Key players' fitness always an issue

Well the latest abuzz in the world of cricket is that India's most experienced pace bowler - Zaheer Khan will have to prove his fitness in case he has to relish his dreams of touring Australia for the Border - Gavaskar trophy starting late next month. This is not the case only with Zaheer Khan and not the case only regarding India - Australia tests. The most important players be it in any department, are found to withdraw during the serious phase of a test series. I remember Sachin Tendulkar missing out for the Border - Gavaskar trophy in 2004-05 played at home.

This proved a trump card for the Aussies who tasted victory on Indian soil after 34 years. So was the case in the Ashes 2005-06 where Shane Warne was found missing from the game which England won by three wickets. And, Glenn McGrath missed out in the only two tests which England won in that series consisting of five games. South Africa always have a problem with Jacques Kallis regarding his fitness whenever an important tour would kick in. But, luckily during such phases, we see Amla doing the job for the Proteas. The Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram was found warming the benches during crucial stages owing to injury.

The problem regarding fitness has more often got to do with fast bowlers than batsmen or spin bowlers. The reason regarding the same may be due to the fact that fast bowlers have to sweat it out more at the nets compared to players from other departments. Fast bowlers move their arms more often than players from any other department in cricket. The players who make it to the top ten can be cited as Sreesanth, Glenn McGrath, Allan Donald, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Waqar Younis, Chaminda Vass, Brett Lee, Shoaib Akthar and last but not the least Shane Bond.

Very few from other departments like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting make it to that list and that too seldom. Of course, in the last decade or so, Ponting has been on the top to miss a test match or a test series owing to injury. And, coming to spin bowlers, Anil Kumble tops the charts followed by Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh (noted spin bowlers of the world). Added to injuries, the impact of injuries are also found to target fast bowlers more than any other players. An injury to a fast bowler can be career threatening which would not be the case regarding players from other departments.

The deserving and undeserving

Well it was fascinating to see V V S Laxman being awarded the 4^th highest honor namely the Padma Shri award needless to be said for his contribution to international and domestic cricket. Though Laxman deserves the award, one has to think aout the deserving but denied cricketers like Javagal Srinath whose contribution to Indian cricket is as immense as Laxman's is along with the other 10 such players. Things have become a total confusion in Indian cricket with undeserving players becoming millionaires while the deserving are taken up for a throw away price. I can also recall someone quoting Mathew Hayden above Sachin Tendulkar in the international run.

If the list of the 10 players who have been awarded the Padma Shri is given a close look at, the list includes Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishen Singh Bedi. No doubt that all these players deserve to be in the elite list with some doubts raising over the selection of Ganguly and Bishen Singh Bedi, some other players who could have been given a thought include Javagal Srinath who was the lone fast bowler after Kapil Dev to continue for 12 years before Zaheer Khan and co took charge.

If Anil Kumble could have been given the honor, Javagal Srinath deserves it equally. Similiarly, another cricketer to have been unlucky is Syed Kirmani, who was a wicket keeper one of his kind and a replacement for whom is yet to be included. Not even Dhoni can be placed close to Kirmani in terms of wicket keeping. And then, Krishnamachari Shrikanth was the first batsman and cricketer to have taken two five wicket hauls for India, something that even a full time bowler Kapil Dev couldn't do. Mohammed Azharuddin was the first Indian batsman to have crossed 6000 runs in one day cricket but Azharuddin has been given a different award.

No one disputes the treatment given to Azharuddin. And, if the list is once again given a close look at, it is evident that except for Kapil, Bedi and Gavaskar, the rest of them belong to the recent past or the last decade. One has to give a rethinking to the selection of Dhoni into this elite list with more than a decade to go in his career. So is the case with Harbhajan Singh when Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh miss out. One more interesting fact is that except Harbhajan, Kumble, and Bedi the rest of them are batsmen. Kapil is the lone all rounder. Now, another batsman has joined the list.

Finally, the list holds good if statistics are excluded from discussion. But, what else does hold good to judge a player's caliber?

A Deserving Farwell,But Not A Deserving Treatment

Well a shocking decision by Anil Kumble to call it a day from the longest version of the game is a lot discussed thing since yesterday.But,without a word or two about this great gentleman would be an insult not only for Anil Kumble but for me also for being a cricket blogger and not writing anything about this great chap who has served cricket with all heart and soul for the past 18 years.In addition to whatever that has been discussed about Anil Kumble since he announced his retirement from test cricket,there is something that I share with Jumbo apart from being from the same state where he made his mark as a cricketer.But,that is a top secret.

I bet that there cannot be any other member in the team who had to undergo so much humiliation undeservingly.Not even Sourav Ganguly for that matter.I wonder as to why people didn't stand up against Anil Kumble when he had to go through the odds he never deserved?When Ganguly came in for all sympathy from his team mates and his fans back at Kolkata, in what way was Kumble's issue different from that of Dada? Despite all these odds,Jumbo has crossed all of them to become the highest wicket taker in all forms of the game.No doubt,he got the farewell what he deserved.But, atleast if one could have a glimpse of what Kumble would have underwent through all these years.

I wonder what made Sourav Ganguly to go in for Dinesh Mongia and Mohd Kaif with Kumble being made to warm the benches in the 2003 world cup?This despite his 4 wicket haul against Holland and the run out of Inzamam in the famous Indo-Pak encounter.If Ganguly feels humiliated for being dropped for the Irani Trophy, so would be Kumble for the same since Ganguly took charge as captain.Even in the 2007 World Cup, Kumble played just one ODI against Bermuda and given a ticket in the matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.If this is the case, why the hell do the selectors go in for Kumble to be included in the 15 member squad?

Since his re-entry into the national squad in Adelaide test after being ignored by Ganguly in the Brisbane test (which delayed his 400th test wicket), Anil Kumble has missed only two occasions owing to injury.The one against South Africa and the other in the recent Mohali test.Isn't this lovely when copmpared to someone like Zaheer Khan, Ishanth Sharma and our hero Sreesanth, who are most of the time in garages getting some of their parts repaired? One can never forget the way he bought up a victory against Australia in Bangalore in Titan cup 1996,after a series of controversial decisions involving Mohd. Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja along with his Karnataka team mate Javagal Srinath.

Both Srinath and Kumble share something,for both of them announced their retirements all of a sudden and shockingly.Of course not much was expected from their aging bodies and minds.But, I guess there was some fuel still left in their tank. Srinath announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 11Th November 2003 and Anil Kumble on 2ND November 2008.The difference being close to 5 years.And one fascinating achievement about Anil Kumble that could be compared with nothing is his 10 wicket haul against Pakistan at Delhi.This I call is the most undisputed record for even the 400* scored by Lara could be achieved with sheer determination and hard work,while Kumble's perfect ten could have been averted by some unfair means by the opposition batsman getting run-out or throwing his wicket to any other bowler,like it happened to Murali against England and Zimbabwe.

Whether someone can replace Anil Kumble or not being out of question,but,the post insists that a person of the caliber of Anil Kumble gets his reward for the hard work and dedication that he has shown in the game of cricket for almost two decades.Last but not the least,Cricketahead salutes this great hearted bowler with all cheers throughout his off-field life.