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THE FLIGHT OF THE KIWIS

This edition of the T20 World Cup has sprung a few surprises right from the start. Most notable being the resurgence of New Zealand as a strong contender to clinch the coveted title. Three wins out of three, as I pen this column; and going strong. New Zealand has always been the dark horse in most world cups, in both the formats. Jog back your memory to 1992 world cup, when this tiny island nation was on a roll. They beat their archrivals Australia in the opener, and followed up with wins against the other top teams. Thus, surprising even their harshest of critics, making them believe, that they could make one day cricket’s most prestigious title as their own. Until a young talent by the name Inzamam Ul-Haq suddenly brought that New Zealand’s team juggernaut to a grinding halt. Post the 1992 edition, New Zealand have toppled big names in world cups, but have never ended up lifting the trophy. The closest they came was during the 2015 world cup, when they lost the
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THE ART OF SNATCHING DEFEAT

Winning is a habit. But so is losing. Dhoni and his boys just proved this at the Manuka Oval. How else could one possibly explain the horrendous performance by Indian batsmen, when only 72 runs were needed in 75 balls with 9 wickets in hand? With the way Dhawan and Kohli were batting, one got a feeling, India would finally enjoy the sweet taste of success after a string of defeats. But what unfolded at Manuka Oval left every Indian fan disillusioned. It was a meltdown of such gigantic proportions, it would make the best of economists scratch their heads. Kohli, Rahane, Gurkeerat Singh, Rishi Dhawan- all back in the pavilion as though they had more pressing matters to address off the field. It was truly an aberration of sorts. So what exactly unfolded on that fateful afternoon? To put it mildly, India had simply forgotten the art of winning matches from what seemed to be a comfortable position. It’s really difficult to conjure up logical reasons to
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A TALE OF TWO COACHES

As South Africa’s players celebrated and posed for the shutterbugs after their victory against England, one man definitely was missing from this revelry. The man who, without any recrimination, can be penciled in as the architect of this win. The man whom Indian cricket owes a lot to, too. Gary Kirsten, India’s erstwhile coach and the current coach of Team South Africa.  Kirsten played a pivotal role in India’s World Cup triumph last year. Since his departure, things haven’t really gone well for India. Not that we are pointing fingers here or hinting at names.  One usually gets a false impression of the man; unassuming and almost detached, as he stood proudly watching the celebrations at Lords. But beneath lies a shrewd and clever student of the game. Someone who has the knack of uplifting the game of even seasoned players, let alone fledglings.  Case in point, Jacques Kallis.  One of the finest all-rounders of the game, Kallis was showing signs of wear and te
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