India in danger of exiting Champions Trophy 2009

Pakistan has all but qualified for the semi finals, and unless we beat Australia and the West Indies, we’re pretty much out of the ongoing Champions Trophy tournament.

Even before the team left Indian shores, we knew it would not be easy, given that our bowling attack was depleted by Zak’s absence and our batting by Sehwag’s and Yuvraj’s absence. And yet, somehow, the manner in which we lost yesterday leaves a feeling of annoyance, or of betrayal. Barring Ishant (who had not been very consistent over the last 9 months), none of our bowlers made any impression. On a sub-continent type track that assisted the slower bowlers, Bhajji conceded over 70 runs in his spell of 10 overs- a dubious first for him. And although he is only a part-time bowler, Yuvraj has been so valuable recently that his bowling was missed.

We will find out tomorrow how we fare against the Australians, who, it must be said, have not been quite the disciplined, ruthless team that they have been for ages (never mind the 6-1 win over England). And speaking of England, they haven’t done too badly in the tournament so far, have they? A win over Sri Lanka and a solid performance with the bat at Centurion earlier today may well see them get the better of the Proteas as well… now, wouldn’t that be a surprise?

India-Pakistan relations: a stuck gramophone record

India continues to demand that Pakistan stop adding and abetting terror before talks resume. For its part, Pakistan continues to assert that the evidence provided by India linking specific individuals from Pakistan to the 26/11 attacks is inadequate. It also constantly reiterates the need to seek a resolution to “all outstanding issues”- a not so oblique reference to Kashmir.

It now comes to light that “back-channel diplomacy” came close to achieving significant breakthroughs during Gen. Musharraf’s tenure as President on Sir Creek and also, Siachen. But frankly, it suits interests in both countries to keep the problem simmering, as it affords politicians on both sides the opportunity to divert attention from domestic problems.

Kirsten’s performance mantra: sex before a match

Whether or not a roll in the hay the night before a match will contribute to the players’ performance is a moot point. But what the disclosure of Gary Kirsten’s dossier has done is to give the media (and opposition teams) lots of masala. Imagine an opposition fielder asking a batsman if he had a good time last night- perhaps a lot more crudely. And it would not even be called sledging! And if someone doesn’t perform well (in a strictly cricketing sense, I hasten to add), well, the mind boggles at the possible jibes that will be hurled at him.

Maybe testosterone levels will go up after a night of good sex and that will drive aggression and performance on the field. But surely, this advice could have been given verbally on a one-on-one basis or at least, not documented and disseminated, as it supposedly was.

Who knows- maybe a bowler being “no-balled” will come to mean something very different in the days ahead. Just as a “half-cock” shot might show up a batsman in bad light!

Wake up call or portent of what’s coming?

Yesterday’s inexplicable capitulation to New Zealand in the only warm-up game India has in the Champions Trophy is surely cause for worry. As expected, our bowling attack was not very incisive, and we allowed the Kiwis to post a massive score of 300 runs on the board. Dravid and Karthik started sedately, but soon raised the tempo and we were going along at a brisk run rate of almost 7 runs an over. Once both of them got out, it was pretty heavy weather. Wickets kept falling with metronomic regularity, and but for Abhishek Nayar and Amit Mishra essaying a fine rearguard action, India may not even have scored 150 runs. Even before they left for SA, our bowling and fielding were areas of concern; now, even batting seems to have become one.

The China factor

In a world that is today largely unipolar, China is clearly looking to displace the US as the world’s superpower in another 15-20 years. India’s growing economic prowess, and its consequent impact on India’s military strength and political clout globally is therefore definitely a worry for our northern neighbor, as it means there is competition for the top slot.

The government has assiduously sought to downplay media reports on reported “incursions” by the PLA into Arunachal Pradesh, even as the Army Chief has sought to reassure the nation that India is well prepared and that a 1962-like situation will not recur. All that is well and good, but India needs to figure out a more permanent solution. A military conflict is not the answer, but political dialogue has not got us very far either. So I suppose the only solution is to make our economy so strong and resilient, and our development processes equitable and all-pervasive, so that our people are not tempted to succumb to any foreign lures.

Good luck, India!

The Indian cricket team is on its way to South Africa for the Champions Trophy, which sees the top 8 cricketing teams compete for the trophy.  India has Pakistan, Australia and the West Indies in its group, so getting to be one of the top 2 teams is not easy. Pakistan has a solid bowling attack- exactly what India seems to lack at the moment. And the Australians will have their tails high after creaming England 7-0 (technically, it’s still 6-0 at the time of writing and it may end up as 6-1, to be fair to England). And with the ICC leaving the door open for the Windies to field its top team if the issues between the Board and the Players are resolved in the next few days, they can’t be discounted fully either.

But what of India? The win in Colombo last week would have helped them get their confidence back. But the Wanderers is not the Premadasa. Indeed, at the start of the South African cricket season (remember it’s the southern hemisphere and summer is about to set in), pitches there will favor seam and fast bowling. And India is without Zaheer Khan. But that is exactly what champions are made of- when the chips are down and the world has all but written them off, true champs come right back- and knock the opponents’ socks off. So good luck, India!

Should “austerity” be such a big deal?

For the last few days, Indian media has been working overtime to carry stories about which MP or political leader traveled economy class, who went by train etc. Well, I have news for our mediapersons. To be brutally honest, as an “aam aadmi”, I don’t give a damn about our political leaders’ preferred (or forced) modes of transport. There are other issues of far greater importance that I think the media should focus on!

The post-YSR scenario in Andhra Pradesh

The media is full of reports that YSR’s supporters want his son Jaganmohan Reddy to become the next CM of AP. I suppose in the Congress, this kind of “dynastic” succession is not new; but I was surprised at Jaganmohan Reddy’s apparent silence on the subject. By all counts, he is a political novice, with not even 6 months of “public office experience” under his belt.

I would have thought that leaders like Rahul Gandhi would have prevailed upon YSR’s supporters to support Rosiah (or some other experienced leader) at this time of crisis, and let Jagan accumulate more experience in politics and governance over the next 2-3 years, so that he would have emerged as a clear leader before the next elections. And if he led the party to victory, well, he would have proved himself in battle- and emerged as undisputed leader.

But then maybe I should not have been surprised…. to be honest and fair, the last word has not been written to YSR’s successor. Perhaps the Congress will still redeem itself.

The proposed reforms to Std X “Board Exams”

As someone who took his CBSE Std X “Board Exams” (and got through them, I hasten to add) a long time ago, I must admit that my first reaction to Union HR Minister Kapil Sibal’s plans to do away with “Board Exams” was on the lines of “wish it had happened when I was in Grade 8″.

But as a parent, I must confess to a feeling of unease. I completely agree with the need to “destress” kids and make education more fun than the drudgery it has become. But is the way to do so making “Board Exams” optional? And given the large numbers of students our schools produce every year, competition is already very stiff to get admission to colleges with decent faculty & infrastructure (never mind “reputation” or “kewl quotient”). By introducing grades instead of marks, how will educational institutions distinguish between a student with an A+ (say the equivalent of 96% marks) and another student, who also has secured an A+ (but has scored maybe 95% or 97%). And since this change will impact only schools affiliated to the CBSE, what happens to students who study in schools affiliated to the ICSE or IB- or even the so-called “State Board” schools? Is a student with an “A” (CBSE) better than a student with 90% (ICSE) or 94% (State Board)?

Will this step result in parents rushing to get their children admitted to a school system where “Board Exams” are optional? Do these schools have the capacity to absorb so many students from other systems? Or will other Boards follow suit and migrate towards a uniform system of “grades”?

A large part of India’s success and indeed, the enjoyed by Indian diaspora outside India, is arguably due to the grind the Indian education system put them through. They may not remember the year in which Babur invaded India or what the directive principles of state policy mean- but on average, the product of the Indian education system is fairly well-informed about various things. Even more important, s/he is accustomed to pressure and well aware of the need to work hard.

Mr Sibal, while I do not question your motives, please do spare a thought for the long-term competitiveness of our country.

Why send priests from India to Nepal?

It is said that that the tradition of sending priests from South India to the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal began with Adi Sankara besting a monk in debate all those centuries ago.  That may well have been the origin of the practice, but surely, it’s time to examine if it makes sense to continue to send priests from India. The recent incident where two priests from Karnataka were disrobed and beaten up (supposedly by Maoists who are allegedly looking to  supplant Indian influence in the Himalayan kingdom) should be used as the reason to pull back Indian priests.

Let YSR’s death not be in vain

If various media reports are to be believed, the Bell helicopter that YSR took on that fateful day may not have been airworthy; even if it was, why was the more modern Agusta not used, when it was available?

There seems to be a tendency among VVIPs to throw their weight around (today’s Times of India mentions a CM from North India who refused to take his pilot’s advice about not flying and later got the pilot transferred).  I am not saying that Mr YS Reddy threw his weight around- but I do wonder why his security officer and principal secretary were not able to prevail upon him to change his views- especially when the met department had predicted heavy rains. Finally, if the weather en route was deteriorating badly, should not the pilots have exercised their professional judgment and changed course at the earliest? Perhaps they tried but were unsuccessful…. we may never know.

I hope this tragedy will serve as a reminder to VVIPs who attempt to over-ride professional opinions.

Sadly, the country has lost one of its more able CMs – one who was very connected with the rural masses and farmers just as he remained focused on upgrading urban infrastructure and attracting investment into the state.

Like millions of others across Andhra Pradesh and indeed, India, I offer my condolences to all 5  bereaved families and pray that God grants peace to the departed souls.