Version 2

Make that senior bored sub-editor.

Niranjan Shah on Tehelka

This is priceless.

Q: For the sake of argument, what is the more important criterion for selection: performance or rotation policy? Would you drop the best performing players for rotation policy?
Shah: Rahul's performance is not there. Lakshman's performance is not there.

I am talking about Ganguly. He has done well.
Shah: Lakshman has done well too.

The last answer even more so:

Q: But why is this rotation policy is not applicable to test cricket?
Shah: Why look at tests, there are domestic tournaments like Ranji Trophy. One day cricket requires a lot of energy, so fielding capability has to be seen, everything has to be seen. But the tests are a real test for cricket players. The tests are very important for every country. We like to be a test winning country and not a one-day winning country. Youngsters need lot of cricketing abilities to stay there for five days. In ODI you may just go in and slog couple of overs, here you have to play for five days. After all, they get to play the long form of cricket in domestic cricket.

The godman and the game

My colleague Deepika has done a story I wish I had done. It goes:

Tennis was not quite blessed in the land of the Sathya Sai Baba. The India-Philippines tennis test series at Puttaparthi — the home of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba — could not take place a couple of weeks ago because of bizarre circumstances.

According to sources, the first of the two ties — India won the second 3-0 at the DLTA facility here — did not happen because the Sai Baba could not turn up to inaugurate the tie and bless the players.

Apparently, Doordarshan had begun the live telecast of the game only to be told that since the godman hasn't shown up to "bless" the event, the fixture would be cancelled. However, the tennis association says this was done because of a power failure at the venue.

This story amuses me for many reasons, one of them being that I'm an unbeliever in a family of Sai devotees. Not your normal devotees, but the Saturday Bhajan Mandli variety.

India's greatest Test match win ever?

As Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark hammered India’s bowlers, I was taking out my frustration by gnashing morsels of lunch with my extended family. Will these two buggers do the unthinkable? The tension spoilt the taste of the delicious sambhar-rice, curd, carrot pickles and mushrooms.

"Turn the TV off" said Shyam, our young domestic help. "When you switch it back on, Australia would have lost."

We laughed off the suggestion. And almost as if providence had listened to Shyam, the power went off.

"Turn on the radio," I shouted to Shyam. There was no way we could miss the action. And as soon as he did, we heard Sushil Doshi scream, "Aur yeh out!"

It was the wicket we had waited for what seemed an eternity. It was the wicket that would make ensure India a win in Perth. Shyam was right: in its own mysterious way, turning off the TV helped.

And then, the very next instant, the power was back, almost as if to prove we should have listened to Shyam in the first place.



What a win!

I could think of a lot of wins that would match this one. Kolkata was delicious in build-up, explosive in finish, and mind-boggling considering India's odds. But it still was on home-turf, and some umpiring decisions went our way.

Sabina Park (2006) was on a minefield of a wicket but India were a far superior side in the series, and West Indies were lucky not to lose 0-3. Similarly, India won 1-0 in the West Indies in 1971, but like Sunil Gavaskar himself said on air today, the momentum was with India, and West Indies were not at the peak of their powers.

Johannesburg was phenomenal and hard-earned but against a vastly beatable side.

Adelaide was ground-breaking, almost unthinkable at the time but Australia were vulnerable without McGrath and Warne. Something similar could be said about The Oval win of 1971, when nobody in their right minds would have bet on India.

Leeds saw a gallant India, taking in the bullets and then shooting England down. But it was also possibly the strongest Indian side to tour England.

Coming back to Perth, the opposition was on a 16-match winning streak. India were trailing 0-2 and the bouncy pitch wasn't expected to be to India's liking. I, for one, thought India would be 0-3 down after Perth.

Then, there was all the negativity surrounding the Sydney Test. Our best fast bowler --- Zaheer Khan --- was also injured.

From that position, to beat the top-ranked side in the world is something to be immensely proud of.

Lies, damned lies

I did not kill my wife.
— O.J. Simpson, 1997

I did not sleep with that woman.
— Bill Clinton, 1998

I did not fix that one-dayer.
— Hansie Cronje, 2000

We will find those WMDs.
— George Bush, 2003

There is no way I grounded the ball.
— Ricky Ponting, 2007