Bowled and not so beautiful: Is age catching up with Sachin Tendulkar?

September 2, 2012

sachin_back_off

Mumbai, September 2: Sachin Tendulkar has been bowled 50 times in his career. There have been times when he has been beaten all ends up and castled by absolutely unplayable deliveries, and there have been times when a minor error led to his exit in this fashion.


However, it is the way he was 'cleaned up' by New Zealand seamer Doug Bracewell on Saturday, the second day of the second Test at Bangalore, that even provoked batting legend Sunil Gavaskar to say on air that "it is a worrying sign." Gavaskar was concerned about the "big gap between the bat and pad" in that dismissal.


Tendulkar was bowled by a beauty by another Kiwi fast bowler, Trent Boult, in the first Test in Hyderabad but the reason Saturday's dismissal is being talked about more is that it was nothing more than an innocuous 'fuller ball' that the maestro succumbed to.

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, discussing Tendulkar's dismissal, made a point about the ageing batsmen having a problem against fuller length deliveries.

He cited the example of India devising a tactic to bowl fuller lengths to Javed Miandad to get his scalp early during the Pakistani batting great's last days in international cricket.

"Even the spinners were instructed to bowl full to him," Manjrekar said. Gavaskar agreed with Manjrekar's logic, saying, "With age, the feet don't come to the pitch of the ball ... the eyes don't pick up the ball early."

It does fuel the BIG question though. Is age finally catching up with the 39-year-old Tendulkar? It does happen to the best.


Who can forget 'The Wall ' Rahul Dravid getting bowled repeatedly during his final tour to Australia last winter prompting an Aussie commentator to say : "Even the stumps need pads now."

When asked about Tendulkar's dismissals, former India batsman and NCA batting coach Lalchand Rajput said : "It is just a normal thing.

It's not that his technique has fallen apart. He is getting out to good balls. Once he spends some time in the middle, things will become fine. He will get his rhythm back, it is just a temporary thing."

More assurance for Tendulkar came from across the border. Miandad feels the whole "fuss is understandable" but uncalled for." If he had got out like that in his youth, no one would have asked this question.

Because he is 39, people will say that he got out like that because of the advancing age. It is a case of human error which has become magnified because of his age," Miandad told TOI on Saturday.

"You can't make such big conclusions about someone like Tendulkar after watching just one or two innings. Such class batsmen will make a big score when they get in, but on some days they do get out early," the former Pakistan skipper says.

"There were other batsmen who failed in the Indian innings too. (Gautam Gambhir made two, Virender Sehwag 43, and Cheteshwar Pujara 9, while Tendulkar scored 17). Why are we not talking about their failure?" Miandad questioned.

Miandad also doesn't agree to the theory that Tendulkar could now be more vulnerable to the fuller length ball. "This is a question that he can answer best but against this Kiwi bowling where no one has express pace, I doubt whether this was the reason for Tendulkar's dismissal.


It is purely a case of being out of form, and being rusty. He hasn't played much cricket in the last few months, has he?" Miandad said. Indeed, Tendulkar last played in an ODI against Pakistan on March 18 this year, before playing in IPL.

Did Miandad face a problem with the fuller length ball in the twilight years of a career, which spanned 124 Tests across 17 years? "In my time, the only attack you feared facing was that of the West Indies.

Their fast bowlers troubled you even as a youngster, so an ageing batsman would have more problems. But I don't think Tendulkar can have similar thoughts about this NZ attack!" he said.

The Pakistani batsmen has a word of advice for those who believe Tendulkar's time has come. "Leave Tendulkar alone. He is the best judge to decide when to go." A match-winning knock in the second innings could end this debate.



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News Network
February 3,2020

New Delhi, Feb 3: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels there are a lot of similarities between the Virat Kohli-led Team India and the Pakistan team when Imran Khan had led it as both captains instill strong self-belief in their respective teams.

Manjrekar also said that Pakistan under Imran had found different ways of winning matches even when it seemed all was lost.

"India under Virat in NZ reminds me of Pakistan under Imran. Strong self belief as a team. Pakistan under Imran found different ways of winning matches, often from losing positions. That only happens when the self belief is strong," Manjrekar tweeted.

The cricketer turned commentator expressed his opinion after India completed a rare 5-0 whitewash with a seven-run victory over New Zealand in the final T20 International in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

Manjrekar also lauded KL Rahul, now also shouldering wicket-keeping duty, for his impressive showing in recent times.

"Samson & Pant... the next batting brigade of India obviously have the skill & the power game they just need to infuse a small dose of Virat's batting 'smarts' (mind) into their game," Manjrekar wrote.

The victory at the Bay Oval saw India stretch their record for most successive T20I wins.

This was their eighth win in a row, bettering the previous three instances when they won seven successive matches.

Kohli is the most successful Test captain in Indian cricket history, winning 11 consecutive series at home and are on top of the ICC rankings.

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News Network
February 24,2020

Feb 24: India captain Virat Kohli had no qualms in admitting that his team was outplayed by New Zealand in the opening Test but said they "can't help" if a few want to make a "big deal" out of the 10-wicket defeat. Hosts New Zealand thrashed India by 10 wickets at the Basin Reverse on Monday to go 1-0 ahead in the two-match series. This was India's first defeat in the World Test Championship, coming after two inept batting efforts. "We know we haven't played well but if people want to make a big deal out of it, make a mountain out of it, we can't help it as we don't think like that," the skipper said at the post-match media interaction.

Kohli said he fails to comprehend why one Test match defeat should be made to look like the end of the world for his team.

"For some people, it might be the end of the world but it's not. For us, it's a game of cricket that we lost and we move on and keep our heads high," Kohli said.

It is the acceptance of defeat that defines the character of a side, the world's premier batsman said.

"We understand that we need to play well to win, also at home. There's no cakewalk at international level as teams will come and beat you. You accept it and that defines our character as a side."

It is the acceptance of defeat that defines the character of a side, the world's premier batsman said. "We understand that we need to play well to win, also at home. There's no cakewalk at international level as teams will come and beat you. You accept it and that defines our character as a side."

If he had given credence to the "outside chatter", he said the team wouldn't have been where it is now.

"That's why we have been able to play this kind of cricket. If we would have paid attention to the outside chatter, we would again be at No. 7 or 8 in the rankings. We don't really bother about what people are saying on the outside," the skipper said.

One defeat can't make a team, which has been winning games of Test cricket, "bad overnight".

"If we have lost then we have no shame in accepting that. It means we didn't play this game well. It doesn't mean that we have become a bad team overnight. People might want to change our thoughts, but it doesn't work like that."

The self-belief is intact and Kohli was confident the team would come back stronger in the second Test, to be held in Christchurch in four days time.

"We will work hard, and after four days play just like we have played all these years. Just because we have lost one match in between all wins, doesn't mean that the belief is gone. The dressing room thinks differently and team atmosphere is different."

Kohli felt that there is a very thin line between being ultra-defensive and over-attacking, something that his team didn't get it right in this Test match.

"New Zealand got into the mind of the batsmen and make the batsmen do something that they don't want to. think that's a very thin line and a very delicate balance of when to attack and when to put bowlers under pressure which we failed to do in this match and there is no harm in accepting that."

According to Kohli, it was a combination of both good bowling from the Kiwis and Indian batsmen not putting the pressure back on bowlers, which led to the drubbing.

"That has got to do with partly good bowling from New Zealand and partly us not pressing that momentum on to them when required. "It was perfect for them because they bowled well and we allowed them to bowl well for longer periods rather than doing something about it in a partnership."

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News Network
January 28,2020

Columbo, Jan 28: The Sri Lanka Cricket Board on Monday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Women`s T20 World Cup, slated to commence from February 21. The board also announced five standby players for the ensuing tournament.

The squad members are -- Chamari Atapattu (captain), Harshitha Madavi (vice captain), Anushka Sanjeewani, Hansima Karunaratne, Shashikala Siriwardene, Nilakshi De Silva, Ama Kanchana, Kavisha Dilhari, Udeshika Probodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Hasini Perera, Sathya Sandeepani, Umesha Thimashini, Sugandika Kumari, Dilani Manodara.

The standby players are -- Sachini Nisansala, Prasadani Weerakkody, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Tharika Sewwandi, Inoka Ranaweera.

Sri Lanka will take on New Zealand in their opening encounter on February 22.

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