A Tale of a "gifted" Indian farmer

A Tale of a "gifted" Indian farmer

This is the story of an Indian farmer who has dedicated all his life to his profession. He started understanding the basics as well as the technicalities of it at a very raw age of eight. At that age, many of us would have played marbles in the sand, many of us would have played Hide-n-seek in the garden, counting the numbers loudly with one eye shut and the other peeping at the hiding places of friends from the space between the fingers. Many of us would have inserted a comic book inside one of those boring History text books, pretending to study when Mom was around and then after fooling them, bursting into innocuous animal like laughter. That was the age of innocence, an age to run, tumble, jump all day and get back home exhausted, with bruised knees and elbows, yet finding enough energy to run around the house, screaming with disdain, when Mom comes and hands over a glass of pure, plain, unadulterated milk. But this child (the farmer) was gifted. He, along with all these naughty pranks could do something that children of his age can’t even fathom. He took his profession as seriously as a P.T Teacher would take his exercises and training sessions.

When he grew up, there were various comparisons drawn between him and his fellow mates who were also engaged in the same profession. But the line of demarcation between good farmers and better farmers cannot be drawn when the conditions are ideal for farming. In fact, it could be drawn only when the conditions are tricky, simply because “Even an ordinary farmer can produce surplus when the conditions are ideal, but what would be interesting to see is, whether that same farmer can still produce the same amount with the same quality when the conditions are not conducive ?” As I said, this child was gifted, he could turn the tide in his favour with his sheer determination.

“Inside the stomach of some geniuses, smoulders a defiance that is abnormal, a will so powerful that no ordinary barometer can register it.” There were torrential downpours, floods, lightening and thunder. There were long dry spells, scanty rains and there were landslides too. But that never stopped this man. He fought against all odds with great fortitude. He tackled every problem with a positive mindset and never relinquished in the battle of strife. To every question raised, he had an answer, to every problem encountered he had a solution, and to every plan plotted he had a strategy. Someone rightly said “He is a magician, he could well convert a barren land into a lush green paradise”.

Yes he is none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Sealed as a child prodigy, he never took his feet off the ground and enjoyed the blissful and euphoric thunderstorms with intense serenity. It would have been very easy for him to sail in the boat of exaltation that always kept surrounding him, but he chose the difficult path by turning a blind eye to it and concentrating on his main job. He never drenched himself in the incessant showers of name and fame that he received everywhere in the World. Now, you might be wondering how Sachin is a farmer and what is his relation with farming ? My answer to this question would be that I have used the word “farmer” as a metaphor for Sachin. But even Sachin has done the job of a farmer for Indian Cricket.

Just like a young, passionate farmer, he ploughed his way in the Indian side first, and then in no time, ploughed his way in a billion hearts. Later, with his captivating vigour, he sowed the seeds of passion that he had for the game, which gave rise to the seeds of expectations in many spectator’s hearts and whenever he came into bat, there was an air of jubilation, an air of his exuberance. This passion made the game so popular in India that every youngster wanted to play and be like him. The height of obsession finally reached its apogee. He never disappointed his fans and took complete care of the seed, he watered it regularly with his consistent performances and looked after its growth and progress at every step. Today, after the germination and further transitions, the seed has transformed into a huge tree, a tree that binds more than a billion branches together. The fruits that it bears are being bestowed to every Cricket lover who admires the game and wants to get involved in it. He has reached the pinnacle of success, the epitome of glory and there is hardly anything left for him to accomplish. But the hunger to do the unthinkable that rests in his soul separates him from the rest. The game is played in a very different way from the way it was played in the earlier days, but this man has adapted to it superbly, much like what a farmer does at the time of adversity. He has an exotic range of strokes in his bag which includes both the traditional as well as modern style of play - much like the implements of a farmer which includes the traditional as well as modern ones for effective farming.

So finally, is he the farmer of Indian Cricket ? You decide. Because, to me he already is more than just a farmer. A farmer puts in a lot of effort while performing his tasks, but even in those delightful years when the productivity increases three folds and reaches new highs, he can’t guarantee food for all and alleviate hunger in the country. But this man brings in smile and ensures satisfaction to even those, who work hard all day, uncertain and unaware as to whether there will be enough money to have any food at night ? A farmer cannot bring back the vision of a blind, but this man brings joy and ecstasy even in those eyes, which can’t see him, but can always feel the emotions in their hearts. Adjectives and superlatives aren't enough to describe the caliber of this man who has been carrying Indian cricket on his shoulders for the past 22 years. Therefore one title that suits him best is “GOD of Cricket”.

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Parthiv Patel: Patel Scope II

What a summer it has been for the Indian Cricket team in England. A summer of misery, misfortune and ignominy. Not only has the fall from the top of ICC Test ranking humbled the mighty Indians, it has also left them battered and bruised both physically and mentally. There have been pulled hamstrings, twisted ankles, broken fingers and bumped skulls. Those will be healed in time, mended back as the Lord made them. But the dents in the mind will be for there to stay. Suresh Raina will have nightmares about the booming bouncers, Sehwag will wonder why his bat kept on fishing outside the off stump, Yuvraj will not know if his any good at the five day stuff and Harbhajan Singh will search in vain for answers to his lost fang. As the tour has progressed the casualty list has grown longer but not longer than the faces of millions of Indian fans. As if the whitewash in the Tests had not been a wound deep enough, England managed to push the dagger further still with a thrilling win in the lone T20. Perhaps given this disaster raised to the power ten performance of the Indian team one cannot blame Sanjay Manjarekar for sounding out the defeatist statement that it is not fair for the Indian team to win the ODIs. In the back drop of this dark and sombre past when Parthiv Patel roars down the pitch to pull a towering Tim Bresnan out of ground imagine how many beats do the heart of the Indian fan skip. More than one for sure.

If size mattered in Cricket, Parthiv Patel would be playing a different game. Thankfully, it is the vertically challenged that have set Cricket grounds on fire. When Parthiv first came into the Indian Test team at the tender age of 17, commentators and viewers alike had him confused for a lost schoolboy. Navjot Singh Sidhu cut many jokes at the expense of the little man to great applause. He did not disappoint anyone but neither did he make himself proud. In spite of the trust of the captain he could not quite make a case for himself. Then Dhoni appeared on the scene and the wicketkeeper position of the team was permanently occupied. Since then chances have come in trickles and Parthiv has been ordinary at best. But this is not an article to discuss the Parthiv the wicketkeeper who failed to keep his place, this is a tribute to Parthiv the batsman who sneaked into the team and took everyoneÃÔ breath away, Patel style.

Do Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina look alike? Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson certainly thought so, hence the short stuff came thick and fast©Ând went higher and faster. Anybody watching the Durham rubber when Parthiv was playing might as well have thought Brian Lara has decided to don the Indian colours. For a moment millions back in India wondered whether it was the same English attack that had India running short of tourniquet supply only a week and a half ago! It certainly was the same as Rohit Sharma found to his pain and agony. But before that, when Parthiv occupied the crease, it was as ordinary an attack as any. For once the English bowlers were not sure of their line and length and the ability to bowl 90 mph did not look like such a good thing. In a clear hangover from the Test matches they stuck to the idea of banging it short only to see the tiny Indian swivel like a helicopter rotor on his heels putting snorter after snorter away to the boundary. For all those who had their spirits low because of the absence of Gambhir and Tendulkar, these strokes must have come as unexpected bonus. And as if the disdain with power was not enough, the stylish manoeuvres towards third man showed that Parthiv Patel was not all brawn. When this mincing of the bowlers was going on one felt oddly surprised at the repeated mention of the big nought in the 100s columns in PatelÃÔ record book, in all forms of one day cricket. How could someone who can pummel these first rate English pacers with such consummate ease not have scored a century against the weak Indian provincial bowlers on the batting paradise of Indian pitches is indeed a case to ponder on. Equally peeving was the commentators mistrust on PatelÃÔ ability to clear the boundary. The first complaint could have been taken care of but for a mere five runs. The second one though did not go abegging.

Come Rose Bowl, Southampton and Patel Scope was extended to sixes. Tim Bresnan came steaming in, downed a short, saw Patel come steaming at him back and heave; ball crosses the boundary, all aerial. Tim Bresnan walked back, an unhappy big man. But it would go on to happen to him once more in the same over, four balls later. This time the ball does not rise as much, so Patel gets under it, pulls it up like a master, bisecting deep square leg and deep mid wicket. Brian Lara couldnÃÕ have done it any better. Commentators, the pocket rocket can launch cricket balls out of big grounds, mind it.

It is sweet Karmic justice that Parthiv Patel is finding his touch in the same place where he first entered international arena, England. Getting selected at 17 and dropped at 19, Parthiv was always a story unfinished. He is still 26 and has just got wings under his arms. May this be the second beginning of a dream that had turned comatose.

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The end of an era

The end of an era

Australian cricket's rise to ascendency co-incided with my passage into youth. Passionate about cricket as I was and Indian cricket in particular, I couldn't help but admire the ruthlessness Aussies introduced into the gentlemen's game. Soon they were snatching victories from impossible situations, ruthlessly stamping out oppositions, pouncing on any signs of weakness and bringing an aura of invincibility which for the first time in history surrounded a whole team rather than on talented individuals

Cricket had already seen a near invincible team in the West Indies who ruled the roost for years; but where West Indies depended on individual flair, personal agression and in your face bowling by intidimating giants, Australian agression was on a different level. They were ruthless and they were unforgiving. Such was their aura under the unflappable Steve Waugh that even Australian newbies were succesfully intidimating players in the opposition who had years of experience under their belt.

Apart from the winning attitude, Australian team was spoilt for riches. A spin wizard the likes of whom cricket had never seen before and will be twice blessed to see again, a medium paced bowler who redefined the term miserly and was at the same time intimidating, an up and coming number three batsman for all times and a captain who seemed almost bionic in his calm composure in difficult situations. We were made to believe that the Aussie domestic structure encouraged and had in the pipeline an endless assembly of talent. And when we saw the likes of Gilchrist and Hayden emerge, we could but nod our head in agreement. Surely a team which could afford to let someone of the caliber of Mike Hussey toil for years in its domestic structure could never be surpassed in terms of talent and results. An Aussie needed to earn his test cap, and only SWAT commandoes had a tougher qualification process

Years has passed since with 6 Ashes and 4 world cups in between. There's been a slight squeak in the wheels, the players in the Australian team seem human for the first time. They talk like Aussies and try to walk like Aussies but they are not the ones we learnt to fear and revere. Only Ponting alone seems to one of the last remanant of a lost legacy and even he has to occasionaly shake his head in disbelief at the passage of time and in the process the end of an era.

Turned out that we were misled. There is no endless procession of invincible Aussies ready to take over the world and trample the opponents under their feet. The current team accodomates the likes of Johnson and White, Clarke and Haddin, who no doubt great talents in themselves, are not a shade of what Australia always stood for in cricket. The Aussie empire finally lies in ruins like every empire in history. While it went strong we were led to believe that that would always be the case, Australia ruling cricket was destiny. With its fall we wonder why it did not happen earlier

When an empire falls, there is always a clamour for succesion and the rise of smaller kingdoms to fill the void. Such will be the case for years to come. No one team can stake its claim to be an undispted number one and the battle and competition to prove oneself will continue for years. Many will claim that the fall of Australia is good for cricket in general and the competion for no 1 will help the game of cricket. Only time will tell

Make no mistakes, Aussies are no West Indies and they will not lie dormant for long. But will any team in the history of this game I love ever be able to achieve the heights which Steve Waugh's team did? I somehow doubt that. The champion of champions were possible because of a myriad of factors coming together at the right time. Never again in the history of cricket might this be possible. Maybe years into the future we might see a team again which changes the course of the game with its approach and temprament, with its self-belief and ruthlessness, with its dominance and agressiveness, with unmatched talent and composure. Till then, with Ponting, I would like to silently reflect on the changing times and the end of an era.

Sometimes when a giant tree falls in a forest it makes a loud noise. But sometimes the end comes only with a wimper. Its only when we look back that we see one particular moment, one match as a defining moment of a paradigm shift. And this world cup and the Ashes before was such moments. The invincible Aussies will live long in our memories and record books. But the relentless march of time has another victim and no clear hier in sight

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Batting Powerplay : An Unsolved mystery

Batting Powerplay : An Unsolved mystery

Every new innovation, every new rule framed in the game has edged highly in favour of the batsmen these days. From the “free hit” to the legality of the “switch hit” and the “Scoop shot”, but who would blame them! After all it’s a “Batsman’s Game” isn’t it ?. In fact I won’t be surprised if they come with rules like :

1) Limiting the number of yorkers a bowler can bowl in a game.

2) A short ball will result in direct ban on the bowler and he will be suspended for at least 3 ODIs and a Test Match. Extra penalty if it is pacy one.

3) There will be a limitation on the amount of turn one can extract out of the surface. Any amount of turn exceeding the prescribe limit will be given as no-ball and the entire over will be declared Free Hit (to be called free over).

4) Compulsory length bowling in the death overs, and 2 mandatory full tosses per over in the middle overs (from over 16 to 40) so that the boundaries are not dried up at any point in time. Any violation of this law would amount to full cancellation of the match fees along with a coaching session with Ajit Agarkar who will teach the basics on this law.

But seriously, are we overlooking the role of a bowler in Cricket by framing such rules, just for the sake of Crowd entertainment ?

The Powerplay was introduced to eliminate the element of boredom that the crowd faces in the middle overs (between overs 16-40 – that’s approximately 2 hours). Crowds get bored especially on a hot sultry afternoon. In order to keep the crowd involved in the game, they made this rule of batting powerplay. But it seems that no captain is adventurous enough to take it in the middle overs, and they usually keep it till the very end.

Many sides think that the ideal time for the batting Powerplay is when you actually want to go berserk, say in the last few overs. And hence we see most sides preferring to take it in the last 6-8 overs. When you sift through the batting line ups of major sides, you will see the number 7 and 8 are either hard hitting batsman or all rounders. India has Yusuf, Harbhajan, Pakistan has Afridi and Razzaq etc. Similarly many sides have hard hitters because they feel that it’s the amount of depth in hitting factor in the batting line up which is of utmost importance when one takes the Powerplay. And since it’s the last batting pair, it will be a key how they utilize the powerplay.

Some sides also don’t mind going for it as early as in the 35th over, when the ball is changed, its hard and new, and it comes nicely onto the bat. They believe that the powerplay will be of very little help in the end as they can anyway get 9-10 an over even without the powerplay on, so it’s better to use it early. But teams don’t prefer it when they fear losing a wicket in the middle overs, as if a wicket falls, the powerplay will be wasted.

However, in some games against the minnows, we see sides taking the powerplay as early as in 20-25 overs. They feel that it’s their best batsmen at the top who can utilize the powerplay to the fullest. And if a wicket falls, they can send in a pinch hitter for some quick runs and the balance of the line up is not altered as the crease occupiers and nudgers could play their normal game once the Powerplay is over. But as I said, it’s a good tactic only against weak opponents who have very little experience in death bowling and which can be taken to the cleaners even without the Powerplays.

We have also seen sides being very flexible in their approach. They tend to analyze the game situation, and then take the powerplay on basis of their pensive instincts and strategy. Many captains are hesitant and there is a sense of apathy when it comes to taking powerplay early, and it is generally postponed till the final overs for the ultimate burst.

The whimsical nature of this exciting powerplay brings in so much enthusiasm in the crowd. There is an air of petulance in the opposition camp when the batting Powerplay is signaled by the umpires. It’s always a daunting task to restrict the opposition from scoring, by keeping a lid on the scoring rate during those five overs, but it can happen if one is able to pick up wickets on a regular basis. This decision of the captain can go terribly wrong and backfire miserably, but his decision should not be condoned marking it as a blunder as this powerplay is obviously an unpredictable phenomenon and anything can happen while it is in operation. We have seen sides score 80-90 runs, and we have also seen sides losing 4 wickets for 10 odd runs too, this just goes to show how topsy-turvy it can turn out to be. But more often than not, it’s the batting side that comes on top.

It’s an asset while one is chasing as an asking rate of 8-9 can be easily grasped hold of, if one has the Powerplay left. But it can also make a 6-7 runs an over look difficult in case you don’t have wickets left because there won’t be easy singles on offer and one has to take the risk and go over the in field to score easy runs. All in all, it’s a tester for both the sides as to who blinks first. It is still a mystery which none of the team has mastered. It acts as a catalyst when one wants a big score but at the same time has the tendency to swerve the balance of the game elsewhere. It’s an art to bowl in the Powerplay, with a lot of subtle variations, good Yorkers and bowling according to the field set up. And at the same time, it’s not just about slogging, when it comes to scoring in the Powerplay, its all about placing the ball in the gap to score easy runs.

In a nutshell, there are no hard and fast rules as to when one should take the Powerplay, there is no standardized pattern for scoring quick runs. One may be up for it from the word go while the others may think about it in the later stage. Same goes with the Powerplays too. It really depends on the game situation as well as the mindset of the captain as to when does he want some zing in the scorecard. Therefore it would be safe and perhaps logical to take it when one has the opposition pestered under the claw. Its presence still continues to haunt the Indian Team, and hopefully it works out for us now that we are in the Knock Out stage of the tourney.

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The BCCI business model (Part 1)

The BCCI business model (Part 1)

So you thought auctioning began with the IPL? The biggest and most important of them was kept from the media. Months before the IPL, there was :-

The Great Auction

The BCCI President stood on the dais and beamed heartily at everyone. He had a reason to be smiling. This was going to be an event like no other. If all went well, he could convert his entire black money to white. The stage was set. All the selectors were present. All the regular players were present. The bhelpuriwala was present. And for some strange reason, even Kapil Dev was present. He cleared his throat majestically and spoke:-

"Friends, today we stand here together. Outside we might be enemies but inside lets present an united front. After all, the media is not here for one of our "stunts" to distract attention from poor performances. As you all are well aware, BCCI is a non-profit making organisation built solely for the betterment of Indian cricket. So along the same lines, we have decided to privatise and diversify some of our functions"

The hall breaks up in spontaneous applause, mostly because those dozing had caught the word 'profit' and missed the 'non'.

He beamed at the audience and put his hands up like a saint blessing a pregnant woman.

“Before we begin, we would be rewarding some of our stalwart players who have contributed heavily to the teams win over a period of time. These are the real gems of India, the ones who have always been for us, the ones who have contributed heavily to our success."

Everyone looks at the senior trio. Ganguly smiles at everyone. Dravid looks defensive. Sachin has the been there, done that look.

"So the winner of the life time achievement award goes to", he pauses. Sachin gets up with a bored look while those next to him pat him on the back

"Yuvraj Singh for his six sixes in the 20/20 World cup." There is silence for a while and then scattered applause. Sachin freezes in a half-crouching position. Yuvraj strides to the podium, pausing only to wink at the cleaning lady who was peeking from behind the curtain.

“Seeing the performances of UV in tests in Australia”, continued the President, “I think you will all agree that UV has reached his peak in the 20/20 WC and its not fair to expect more from him. Since he has already achieved his life time potential, we honor him with this award”. He waited for the applause to die now.

“Now a special mention. Dhoni is currently the top favorite of sponsors. Sachin, kya ho gaya bhai?. Pahli baar peeche ho gaye? Dravid, Ganguly, sharam nahi aati kal ke bacche se peeche ho tum. Buck up if you still want your place in the team. But don’t ask for ODI spot before you can get more sponsors. Ok, let the auctioning begin.

Below is the transcript of the auction item and winners

Position 1 :- “We have only one slot for this. A player who can be abusive and gets under other player’s skin. Occasional hidden racism and over the top gestures can be used. Let me outline the benefits which the winner of this category will have :-

1) Will always remain in the media, either as a villain or as a hero. You will have the nation either praising you as God’s own gift or burning your effigies. Publicity equals more sponsors
2) A personal guarantee that he will be carried in the team despite average/below average performances. No selector will drop him and since he will be in news all the time, media and fans will love him
3) We guarantee the best lawyers money can buy and enough influence to prevent the player getting any serious punishments from ICC. However, we encourage warnings and match fee cuts as this will only strengthen the bad boy image. Any match fee thus lost will be repaid thrice by BCCI

Note :- Any physical violence such as slapping fellow/opposition players will null clause 3.

Winner – Harbhajan Singh for US 2.5 million dollar

Position 2 :- One slot. A clown who keeps players entertained by his antics more than performances. Over the top celebrations, making monkey faces, dancing, you name it, he can do it. Benefits of the position
1) Media attention. Kids love a clown.
2) A chance to be labeled an “aggressive” player even though the performance may not reflect it

Note :- Bowlers preferred. South Indians will be given preferences

Winner : Sreesanth, USD 3 million


Position 3:- All-rounder . One slot. A player who stands out neither in batting or bowling but is guaranteed a place in the team. Benefits:-

1) If batting does not stand up to the mark, we stress on the bowling aspect and vice versa
2) Will be carried in the team for the ‘balance’
3) Can be compared to great players like Wasim or Kapil Dev

Winner : Pathan - USD 2 million


Position 4 : Senior players. 3 Slots. “Experienced” guys who can be in the team for reasons other than cricket such as :- providing guidance, counseling, “presence” to the team. Benefits are

1) Guaranteed place in the team despite average performances
2) First preference in choosing hotel rooms, seats on team buses and net practice
3) Involvement in media debates about junior senior debates which takes attention off performances

Note :- Conditions can/will be changed, contract may be terminated with changes in captain/coach

Winners :- Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, USD 10 million each

Tests only :- Laxman, USD 5 million

Invalid bid : Yuvraj Singh for being too new to be considered a senior despite bidding the highest (USD 100 million)

Position 5: Captaincy. This time in the interest of Indian cricket we have split it in two so that we could have two winners! One for test and one for ODIs. Have to take both blame and praise. Either way, you are always in the media. Benefits are:-

1) 10 extra minutes in the spotlight while tossing the coin
2) Only person from the team who can give media interviews. We will ensure this by putting a gag on other players
3) Ability to change the coach at any time you want

Winner :- Tests – Kumble USD 5 million
ODIs :- Dhoni USD 10 million




Ok, now for one of our most important profit making ventures. As you are all aware, we are planning for an Indian league. What you will not be aware though is that Mr. Modi here has come up with a brilliant plan which will ensure that we have no competition from people stealing our ideas and at the same time will increase our profit. For that reason we will plan a rebel league of our own. The league will be called Indian Cricket League. Consider the benifts of such a league :-

1) The league will be a secret money making organization. We will rake in moolah without paying taxes
2) We are going to ban and villanize the league. Though the league will still make money, no one else will dare make a rebel league
3) Lots of media attention of the war between the two leagues
4) Players who might be a threat for India can be bought for huge sums in this league and then we will make sure their respective boards ban them.

Winner – Kapil Dev USD 10 million

Note: Kapil has been instructed to give an interview at least once a week deriding BCCI and its decision to ban ICL players. Should always state that the league is to help upcoming players and they should be unbanned. He has also promised to wear the same old suit and have a sorry face without breaking into actual tears, so that it shows how much BCCI has been persecuting him and ICL. Also he has to avoid all official contacts with BCCI officials and should be well disguised in all IPL parties. In return apart from his ICL salary, he will be provided a cut of the IPL pie too.

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Why I am glad that Pakistan is winning again

Why I am glad that Pakistan is winning again

AKA why cricket needs more strong teams

There is a west wind blowing in cricket and its blowing strong. A gale force of change, impossible to resist. The game has become faster, slicker and more commercialized. It has also descended into mediocrity. There are pockets of brilliance still remaining, some great players still hanging on, a few still in their prime. What surrounds them on all sides though, is insipidness. Never was the difference between the top 5 teams so insignificant. The batsmen are hacks and the bowlers over-worked. T20 has replaced skills with showmanship, class with insolence and exertion with short-cuts. Gone are the days when batsmen defended endlessly to spinners who spun a web of guile and deceit to go past them. Most of spinners wickets today come from batsmen playing rash shots. Also, consider this, how many of the wickets in the recently concluded test in South-Africa could have been avoided simply by leaving the ball alone? Once test cricket was a test of patience and skill. Today, it's just another matter of scoring more runs than the other team in as little time as possible. No time for epic duels, no time for thrust and parry

Let's take a look at the current test teams

England Years after they invented and played the game, the baton has finally come home. England leads the test rankings with some consistent performances. As a team, they have been steady. Jokes about imports aside, they seem to have many capable players. However, England's performance away from home, particularly in the sub-continent is still unproven. With South Africa and India, breathing down their necks, England will want to win everything put in front of them to stay ahead of the pack or, like India, they will find out that the mantle of number one does not sit lightly on one's shoulder.

South Africa South Africa has always been a strong team. And South Africa has always been missing the 'X' factor. Steyn is undoubtedly the best bowler in the world. But, even he has been unable to provide his team with that consistency which would enable his team to roll over other teams. Amla stands out as one bright spot and a future great player at a time when the tag of 'Greatness' is bandied about a lot with few deserving it. Despite all their talents, there is not much separating South Africa with the other top teams

India India reached the number one ranking with consistent performances over two years both home and away and then lost it with some inconsistent performances. Dhoni has been a standout captain in all formats but how long will he escape the selectors radar with his batting skills is still to see. A glimpse of what the Indian team will do without its seniors, particularly overseas, was provided when India toured England recently. Seniors failed and the team performed miserably. A cause of concern is that all of IndiaÃÔ recent overseas victory was on the back of the aging trio who won.t be around for long. Many talented youngsters are still untested in the international arena and they wouldn't have long to adjust to the quagmire of international cricket. Some upcoming fast bowling talent seems to be the bright light in the future, but India better pull up its socks or it will soon find out, that home performances are not good enough

Australia A team which once was. With the retirement of its greats, many of who were all time legends, the team finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Already reeling with the impact of retirements, how can it afford to drop its more experienced players for youngsters? And then again, how much leeway can one give even to aging super-stars who are out of form? Clarke's job is surely not one to be envied. Not much the selectors can do either as there seems to be, for the first time, a lack of star players in the Aussie domestic circuit. Expect the team to show some inconsistent performances for the next couple of years as they go through a rebuilding phase

Sri-Lanka If ever there was any doubt about how much one player can impact a team's fortunes, one can look at Sri-Lanka before and after the Murali era. With even home victories becoming scarce, one can wonder how long the likes of Sangakarra can pull the team, particularly with rumors of dressing room disunity growing more profound. In my opinion, Dilshan, with many discipline issues, was a bad choice as the Sri Lankan captain. One can just hope that Sri Lankan cricket, which suddenly rose from obscurity to become a force in world cricket, does not go back to the same depths. End of an era?

Pakistan Pakistan cricket must have been sent on earth to test the patience of its fans. Once it had the world beneath its feet. In the last few years, Pakistan cricket has gone through every scandal possible in world cricket and then some. Some like spot fixing, steroid abuses were its and its board fault. Others like Woolmer's death and terrorist attack on a touring team were circumstantial. Through all this turmoil the fans held true to the team and its players. Unfortunately, many of the senior players, much admired and revered, refused to stand up for the team in its most difficult times. They chose to walk away making things worse. Slowly but steadily, Pakistan teams seems to be playing within its limitations, going for stability over style and grittiness over flair, yielding steady results. Misbah brings calmness with him which might be just what the doctor ordered. If only the team can stay away from controversies and play as a unit, it will soon be in the top 3. Talent is something Pakistan never lacked. Hopefully, they will soon have an atmosphere where such talents can be at home and nutrtured.

West-Indies, New Zealand and Bangladesh - West-Indies, and surprisingly, New Zealand have been declining steadily for a while. West-indies provides the occasional glimmer of raw talent but the team atmosphere and the incompetent board means that they are not going to be a force in world cricket anytime soon. They might have an occasional mercurial performance, but they will be few and far between. Bangladesh never deserved a test spot in the first place, Zimbabwe deserve it more

With cricket being played amongst few countries, the importance of having enough strong teams is clear. I am very glad that Pakistan is back to winning ways. A strong Pakistan team might just be what the doctor ordered for test cricket

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