500th Test ~ (in)experience of Selectors .. !!

Jan 2000 ~ Test no. 1481 – Australia beat India by an innings and 141 runs – VVS Laxman scored a brilliant 167 – do you know or remember who were the Indian Openers  ?

        At Kanpur, in the 500^th test -  India seemed to have made the ideal start, winning the toss  on a pitch full of cracks that is  expected to widen and offer lots of help for the spinners from the third day onwards. Their top order had made a confident start, and halfway through the first day they were 154 for 1. New Zealand, though, had come to India with the belief that they had the tools they needed to compete hard. Over the second half of the day, their five-man attack showed what it was capable of, and left India 291 for 9 at stumps.

Cricket’s comparative snobbishness is a peculiarity that sets the game apart.  There are comparisons all the way all around though many a times it may not matter.  At a time when quality Coach is premium, remember that Kapil Dev won 1983 WC with no supporting staff and relatively unknown Mansingh being the Manager.  Then there is Mumbai Indians model ..  owned by Reliance, they are  one of the most successful teams in the IPL. They won the 2011 Champions League Twenty20 after beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 31 runs in the final. The team won its first IPL title, in 2013, by defeating Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs in the final, and 2^nd in 2015.

They can easily field a strong X1 with their support staff having Ricky Ponting, Robin Singh, Shane Bond, Jonty Rhodes, Paras Mhambrey,  John Wright, Rahul Sanghvi and Sachin Tendulkar. They had Anil Kumble too !  ~ so now comparison is on a team led by Mannava Srikanth Prasad.  Indian Cricketers predominantly came from Bombay, Karnataka and Delhi, this man is from Guntur, Andhra – played 6 tests with highest of 19 and played 17 ODIs aggregating 131 runs.

The man who made a majestic 174 at Adelaide and who once hit Bob Willis for 6 fours in an over is in news making strong statements – he is quoted as stating : "there were lots of discussions" around the future of MS Dhoni's limited-overs captaincy around the time he retired from Test cricket in December 2014. Dhoni's unexpected exit from the longest format mid-way through India's Test series in Australia came as a "shock", Patil said, but he was happy that Dhoni decided to move on when he realised his mental and physical fitness were not up to scratch.  Patil, whose four-year term as chief selector ended a couple of days ago, said his panel deliberated making a leadership change in ODIs then, but eventually decided not to, keeping in mind the 2015 World Cup was only a couple of months away at the time.  He added that Dhoni’s decision to retire was a selfless one. 

The other big retirement Patil's panel had to deal with was even more high-profile: the retirement of  legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Patil recollected the precise moment he first had a chat with Tendulkar about his plans for the future, in December 2012. Patil said Tendulkar made the decision to quit ODIs after he and fellow selector Rajinder Hans had that chat with him during the Nagpur Test against England.  "We have never told any player, let it be Sachin Tendulkar or any other player, 'that is enough, now we are going to drop you'. We wanted to ask 'what's the plan in your mind'. – does that sound an euphemism !!  Tendulkar's Test retirement came a year later, following a farewell series against West Indies in November 2013.

Former India opener Virender Sehwag, who had previously told ESPNcricinfo that he was "hurt" by the manner in which the selectors dropped him in 2013, more recently said it would have been nice if the selectors had offered him a farewell Test as well. Patil said while he empathised with the players, it was not their right to ask for a farewell match.

Now former wicketkeeper MSK Prasad has been chosen to succeed Sandeep Patil as the chairman of India's selection panel. The decision was taken at the BCCI's 87^th  annual general meeting in Mumbai, after the board had invited applicants for the selection job for the first time.   

Former offspinner Sarandeep Singh, former batsmen Gagan Khoda, Devang Gandhi and Jatin Paranjpe are the other four selectors named in the five-member panel. Former India seamer Venkatesh Prasad has been  retained as chairman of the junior selection committee. 

By  picking a five-member selection panel, the BCCI went against one of the Lodha Committee recommendations that was approved by the Supreme Court in its July 18 order: to trim the selection panel to three members. The Lodha Committee also said only former India Test players should be eligible to be appointed to the men's and women's selection committees, provided they had been retired from the game for at least five years. Khoda and Paranjpe have not played Test cricket.  BCCI's eligibility criteria, however,  has a proviso or representing India or more than 50 first-class matches in India- fair for in this land there have been great cricketers who somehow never had the distinction of representing the Nation. 

The highest wicket taker in Ranji, Rajinder Goel (637); highest run getters (2,3,4) Amol Muzumdar, Mithun Manhas and DEvendra Bundela  - have never played for India.  So that way, the relative inexperience of MSK Prasad should not be talked about.

Sandeep Patil, the previous chairman of selectors, played 29 Tests and 45 one day internationals. Venkatesh Prasad, the chief selector for juniors, featured in 33 Tests and 161 ODIs. In contrast, India's new five-man national selection committee has played a total of 13 Tests and 31ODIs. In this new panel  MSK Prasad played 6 Tests and 17 ODIs. The others-  Devang Gandhi (4 Tests, 3 ODIs), Sarandeep Singh, (3 Tests, 5 ODIs), Gagan Khoda (2 ODIs) and Jatin Paranjpe (4 ODIs).  Coincidentally , even though BCCI has scrapped the traditional practice of having one selector from each of the five zones, each member of the new committee belongs to a different zone. Prasad is from Andhra (south), Khoda from Rajasthan (central), Gandhi from Bengal (east), Paranjpe from Mumbai (west) and Singh from Delhi (north).

One needs to wait and see whether the experience of the Selectors in anyway impacts the performance of the Team.  Getting back to that Q at the start, surprisingly in that test at Sydney in 2000 – there were no regular openers – VVS Laxman opened with MSK Prasad, the wicket keeper in both the innings.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

23^rd Sept. 2016.

Porsche accident kills one in Chennai ~ and its aftermath !

Auto rickshaws are wonders on road ~ they can manoeuvre unimaginably – seemingly fly, criss-cross, could get into a gap where there in none – would ask the sky when you try to catch one; when stopped for a ride, they would either say – ‘very short or very long ~ and yet chose to sit idle in a stand’ – some say they cause most accidents, some hail its drivers as most helpful lot !

Some were taken aback when in  Porsche, the sports car maker announced that the redesigned 2017 Boxster and Cayman models would jettison their six-cylinder engines, a long-time Porsche staple, for turbocharged flat-fours. Dr.-Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche AG is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans. Porsche AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, and is owned by Volkswagen AG. They are very costly, of course.

Vikash Anand (22) is a MRF Formula 1600 champion. The Chennai racer made a comeback in March this year — after a sabbatical that lasted nearly 18 months — with double victories in the MRF 1600 category in the second round of the MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship. In August, Vikash again secured a double win in the finals, clinching the championship title and also won a ticket to the Mazda Road to Indy. .. .. whole of Chennai and rest of the globe now know him for a different reason. 

The number of drunken driving cases in police records this year is on course to surge past last year's tally. According to police statistics, cases have been registered against at least 32,600 people for drunken driving on the city roads in 2016 until the end of August. Police personnel had booked drunken driving cases against 35,000 people for the whole of 2015.  With almost four more months to go in the year and puja holidays, Diwali and Christmas yet to come, it is likely that the number of drunken driving cases would go up further and even hit the 50,000-mark before December 31, police sources said.

TOI quoting a former Public Prosecutor, reports that the State government's patronage of Tasmac shops is serving as a hindrance to the efforts of law enforcement agencies to bring down the number of drunken driving cases in the city.   Police do conduct surprise check-ups in the nights.  To keep motorists guessing, the cops are also shifting the location of vehicle checkpoints every week. As per the rules, when motorists are caught drunk, they need not pay any fine to the traffic enforcement officer.  They have to leave the vehicle behind and then collect it the next day after paying a penalty in the court.

Sadly on that fateful Monday morning following Tamil Nadu Premier League finals involving Chennai Super gillies and Tuti Patriots, some celebrated in the midnight, hailing the victory.  A Porsche car slammed in parked autos killing one and injuring many others.  Its driver, a law student was fully drunk.  Vikas Vijayanand,  22, has been arrested. At least three more drivers were wounded when, around 3.30 am, he rammed a dozen auto-rickshaws parked in a row at the city's Cathedral Road. One driver, 29-year-old G Arumugam, was killed on the spot. His seven-year-old daughter has been orphaned as she lost her mother recently. "Tough action should be taken against rich people who drink and drive. My brother lost his wife and child recently...now his other child is an orphan," said G Vinayagam, Arumugam's brother. Some of the autos were almost reduced to a crumpled heap with the impact.

Anand killed and injured them,  when he rammed a speeding Porsche into parked autorickshaws early on Monday .The Adyar traffic investigation wing has sent the car for inspection.  The Chennai police have initiated proceedings to suspend racer Vikash Anand's driving licence and have approached the Regional Transport Office for it even as the accused moved the principal sessions court here on Wednesday seeking bail. TOI reports that City public prosecutor M L Jegan appeared before judge G Jaychandran and sought adjournment of the matter till September 29 to file a detailed counter. However, counsel for the accused, advocate B Kumar, requested the case to be posted on Thursday. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge posted it to September 23.

Vikas, whose competition licence has been revoked by the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India, was reportedly driving the car at 140kmph while returning from a party . While he was negotiating a curve opposite Stella Maris College on Cathedral Road, the vehicle hit a median and swerved to the left. Airbags and the car's superior safety system saved Anand and Charan from the impact, but killed Arumugham, an autodriver. One good note is that upon hearing the news about the tragic accident, Nadigar Sangam general secretary and actor Vishal  stepped in to finance the educational expenses of Manisha (7), daughter of the deceased auto driver Arumugam through his educational trust.

Sad a precious life was lost due to the rich man’s partying, inebriation and driving – life perhaps will never back for the kith and kin of the deceased, and the injured.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

22^nd Sept. 2016.

India's 500th Test at Kanpur ~ some history and Q on 1st Test and 1st victory !!

Decades ago, on 25^th June (yes, the same day when Kapil won WC 1983) in Test no. 219, India debuted at Lords – the first Cricket test between India and England.  England's batting was opened by the Yorkshire pair, Herbert Sutcliffe and Percy Holmes, who had established a world record of 555 runs for the first wicket the week before against Essex at Leyton. In his second over, Mahomed Nissar, by sheer pace and swing, dismissed them both – just a day before some of the Indian players had woken up their tour captain, the Maharajah of Porbandar, and told him they were not willing to play under C.K. Nayudu, the man whom he had nominated to lead India in the Test.

Much water has flown under the bridge, as India is set to play their 500^th test at Kanpur today.  The series moves on to Kolkata and then to Indore for the next two Tests. New Zealand hasn't won a single Test in India since 1989. Of the 31 Test matches played in India, New Zealand has won just two, losing 13 and drawing 16. The two sides have taken part in 10 series on Indian soil, and eight of these have gone in favour of the hosts, with two ending in draws.  

Statistically in 499 matches thus far, India has won 129; lost 157; drawn 212 – and if they are not adding still, you need to remember that Test against Aussies at Chepauk in 1988 – the tied test ! .. .. do you know when did Indians tasted victory first in Test Cricket and against whom ?

"Nana Sahib with his escort" by Unknown engraver (London Printing and Publishing Co.) - History of the Indian Mutiny (late 1950s, about 1860). Found at columbia.edu. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -

Nana Sahib,  born as Dhondu Pant, led the Kanpur rebellion during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. As the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II, he was entitled to a pension from the English East India Company. The Company's refusal to continue the pension after his father's death, as well as what he perceived as high-handed policies, compelled him to revolt and seek freedom from company rule in India.

Kanpur is one of the largest cities in India by land area and populous too. Kanpur is situated on the bank of the Ganges River and has been an important place in the history of modern India. Kanpur was one of the main centres of industrial revolution in India. It was known as Manchester of the East. Towards the end of 19^th  century, Sir John Burney Allens established a group of companies such as Kanpur Textiles, Cawnpore Woollen Mills (Lal-imli), Flex Shoes Company, Elgin Mills and North Tannery under the banner of British India Corporation having headquarters at Kanpur. In the beginning of the 20^th  century, Lala Kamlapat established a group of companies such as; J.K. Cotton Mills and J.K. Iron etc.  The British Government also established a number of factories like; Aircraft Manufacturing Depot, Kanpur (Now HAL), Ordnance Factory, Kanpur (Manufactured the Nirbheek Revolver) and Parachute Factory in 1886 to supplement their defence requirements.

In earlier centuries, it was part of the Oudh kingdom and then came into the hands of the British. At this time, the British realized the strategic importance of the site of Kanpur. European businessmen had, by this time, started establishing themselves in Kanpur.  Kanpur later became one of the most important military stations of British India.

That elusive victory came at Chepauk in Feb 1952 in Test no. 345 against England – a win by an innings and 8 runs.  Our  hero was Vinoo Mankad, who bowled superbly in each innings, taking twelve wickets in the match for 108. His performance of eight for 55 in the first innings has seldom been bettered in Test cricket when it is considered that the pitch gave him little assistance. Mankad's bowling inspired the whole side, the fielding being far better than in previous matches and the batting possessed a more adventurous spirit, necessary for the occasion. Carr led England for the first time, Howard standing down with pleurisy, this being the one change from the Kanpur side.

During the afternoon of day 1,  the death of King George VI was announced and arrangements were changed, the second day being made the rest day.  The win came at their 25^th attempt. 

Wayback in 1979, when West Indies toured India, the last test – the 6th of that Series was played at Kanpur.   Interestingly that test (No.845) played in Feb 1979 was scheduled to be a six day match between 2^nd  and 8^th  Feb 1979.  West Indies were without their star players as they were playing in Packer’s World Series and banned.  Sunil Gavaskar led the Indians, scored runs and won at Chepauk, in an otherwise dull series.  Though that Kanpur test  was scheduled to be a 6 day affair to enable a result – that did not happen eventually !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

22^nd Sept. 2016.

Paralympic Rio 2016 closes ~ Iranian cyclist dies in an accident !

How do you react when denied a chance ? – Organise one is the answer – Tamil Nadu Premier League ended yesterday night – more on that in a later post !

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games was brought to a close inside a packed Maracana Stadium on Sunday (18.9.2016) evening.   The Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).  The Paralympic Games are organized in parallel with the Olympic Games.

Singers, dancers and fireworks lit up the iconic stadium before tributes were paid to Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died on Saturday. Sir Philip Craven, International Paralympic Committee president, said the movement was "united in grief". Referring to the success of the Games, Craven said the Rio Paralympics were "uniquely Brazilian and wondrous". "The Brazil we love so much has shown the world what it can do. This celebration started with a dream. It was 20 years in the making. Many thought it was impossible. But not for Rio and Brazil."The impossible happened. Brazilians never give up." – he added.

The impairments are classified. All impairment groups can compete in athletics but a system of letters and numbers is used to distinguish each class. For example, a letter F is for field athletes, T represents those who compete on the track, and the number shown refers to their impairment. 11-13: Track and field athletes who are visually impaired. Blind athletes compete in class 11, wear compulsory blindfolds and run with a guide runner. Athletes in class 12 are visually impaired but running with a guide is optional. 42-47: Track and field amputees. In classes 42-44 the legs are affected and in class 45-47 the arms are affected. Athletes in these classes compete standing and do not use a wheelchair. T51-54: Wheelchair track athletes. Athletes in class 51-52 are affected in both lower and upper limbs. T53 athletes have fully functioning arms but have no trunk function at all, while T54 athletes have partial trunk and leg functions.

It was gloomy - Bahman Golbarnezhad, a 48-year-old Iranian cyclist, died after crashing during a race in Rio de Janiero on Saturday. The Paralympian was cycling on a mountainous stretch of the road race at the time of the crash, according to a statement from the International Paralympic Committee. "The athlete received treatment at the scene and was in the process of being taken to the athlete hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest. The ambulance then diverted to the nearby Unimed Rio Hospital in Barra where he passed away soon after arrival," it said. Golbarnezhad "also participated at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and took up the sport in 2002," the committee said.

The 48-year-old from Shiraz lost control on a descent 35km into the race, at 10.35am local time, the head of Iran’s national Paralympic committee (NPC) said.  Witness statements were being taken in an attempt to ascertain whether any other rider was involved and the exact circumstances of the accident. The crash happened at a right-hand bend on Avenida Estado da Guanabara on the hilly Grumari circuit, a spokesman for the Rio 2016 organising committee said. Golbarnezhad received immediate medical attention and initially presented good vital signs, despite having sustained a head injury and caused significant damage to his cycling helmet, the spokesman added. However, his condition deteriorated after he was transferred to an ambulance. Golbarnezhad died following a second cardiac arrest – the first happened as he was transferred into the ambulance – on arrival at Unimed Rio hospital in Barra at 11.50am local time on Saturday.

Pic credit : npr.org.

Rio 2016, which took cost-cutting measures in the implementation of the Paralympics, and the IPC insisted none of the cuts affected the athletes, competitions or safety. Craven added that the ambulance was staffed by a doctor, in addition to paramedics. “Everything was done to try to save Bahman’s life,” he said. The road races began at Pontal and included the Grumari circuit incorporated in the Rio Olympics road races. The Vista Chinesa circuit – which included a treacherous descent where Holland’s Annemiek van Vleuten crashed into the kerb, sustaining heavy concussion – was not part of the Paralympic course.

Cyclist Golbarnezhad's death is the first in competition at a summer Olympics or Paralympics since Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen in the 100km team time trial at the 1960 Rome Olympics. "Tonight is a celebration of the last 12 days of sport but it's also a very sombre occasion following Saturday's extremely tragic events," Craven said, upon opening his speech.

India capped off a successful Paralympic Games campaign in Rio de Janeiro by procuring their best ever haul of four medals, including two golds and a silver and bronze medal apiece. Mariyappan Thangavelu and Varun Singh Bhati secured India two medals in the high jump category. Thangavelu created history by winning a gold medal in the men's high jump T-42 event, with a leap of 1.89 metres, thereby putting his Periyavadagampatti village in Tamil Nadu's Salem district on the world map. Varun Singh Bhati, who jumped a personal best of 1.86 metres to clinch bronze in the men's high jump T-42 event, faced a lot of hardships before achieving the historic feat. The 21-year-old, who trains at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru, is suffering from a T-42 disability.   A historic silver medal ensured Deepa Malik scripted history; she won second place in the women's shotput F53 event at the Rio Paralympics on Monday, with a personal best throw of 4.61m. Then came Devendra Jhajhariya, India's sole gold medalist at the Paralympics prior to 2016. Jhajhariya went on to break his own world record and made the javelin gold medal his own. "If you have the willpower then nothing is impossible in this world. I won my first paralympics medal in 2004, and now, after 12 years, it is just the dedication and hardwork which paid off," Jhajhariya, who is a coach with the Gandhinagar centre of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), told IANS from Rio after his victory on Wednesday.

With four medals and three fourth-place finishes, India capped off a memorable campaign featuring three personal bests at the Rio Paralympics 2016. Were you following ~ I shamelessly confess that I was following TNPL more than Paralympics.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

19^th Sept. 2016.