Anand Krishna’s musings

In the last year or so, I have read of at least 7 Indian students in the US being killed- whether stabbed, shot or as victims of the shoot-out at Virginia Tech. And several other non-students have also been targeted- the most recent was a Gujarati emigre who had a grocery store in Roanoke, Virginia. I wonder if this sudden upsurge in violence against Indians in the US is motivated by jealousy caused by the fact that Indians emerging as the most affluent segment of US society.

Amid all the celebrations to mark India’s triumph Down Under, spare a thought for Adam Gilchrist. A sad, unheralded end to a blazing career. How many times has Gilchrist’s willow almost single-handedly decimated rival teams’ morale and strategies. No asking rate seemed too high when Gilchrist was at the crease. Even as a fan of the oft-losing Indian team (gainst Australia), I have marvelled at Gilly’s on-field presence. He was as electrifying behind the stumps as he was in front of them. His tendency to “walk” has been held as a shining example of sportsmanship. He walked even today, his last ODI.
I was quite surprised when Gilchrist did not seem to have said much after the unfortunate goings-on during the Sydney test and its bitter aftermath. Perhaps Gilly did not approve of what his captain and team-mates were doing. Not long after, he announced his retirement. Maybe for him, honour was more important than winning.

Thanks for all the memories, Gilly.  Millions of cricket fans- including yours truly- will miss you.

23 long years of drought have ended. India has won a tri-series tournament in Australia- beating the much-fancied home side. Many of the architects of today’s win were either not born or were toddlers when, under Gavaskar’s captaincy, India last won in 1985. Funnily enough, both Sunny and Shastri, key players in that win, were commentators this time.

In these intervening 23 years, world cricket has seen a major shift, with the once-mighty West Indies steadily ceding their position to the Australians. Border, Taylor, Waugh and most recently, Ponting, have led talented teams to ever-growing pre-eminence.

But in the last couple of years, there have been sporadic but definitive signs that Australia’s dominance may be on the wane. They lost the Ashes, lost tests and ODIs to various teams, including some minnows. And now, in the last week or so, Sri Lanka and then India, have demolished the myth of Australia’s invincibility on the cricket field.

What makes the win sweeter for India is the string of non-cricket controversies that have been associated with almost every game the two teams have played since the Australians toured India last October.

Kumble led he Indians to a creditable performance in the test series, including a win at Perth. After the test series, Dhoni took a huge gamble by opting for youth over experience and big names in his ODI team (Sachin was the lone exception). Happily for Dhoni-and India- the young brigade gelled well as a unit and in the last week, have beaten Sri Lanka and Australia quite convincingly.

All through the tour, several Indian players have said that India is probably the nly side that has consistently challenged the Aussies. Recent performances have validated those statements as more than just bravado or hot air.

Australia is rebuilding its team. But so too is India. And right now, the young Indian team is on top.

Bravo India! Here’s to many more scintillating performances in the coming years.

Both at Sydney on Sunday and at Brisbane today, Harbhajan Singh played a role in getting Hayden and Symonds out. One wonders if this is an example of justice meted out by a higher being in the cosmos, given all the trouble these two Australian batsmen have given Harbhajan over the last couple of months. And let’s not forget that in the test series, Bhajji accounted for Ponting more than a few times.

The big question in the Indian team now seems to be “whose bunny will Ponting be”?! And clearly, there are many contenders.