If you missed India's Victory today against the Aussies you can see the highlights here. Awesome win for the underdogs
Aust India Fourth Test at Gabba - Highlights
When King Kholi lost a match and that too by an innings defeat and abandoned his Team and went back to India to be with his wife and Baby, the whole nation grieved. Imagine, Kohli could leave a prestigious test series to be at his child's birth. Natarajan couldn't afford to skip even an IPL.
Very few realised that a new Leader will be born.. "Rahane was always my hero, now he is my Super Hero".
I have to Share this Awesome Forward on our Young Indian Cricketers. Hope you like it too.. 👇👇👇
Turnarounds can never be predicted. Which is why they are called turnarounds. Indian did a magnificent turnaround today ,this will be the greatest turnaround after the 2001 India-Australia Test Series. It will be a gigantic moment in India’s cricketing history.
What is interesting to see is that the guys who were involved in the turnaround in this Test - they have scripted amazing turnarounds in their real lives too.
Natarajan is the son of a loom worker who had no money for luxuries like cricket gear and shoes. For many years, Natarajan had to think a hundred times before investing in new shoes. His mother cried when she saw him representing India on TV. His wife gave birth to their daughter when Natarajan was playing IPL in UAE. He hasn’t even seen her yet because he went straight to Australia in a bio bubble.
Shardul Thakur battled obesity to play for Mumbai and thereafter IPL. No less than Sachin Tendulkar advised him to lose weight for a great cricketing career ahead of him.
Siraj rose to become India’s new ball bowler despite being born to a poor rickshaw driver. His father died and he couldn’t perform his last rites as he was in Australia on national duty.
Washington Sundar’s father - Sundar, was a talented cricketer who was sponsored by his rich neighbour throughout his local cricketing life. His name was Washington. The man passed away just before Sundar’s second son was born. Sundar named his son Washington as a tribute to his benefactor.
Navdeep Saini’s father was a government driver and could not afford expensive cricket coaching for his son. So Saini played exhibition matches on tennis ball at Rs.300 a match to fund his dreams.
All these guys came together as debutants and have turned this match over its head. All their lives they were waiting for this moment in their cricketing career. All their failures, all their struggles, all their doubts and all their insecurities - all that was settled once and for all in this Test match. When presented with an opportunity, they fired themselves up and attacked Australia with all guns blazing.
In this series, more than any other Test series I have seen in my life, the Indian Cricket team has proven their naysayers wrong. They have sustained tremendous pressure and taken hard knocks all over their bodies against one of the best Australian attack ever. And by doing so, they have made us realise that while 5 hour IPL matches can create instant celebrities, Test Cricket, which stretches over five days, creates real heroes.
Celebrities sign autographs, but heroes continue to inspire the nation decades after they retire.
Thank you Team India 🇮🇳
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My Take on what really happened and why Australia Lost the game more than India Winning the game and the Series.
I know the very first reaction of the reader will be "Oh Ya, What are your Cricketing Credentials for us to believe what you are saying". I accept that challenge and tell you a bit about my involvement with Cricket.
Born in Andamans in 1946, I knew Hockey and soccer but had not seen a Cricket Bat or Ball or the game called Cricket until I joined St Bedes High School in 1956. There was a Cricket craze at this school. Yes the same school Ashwin comes from.
Here is a little bit on Ashwin:(2 years younger than my son Anand)
Ashwin was born on 17 September 1986 in a Tamil family. He lives in West Mambalam, Chennai.
His father Ravichandran played cricket at club level as a fast bowler.
Ashwin was educated at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School. He also attended SSN College of Engineering and graduated with a BTech in Information Technology. His time at St. Bede's was particularly important, as it had a cricket academy. Ashwin has stated that coaches C. K. Vijay and Chandra at St Bede's had played a big role in his career, where he had changed his bowling style from medium pace to off spin.
After school there were three or four teams playing cricket at the school grounds. I wanted to have a go but was scared of getting hit by the cricket ball. This fear follows an incident when my Dad was teaching me hockey and the ball hit my on my shin and I was bed ridden at age 7 for a week or so..As you know a burnt child dreads the fire. One day I spotted a group playing cricket with a tennis ball. I bribed the captain with some very rare stamps to get into the team. Yes Bribery started early in life. That was the way of life. Next my Dad took me to Pioneer sports in Mount Road and bought me a cricket bat, pads and a few cricket balls. Believe it or not after than every team at school wanted me to play with them so they could all use my new and well seasoned bat. I was in the team but never got to bat or bowl; just posted on the boundary to field.
As luck would have it the following year A.G.Kripal Singh an Ex Indian Cricketer held a coaching session in the evenings. He asked every one to bat and bowl to make an initial assessment. It was my turn to pad up and bat. I was facing Inder Mohan the schools opening bowler. Not only was he fast he was also fierce looking. One ball was all I faced. It hit me on the head and I went down unconscious. (no one in my family knows about any of this). There was a lot of Panic, I was told people running to get water to sprinkle on my face as no doctor was around. I got up and got ready to bat again and Kripal said "No way" But then he picked me to train as a Leg spinner, and i did get quite a few wickets at the coaching classes.
My Cricket ended that day except for tennis ball cricket on the street during school holidays and weekends. 1960 to 1990, like most Indians I just listened to radio commentary, watched games live or on TV.
in 1987 at age 3, I bought Anand his first Plastic Cricket bat and Plastic Cricket Ball. Every evening he was waiting for Dad to come home and play cricket with him on the walkway to the front door. He was good at hitting the ball and I automatically became his coach teaching him how to drive the ball and when to play front foot and when to play back foot and how to play spinners. When Anand joined Trinity Grammar in year 4 in 1993, the school sports master told me that my son had a hand eye coordination problem and will never play sport. This was confirmed by a Pediatrician. I had to prove them wrong. in Year 6 Anand was the Primary schools "B Team Captain" only because he was under aged was te excuse. At age 12 Anand wanted top play Club Cricket and decided to quit Trinity and Join North Sydney Boys High School (This was Alan Borders School). Right through High school he was in the classes No 1 Team.
Anand tells me, Daddu I want to play for the Club where Mark and Steve Waugh Played. I knew both were Bankstown Boys but not which team. When I found out they started cricket at Panania Team, we made a direct approach to the Club. Panania had 2 under 12 teams. The A Team had won the Premiership for the Bankstown District. The B Team was the last in the Comp the previous year and Anand could join the B Team if he was interested and we did.
The very first game Anand was asked to bat at No 8 and was the top scorer and got pushed up to No 3 Batsman. The Coach asked me if Anand could bowl and I said ask the captain to toss him the ball and you be the judge. the opening bowlers bowled 3 overs each and Anand was given the ball. I yelled out my standard instruction. Babu just line and length. Believe it or not the very first over he got three wickets. A new Cricketing journey had begun for me "Being my son's Cricket Coach and Manager". I must confess it was an exhilarating Journey.
The 5th Game of the season, Panania B had to Play the Premiers Panania A team. The Coach said we are playing the top team in the comp we cannot beat them so go and have fun boys.
I called the boys and talked to them, and said yiou can beat this team if you all want too. But yoiu have to believe in yourselves and play to win. Dont think any one even listened to me. Our Boys batted first. The opener was clean bowled the second ball. Anand went in at No 3. My instruction to him was to Dig In. No Fancy shots. Ok Dad was his response and he did dig in and scored 66 and we had put up a decent score to defend. The A Team boys taunted our team saying that is chicken feed we will trash you kids. So we needed a strategy.
I got the boys huddled together and told them just bowl line and length and let their batsmen get frustrated and swing the bat and you chaps take the catches and if you win, "I will take you all to Pizza Hut for a Yummy Lunch" That did the trick and we bowled the Cocky premiers out for a low score and enjoyed lunch at Pizza Hut. The Impossible had been achieved and the Coach gave me all the credit. The same year Anand got selected to Represent the Bankstown District Under 12 squad and the following year he made it to NSW Blues Squad. He was forced to become just a No 3 Batsman or opener. The Coaches took the ball away from his hands saying there was no room for medium pacers, which is what Steve Waugh was..
In 2001, I took a Team of Under 18 school boys from Sydney to play matches in Madras and Bangalore. Thanks to V.B Chandrasekar for hosting the matches in Madras and Srinath in Bangalore at the main Chidambaram stadium.
In year 2003, the President of India Sports Club asked me to become a committee member if I was interested. It was a Saturday only comp, no age restriction and a 30 over match starting at 8.30am and finishing at 12.30pm. I joined and got actively involved. Anand was playing for North Sydney Cricket Club at this point of time.
I had a Bright idea. I wanted to form a new Team and I did. I was told the comps main sponsor was Tourism India and so my Team had to be named after an Indian State. Tamilnadu, Andhra, Bengal, Haryana, Mumbai etc were already taken. I called my Team the Andaman Cobras and picked a team of Anands friends and gave the list to the President. He tells me Only Indian boys are allowed. I said sorry that is illegal. You put it in writing and I will do what I have to do as the team is registered under NSW rules. The man backed out and blamed himself for inviting me. Andaman Cobras was the only team with Indians and Aust boys. We had a fun season.
The previous seasons Premiers were the Tamil Nadu Team and one of the team members was Randhika from Srilanka. He niggled me every time we met and said Uncle we will smash the cobras out of the park for ever.
The Tamil Nadu Vs Andaman Cobras match was the day after Diwali. So I bought a packet of Indians sweets to share with both teams.
As Manager I studied the Tamil nadu Team line up. Anand was the captain and won the toss. we decided to bat first.
I made Joel Bates my fast bowler and Pinch hitter to open the innings with Phil the regular opener, followed by Anand at No 3. Joel; scored a Blistering 120, Phil 73 and Anand 66 and the team scored 310 in 30 overs. Tamil nadu surrendered and were capitulated for 75.
So Cricket is a game of Wits and Psychology and strategies. Not just batting and bowling to a plan.
Let me now try and explain why Australia lost to Indian at Gabba.
- Overconfidence. Pride always goes for a fall
- Australian strategists, esp the bowling coach studies the opponents by viewing how they got out establishing each bastman's weakness to be exploited
- when Rahane included so many new players, the Aust analysts had no info on the new Indian players to study.
- assuming all new players in Indian squad were not established players and cannot be all that crash hot, bowlers were told to bowl short pitched balls and attacking the body ( pretty much Body line attack) hoping the batsmen will give catches swinging the bat. Very Very Wrong Assumption
- Indian team also did not have enough confidence and went in their hoping they could atleast draw the game. They were the under dogs without their regular captain and so many regular players. Even if they lost badly no one was going to blame them considering the top team had capitulated for 36.
Moral of the lesson is "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE UNDERDOG"
Rahane did very well in virtually giving every player in the squad a chance to play in the middle and make a name for themselves and they all did. Both Batsmen and Bowlers.
Nothing in life is Impossible. To be Honest India should have won all the tests as I see Australia s the underdog and was shocked that Indians could get all out for 36 runs. I cried Foul. The game was rigged.
What is interesting is very few Indians wanted to talk about cricket when the Indian team was routed for 36. The Minute India beat Australia, every man and his dog is thumping his chest and Saying how proud they are to be Indians.
From where I stand I want to see India beat Australians but I want Australia to beat all other countries.
At the end of the day this is just a Ball Game folk. Win some Lose some; Life goes on
This is not the end of the world. Even Trump's reign comes to an end at Mid Day today in USA (Syd Time 4.00am and I will stay up and watch CNN for sure)
