arrives in England for the start of a long tour. This will be India?s first tough assignment as they seek to defend their No 1. status.? It will be slightly ironical for Fletch??er as he will seek to defeat England, a team he created with his own sweat and blood, with India.

Tours to Australia als??o loom in the offing which will give Fletcher another chance to avenge his 5-0 whitewash ?in 2006-07. In 2012, Sri Lanka hosts the T20 championship. Dhoni, being the ambitious man he is, will want to pull off an unprecedented treble: being world champions in all three forms of the sport.

Duncan Fletcher has a job on his hands. And it promises to be a fun time for In??dian cricket.

The Early Years
The Indian media loves the IPL. Loves it to bits. The IPL has probably given them more scoops and breaking news than anything else in the country. They share a very symbiotic relationship – the IPL needs the media to broadcast itself and to capture eyeballs. The media needs the IPL because it guarantees them a heady mix of cricket and Bollywood – a deadly concoction.

It wasn’t always like this though. The BCCI were dead against Twenty20 as a format, when it was first spreading its roots. They discounted it as nothing more than a hit-and-giggle affair. Reluctantly, India sent a team for the inaugural T20 World Championship in South Africa in 2007. Most of the senior players opted out, not really taking it seriously. The selectors decided to entrust the captaincy on the shoulders of a relative newcomer called Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Out of nowhere, he won them that championship. Four years later, he’s won them the ‘Cup that Counts’.

The ICL was the actual precursor to the IPL. Called the ‘Indian Cricket League’, the ICL was an unofficial cricket league, having no sanction of any sort from the international cricketing body. It was modelled pretty much on the lines of the IPL. The BCCI were completely against the ICL and used all means possible, to the extent of warning players that joining the ICL entailed the end of their official careers, to bring an end to it.

To tap into the frenzy surrounding T20 and as a counterpoint to the ICL, Lalit Modi, the green-eyed-boy of the BCCI then, successfully created the Indian Premier League which had its inaugural season in 2008. In the first season and continuing onwards to the next two, there were 8 city-based franchises all owned by corporate entities: Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Deccan Chargers. The city-based entities were auctioned off to the highest bidders and never before seen sums of money changed hands; Reliance Industries paid $112.9 m for ownership of Mumbai while Vijay Mallya of the UB Group paid $111.6 million for Bangalore. Bollywood film stars also got into the act with one of India’s top Bollywood stars, Shah Rukh Khan buying the Kolkata team and Preity Zinta, a popular actress buying the Punjab team.

But this was nothing. In ??the first of its kind player auction, audiences gaped as normal cricketers become millionaires in the span of a few minutes. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was paid a cool 1.5 million dollars for his services by the Chennai team with other players commanding huge sums. The first season, despite being looked at with suspicion and a??ccused of destroying the very fabric of cricket, was a huge success. Rajasthan Royals, the underdogs led by Shane Warne won the inaugural tournament.

In more ways than one, the IPL was doomed to be successful. The Twenty20 format provides big hits and increases the likelihood of close contests. Plus, it gets over in ar?ound three hours, which lets it attract people, who are not fans of the longer formats. The IPL had the official backing of both the ICC and BCCI, which let it clear all official hurdles. It had some of the biggest players in cricket playing and for the Indian viewers, there was also the dash of glamour Bollywood brou?ght to it. The only question was whether the country could adjust to supporting regional identities. The IPL proved it could.

The flight to South Africa and the downfall of Modi

The success of the IPL had another effect. It made Lalit Modi into the poster-boy for Indian cricket. The BCCI went gaga over him. The 2nd season especially?? made the world sit up and take notice of Modi.

The year was 2009 and India was going to polls. Coincidentally, the IPL season was supposed to be held at the same time. Immediately, security and logistical issues cropped up. After much dithering, the government finally expressed its inability to guarantee full security to the IPL if it was held during the election season. The future of the enterprise was in doubt??. That?s when Modi made a masterstroke.

In the span of a few days, he shifted the entire tournament to a willing South Africa. Take into mind, the organisational issues, the logistical issues and maybe then, one will understand the extent of such a decision. Again, it could have all backfired. But it didn’t. IPL 2 was followed widely in India as well as South Africa, and even if it failed to replicate the success of the last edition, it still was enormously popular. The winners of the second edition were the wooden spooners of the last tournament, the Bangalore Royal Challengers defeating the second-last team from last year, Deccan Chargers.

But as they say, pride comes before a fall. Even while Lalit Modi was driving his way up the corporate ladder, ?there were rumours about scams and scandals. The controversy exploded into full public view during the third edition. In spite of the cricket played, IPL 3 will for?ever be remembered for the Lalit Modi-Shashi Tharoor scandal which resulted in both losing their positions at their respective organisations.

At first, it was all hunky-dory when Modi announced that two new teams would play from the fourth season onwards. Another auction later, the teams were announced to be Kochi and Pune. Over constant rumours?? about the fairness of the auction procedure, Modi in a Twitter entry, published the shareholding patterns of the Kochi franchise and implied that Shashi Tharoor, the then Minister of State for External Affairs of the country, had derived some benefit from it. This brought about a huge scandal leading ultimately to Shashi Tharoor resigning from his post. Yet, Modi did not remain unscathed and was removed from his post as Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL. In a matter of few days, Modi had gone from the man with the golden arm to public enemy Number 1 for the BCCI who started ordering probes and commissions against him. There are also suggestions that Modi used the auctions to benefit himself and close relatives and friends. Lalit Modi publicly refutes such claims.

And Looking Ahead

So, now we’re here. IPL 4, the first IPL without Lalit Modi, will start from April 8th, with Pune and Kochi both participating. Going by the looks of it, it hasn’t lost any of its sheen. This year, all the franchises could only retain a maximum of four players and build a completely new team with a salary cap of $9 million. The auction, this year, was full of surprises. Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan were bought for the highest amounts, being paid $2.4 million and $2.2 million respectively.

What surprised one and all was the complete omission of some players, who w??ere not bid for, at all, by any team. Players like Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Sourav Ganguly and Sanath Jayasuriya attracted no bids, setting off ??a whole new school of thought into the dynamics of the IPL.

So, what do we look forward to? As mentioned earlier, it would be interesting to see how the cou??ntry responds to the IPL after the World Cup win. Has the brand value got diluted or will it receive a boost?

Also, despite its shortcomings and the many complaints, the IPL does provide some high-adrenaline clashes. It’s also a place where you get players of international repute play along with rookies. Dhoni will be back to lead his Chennai Super Kings, while Jayawardane will lead the newly named Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Kolkata Knight Riders, having perennially flopped in the IPL, will look to finally achieve success with a new captain, Gautam Gambhir fresh off that 97 in the World Cup final. They’ve already faced severe criticism from certain quarters for not sticking with Ganguly and their owner, Shah Rukh Khan, will hope his team can come up trumps. The IPL is also the only place where one can see Sachin captaining, and this season, he will have Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds sharing the same dressing room!

After the sour taste of last year, the only thing one can wish from this IPL is that there is pure, unadulterated cricket action without focus on the off-field side. Cut out? the booze, glamour and partying; let there just be cricket.

I won’t try to hype it up, because it really doesn’t need it. If you’ve been watching cricket, you’ll just know. Just know. It’s India vs Pakistan. On 30th March, 2011. At Mohali. For a place in the World Cup 2011 final.

Despite all the talk of peace and unity (the Indian and Pakistani PM’s will be watching the match together) and taking it as ‘another’ match, don’t be fooled. India-Pakistan is never a ‘take-it-easy’ match. Yes, sports and politics should really not be mixed, but that doesn’t work over here. Not in a matchup like this.

It’s very simple actually. Despite whatever India and Pakistan might have achieved in this WC, the team losing will immediately be labelled failures. Everything else they’ve done till now will be discounted. India does not want to lose to Pakistan. Pakistan does not want to lose to India. It’s a question of their pride.

There’s just too much tension still simmering over. Despite a period of peace between 2003-2007, the 2007 Mumbai attacks have set it all back. India and Pakistan are back on the same cold terms, they used to share before 2003.

On the field, they’ll all try to be normal. Dhoni will be his ‘Captain cool’ persona, Sachin will be just Sachin, Afridi’s gonna be the dasher he always is and Bhajji will be the typical feisty Punjabi. But don’t let it fool you. There’s gonna be pressure. Heart-stopping, spine-tingling pressure. The sort of pressure which can make a sane guy play the rashest of strokes. Or drop the easiest of catches.

Just ask Miandad. Or better still, Chetan Sharma who got biffed for six by Miandad in the final of the AustralAsia cup, to let Pakistan secure an unlikely victory. Or Sachin Tendulkar, who despite being the great he is, admits he couldn’t sleep on the nights leading up to the India-Pakistan match in the 2003 World Cup.

One of th?e neighbours will party deeply into the night. The other will mour??n for the next four years

A slig?ht preview on what we have on our plates in the next few days:

1st Quarter Final: Pakistan vs West Indies
08:30 GMT, Dhaka, Wednesday, March 23rd
However magnificently Pakistan are playing and despite them bringing an end to Australia’s 34 game winning streak, they can never be called ‘favourites’, in the truest sense of the world. They are just that kind of team. A blip against New Zealand proved yet again that they can still live up to thir favoured ‘mercurial’ tag. West Indies are likely to have Gayle and Roach back into the team. It’s going to be tough for the Indies but you wouldn’t put it past them. Especially if Gayle comes out swinging.
Players to Watch: The usual suspects –Chris Gayle, Kemar Roach, Kieron Pollard, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul

2nd Quarter Final: India vs Australia
09:00 GMT, Ahmedabad, Thursday, March 24th
Licking your lips already? It’s actually a shame that these two teams are meeting at this stage: the proper stage should have been the final or at the very least, the semi-final. But leave all that aside, this is THE match. Miss out on every other quarter-final match but ensure you call in sick to watch this one. India are still favourites, they are still playing at home and they still have potentially the most destructive batting order in this Cup. But some of that sheen has been lost with some unconvincing, insipid victories against the minnows and West Indies and that mad last-over fiasco from Ashish Nehra. Australia may have been defeated by Pakistan, but would anyone in their right minds, bet against them? Ponting will want to channelize his pent-up recent frustration and this is the perfect stage. 2003 World Cup final, anyone?
Players to watch: Harbhajan Singh who always seems to lift his game when he sees Aussie colours. Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee’s battle against the Indian batting. Expect some chin music!

3rd Quarter Final: New Zealand vs South Africa
08:30 GMT, Dhaka, Friday, March 25th
On paper at least, South Africa. Yet, as a cricket fan, one will remember that one word has forever been associated with the South African cricket team, a ghost they’ve been unable to exorcise despite repeated attempts, which has reared its ugly head up again after that narrow defeat at the hands of the English, a few days back. New Zealand will certainly be familiar with this ghost and it might be the most potential weapon they have in their ranks. With Vettori back to lead the team, New Zealand will look to cause to a repeat of the 2003 WC when a Stephen Fleming inspired master-class stopped a rampaging South Africa.
Players to watch: Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Imran Tahir, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel

4th Quarter Final: Sri Lanka vs England
09:00 GMT, Colombo, Saturday, March 26th
Can England back themselves? They have the nerve no doubt, but can they step up their game? Again, despite Sri Lanka possessing home advantage and those three mystery M’s (Mendis, Malinga, Murali), it is significant that the two games that England lost were against the minnows: Bangladesh and Ireland. When it comes to the big teams, England have shown a peculiar tendency of fighting till the very last inch and even running away with it, when they sense an opening. Sri Lanka should be wary, this England is not the England of old. At the very least, expect another nerve-wracking, nail-bitching matchup, after all, it’s England!
Players to Watch: Angelo Matthews, Mahela Jayawardane, Lasith Malinga, Andrew Strauss, Eoin Morgan, Graeme Swann

It was not as ??if Dhoni had no other options. Harbhajan Singh should have been his most likely canditate, giving away 53 runs till then in his 9 overs and accounting for the extremely dangerous trio of Amla, de Villiers and Dumin?y. Nehra, on the other hand, was wicketless; and had gone for 49 runs in his 8 overs, till then. The last over he had bowled till then was the 37th over; clearly, was it not too much of a risk to entrust a bowler who had not been in the thick of things for the last five overs and who still had not shaken off the cobwebs of injury, with the most important over of the match?

There is still too much confusion within the Indian ranks and they have still have not lived upto their tag as ‘favourites’. Despite a rollicking start in Dhaka, India have recorded unimpressive wins against Ireland and Netherlands, with a tie against England to boot, not counting the loss to South Africa. Mathematically though there remains a very unlikely chance that India may not qualify, that probability is extremely thin. But Dhoni would have wanted much more emphatic performances from his team. West Indies loom ahead, always a dangerous opposition and after that, the quarter-finals.

The bowling conundrum is still not fixed and Kirsten & Co must be tearing their hair out. It now makes no sense not to play Ashwin despite Dhoni’s comments that ‘Chawla needs more games!’. This is a World Cup, not a practice tournament and India needs to play its best players. Ashwin might be mentally strong, but if he is in India’s scheme of things for this tournament, then he deserves a game as soon as possible. Chawla has been tried and tested, way too often. Ashwin deserves a place now.

But for whom? There is no question of replacing Zaheer and Harbhajan. And despite playing 4 games already, India are still not sure which bowling combo will suit them: a two spinners-two pacers combo or a three pacers-one spinner combo. Dhoni might prefer to play ‘horses for courses’ but for the sake of team stability, perhaps it would be to choose one of the two above and stick to it.

I would personally go for the two spinner-two pacer combination. Munaf Patel, despite being clobbered by Botha, is still a better bowler than Nehra or Sreesanth at present, and he can partner Zaheer. Again, however much the pitch may help seamers, this is still the subcontinent and conditions will help the spinners, more often t??han not. Chawla has been tried and tested, it is time for Ashwin to be given a go. At the very least, Dhoni should try him again West Indies and see how it goes.

After the batting collapse against South Africa, murmurs are also being heard about the famed batting lineup. There have been calls for Yusuf Pathan to be dropped and Raina to be brought in. Again, personally, I believe such murmurs are baseless. Yusuf Pathan has mostly been coming into bat late into the innings and at such a stage, he has no other choice than to hit out. More times than most, he will lose his wicket but the one time, he does not, he is likely to win the game for you. Yusuf Pathan should be given the license to hit, while the other batsmen i??n the team must begive more specific roles.

Despite their frailties, India still are a strong side and it would be a mistake for any country to underestimate them. A nice comfortable win aga??inst West Indies should get them back into a positive mindset to confront the much ??tougher challenges ahead.