MS Dhoni and the Indian Cricket Evolution

Indian Cricket teams in the past have had great captains like M A K Pataudi (more on Pataudi) and more recently the “Maverick” Sourav Ganguly who led through force of personality and some others who’ve led by example like Kapil Dev and Mohammed Azharuddin, the latter also possessed a cool head. Leadership skills, a cool head and individual ability have rarely been captured through a single player donning the Indian cap consistently. It’s a rarity to see such cricket captains in India although the Aussie’s are accustomed to it. It’s that combination which we are seeing through MS Dhoni, he’s unshackled his players, outthought oppositions, kept up his performance and rarely lost his head!

The ongoing India-Australia tie is testament to Dhoni’s leadership and the evolution of Indian cricketers. Yes, we do carry with us the legacy of poor fielding but such things as counter attacks, disciplined bowling and method over madness are unusual characteristics for us as well. But that’s clearly in the past, how’s this for a counter attack - 7 wickets down, Bhajji and Praveen maul the Aussies for some 40 runs in the last 4 overs and thus turning a defeat into a near victory. In the very next game India smashes 354 their highest ever ODI total against Aussies but it’s what happens next that indicates a genuine evolution.

Prior to a discussion on the team’s evolution, it’s time to rewind back over ten years to reminisce our flawed instincts, an India-Aus tie where India’s 300+ was getting chased hand over fist by a rampaging Gilchrist and Hayden (Sachin’s 5 wkt haul saved the day). Aussies lost despite scoring over 7 in the first 15, a splendid start and one that did highlight India’s bowling indiscipline on batting pitches. Jumping the reel to the current day there was no such hiccup by the bowlers in Nagpur as they tied the Aussies up from the word go, a master class of pitching the ball in the right areas and dominated as they’ve never done before.

There’s a certain maturity about this Indian team which translates into better consistency than other teams in the past. The leadership has a huge part to play I'd reckon but there are people who disagree. They feel maybe Dhoni was lucky to get today’s batting and bowling effort. Maybe he’s lucky to be the most successful Indian Test captain at this stage. Maybe the “lucky” captains of the past weren’t exactly lucky or maybe just maybe… they weren’t Mahendra Singh Dhoni!

The Curious Case of Jenson Button

It’s official, Jenson Button has won the F-1 crown for 2009… Jenson who?  He’s the bloke who’s been around in F1 for nearly 10 years now with just one GP win till this season, that’s who! Jenson’s winning season is not bad when you look at the victory column, which reads an impressive 6 victories, the typical number that has brought championship wins over the years. However, a closer look at the reasons behind the champ’s success tells us a much different tale. The prime reasons for his victories have been (A) Significant technology edge (B) Only a single retirement (c) Driving the car home within the points. Solid performance no doubt nevertheless it begs the question-would other championship contenders have performed as well with similar cars?
 
Jenson’s victories have all come through the first 7 races till which time the team enjoyed a distinct speed advantage through their unique double diffuser system. Therefore, the race wins were expected of Jenson. But as soon as that advantage vanished the Brawn car was on par with the other cars and maybe a shade down on a couple of cars in a few races. This still meant that an average performance of around 4-5 in qualifying would have been a par performance for a champion driver. But while Jenson’s performance in qualifying across the first seven races was a commendable 2.14 the next nine races shows a dismal average of 8.56! That number is over 3 points down on the par score expressed earlier. Jenson simply doesn’t have the speed to compare with other great drivers on the grid like Kimi, Felipe, Alonos, Lewis and Vettel. This lack of qualifying pace indicates how dismal Jenson’s pace has been and it’s only through a reliable car with a distinct early advantage has Jenson managed to win this year. Enjoy the moment Jenson but although you’ve paced yourself well, you’re not quite on the pace!

Rafael Nadal Will Be Back in Force

As Robin Soderling completed his now famous victory over the undisputed king of clay Rafael Nadal, stories of the spaniard’s crumbling aura began to surface. However, with Nadal’s lengthy injury break the stories turned into odes signaling the end of Nadal era at slams. These stories largely belly a common notion that Nadal cannot keep up the frenetic pace of tennis and his body will likely capitulate. While a crippling injury might happen, the odds that Nadal would go through one are no more than a Djokovich or a Murray. Here one must remember that Rafa has a natural tendency to gain muscle mass and that’s been the secret to his power at a young age. Therefore he does have a strong body and one that can take a ton of punishment. As he grows older Nadal as many other greats before him will take precautions in terms of the tournaments he competes in yearly.

Ok so Nadal’s body can hold but can he get back the aura of invincibility that he enjoyed over his peers and in particular Federer? The answer for this is yes he can get back “an aura” but perhaps not “the aura” he’s used to. One must remember that Nadal has had the best run of any clay court player in history at slams including Borg and such an achievement reflects a superlative peak that is rarely surpassed. Federer has struggled to repeat his 81-4 record of 2005 and almost as surely Nadal will struggle to win 3-4 titles consecutively at the French. But make no mistake about it given the man’s determination and talent he will be better at the US open in years to come and needless to add reclaim the crown of King of Clay.

Watch Out Alonso, Here Comes Massa!

What Alonso has gotten himself into at Ferrari is a real quagmire. As great a decision as it seems Fernando’s Ferrari move brings with it two challenges that brought him to his knees previously. Two years back Lewis Hamilton destroyed Alonso’s invincibility in what was lewis’s rookie season, something that ruffled Alonso to no end. Adding to this was Lewis’s reputation as the blue eyed Mclaren boy, so for once Alonso was not the pampered one. What followed was a sordid tale of broken team chemistry, lost world championships and a bitter row between Alonso and team boss Ron Dennis. If history is any indication, Alonso is opening himself to similar constraints yet again.

People who thought of Felipe Massa to be a lesser driver who’d gladly submit to the wills of the team’s star driver have already been disproved quite unanimously through the young brazilian’s stirring drives in recent years. He was the first of Schumacher’s team mates to beat the great man quite handily in a few races and was a stunning second driver during Kimi’s 2007 championship winning performance in the Ferrari. If not for a few retirements Felipe could well have fought for the championship that year. In the very next year Massa superceded Kimi enroute to the second place in the championship. Massa is arguably as good a driver as Lewis and is also a favorite at the maranello camp, something that didn’t cause a rift with Kimi due to the finn’s ice cool nature. This even though the car time and again handled better for Massa than Kimi, however Alonso is not the one to keep quiet over such inequalities. Alonso is a great team leader but Massa unfortunately is no slouch. Alonso is a fiery latino with a intense competitive streak which is again a reflection of Massa’s qualities. Like poles repel and this equation looks no different. Come 2010 the best man will win but there will be collateral damage!

Kimi Raikkonen’s 2010 Destination

There is continuing speculation on the destination of the Iceman Kimi Raikkonen. While initial speculation hinted at a destination within F1 there’s now a possibility of Rally and Nascar racing as well! The paddock is now ripe with possibilities of Mclaren, Toyota and even Redbull as a likely destination although the last option is closed due to the team’s decision to retain the current lineup for next year. Amidst, all this speculation it’s important to note the Finn’s desires if we were to guess his destination for the next year. Kimi wants to, firstly – Be part of a team capable of championship and Secondly- Get a substantial salary. Clearly the answer to the first question is Mclaren as no other team apart from Ferrai and Mclaren have consistently proved themselves to be championship contenders. But the answer to the latter isn’t a simple one, especially so in current economic times. Ferrari have had a history of pampering their teams and star drivers and this trend continued with Kimi. His salary was exorbitant($52 M) but negotiable in better economic times however given the intention of all teams to reign in costs that salary will be impossible to match. 

Clearly, that would leave Kimi with no choice but to drop his salary to less stratospheric heights but nevertheless one that cannot be matched by Nascar or Rally racing. Surely Kimi will not act on the threat to stay away from racing given his competitive desire, age and instinct to race. This obviously leads only one way and that’s towards a top F1 team who can pay the star close to his demands. This in conjunction with the statement by Mclaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh that “Kimi would be welcome to the team and would form a great fit” seems not just appropriate but perhaps the whole truth. Who better for some Mclaren winter testing than the “Iceman” himself!