CRICKET IS BACK!!!

Yes, it is..!! But wait a minute! Did it even go away in the first place? Didn’t we just get done and over with that soap opera/sitcom called the “IPL”? Yes, we did. As an Indian, I love the IPL. It is the very symbol of BCCI’s dominance of world cricket today. It’s the stuff that can make (and has made) cricketers from around the world go ‘Hu la la la….” on television or Brett Lee sing a duet with Asha Bhosle. But all said and done, I really don’t think T-20s are the reason we love the sport. What I am happy about is the return to centre stage of test cricket. T-20 is like one of those Paris Hilton parties. There’s glamour and glitz, sex tapes and a lot of fun to be had for everyone and their Chihuahuas, but test cricket is like Prince William and Duchess Kate’s (that’s what we have to call her now) wedding reception – class, tradition, anticipation and front page material. (and a dash of Pippa here and there).

The season has well and truly gotten underway with Sri Lanka’s tour of England, and what a cracker of a finish we saw in the first test match. The fact that cricket is a sport of glorious uncertainties got reiterated as all ten Sri Lankan wickets tumbled before one could finish spelling out Chanaka Welegedera’s full name. Chris Tremlett’s bowling was a delight to watch and Alistair Cook’s fine form with the bat goes to show that England no longer need to rely solely on batsmen imported from elsewhere in the commonwealth to put runs on the board.

Elsewhere in the commonwealth, Shahid Afridi has quit international cricket. It’s a sad end to one of the most exciting careers of our times. Shahid Afridi was a talented batsman, his bowling was getting impressive by the day, and given a chance, he could have kept wickets better that Kamran Akmal. Most importantly, Shahid Afridi’s love for the sport was manifested in his attempt at chewing the cricket ball in England last year. Wasn’t this that ‘hunger’ thing that all coaches talk about? He’ll be missed. Unless he makes a “Shocking” comeback in six months. Here’s an appeal to the cricket administration in Pakistan – Give us a break, and start working on being taken seriously.

Closer home, India’s tour of the Caribbean got underway. This is a good opportunity for India to test their bench strength. At least it would have been, if the West Indies cricket board wasn’t so hell bent on testing theirs. They urgently need to sort things out with Chris Gayle, who without any doubt, is one of the most exciting cricketers in the world today. His talent aside, he is one of the coolest guys to have ever taken the field. I can almost see him imparting that Spike Lee brand of wisdom to youngsters in the dressing room (Yaw’ll be hustlin’ and that’s awrite..but bravas gotta get serious. We got sh*t to take care of, man). West Indies cricket, infact cricket everywhere, needs Chris Gayle, and I can’t wait to see him play at the highest level once again.

For India, this series will be a great opportunity to get the momentum going before the tour of England. I am looking forward to Virat Kohli making his test debut. He has shown a lot of maturity and promise in his ODI outings, and is definitely among the frontrunners to become a test regular once those legends – Tendulkar,Dravid and Laxman call it a day. Also, good to see that consistent performers from the domestic circuit have gotten a chance. Parthiv Patel has made a remarkable comeback, and Abhinav Mukund has been notching up runs by the truckload for Tamil Nadu. Manoj Tiwary of West Bengal has been unlucky to have not been baptized so far. He has been doing well in domestic competitions. (However, he still is only the 2^nd most famous Manoj Tiwary in India). The tour is also a good chance for India’s fast bowlers to find rhythm. Ishant Sharma showed flashes of his early promise during the IPL. Sreesanth was an absolute disaster in his last international outing (The world cup final). He is capable of producing those unplayable deliveries, but they have been far too rare. He needs to step up his game and fast. With Zaheer Khan aging, the future of India’s fast bowling is on the shoulders of these two along with Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar.

P.S. – Good to see Symonds and Bhajji burying the hatchet during the IPL. If only the IPL was around in 1997, Tupac and Notorious B.I.G would have been alive and rapping.