Is the BCCI finally learning?

I have never been a great admirer of the BCCI. The organization {?} is one that you normally associate with “chaos’, ‘confusion’ and even ‘corruption’. It has been known for email leaks, irresponsible media interviews, lobbying and a whole host of undesirable activities. Of course my major grouse with them has been the fact that they do not give a fig for the ultimate consumer, whether he is a person who pays hard earned money to watch matches live or sits religiously in front of the TV set. I recently went to watch the India Australia test match at Bangalore (what a match it was) and was appalled to see the condition of the seats. And mind you these were member’s seats. Of course the World Cup is around the corner, but then in India we specialize in doing things at the last moment, don’t we! Just ask Kalmadi!

The times they are a changing

Yet, the BCCI seems to have woken up to the fact that the Indian test team is number one in the world. They suddenly realized that they could lose their number one status without playing too much test cricket as other countries are busy playing with each other. So the BCCI quickly changed the seven match one day series against Australia to two test matches and three one day internationals. Despite Ponting’s bleatings that this was hardly the ideal preparation for the Ashes, the BCCI had its way. Thankfully, both the teams ensured that this was one of the finest short series that one had seen and the Australians were graceful losers and India got a good lead in the ICC points table.

Of course India bashers are fond of saying that we are lions at home and lambs abroad. The truth as always is somewhere in the middle. But full credit to the BCCI for realizing that the series against South Africa in South Africa could well be the true test championship of the world. Of course Indians have known to be indifferent travelers and much is at stake. So it is proposed that the key Indian players travel early to South Africa to acclimatize. Of course in today’s hurly burly world there is no time for practice games. Incidentally, we need to remember that England is scheduled to play three tour games before the first test at Brisbane.

Be that as it may, I think the first Indian eleven for the first test in South Africa should move earlier to the country to acclimatize. Who knows the BCCI could even request(!) the South African test team to play a practice game against this team at the Wanderers and they might even accept! Of course being an Indian fan, I do know that nothing is certain till it actually happens and this may just be Kirsten’s zeal which may well be nipped in the bud! And who is to prevent some smart sponsor from getting in a few days of commercial shoots with our celebrity cricketers!

Let’s keep hoping and praying that the BCCI is finally understanding its role as something beyond money and sponsorships!

Is this the best Indian batting side?

A few months ago I had an unexpected visit from my nephew who teaches Finance at Columbia University. “You had better take a break from your blog” he suggested. When I asked him why, his response was quick and brutal like the batsman he was talking about “You had predicted the decline and {cricketing demise} of Sehwag and look how he is batting now”. Like all good writers I do not read what I write and I also have a selective memory, but took his word for it. In deference to his wishes and the chaos in the economy I took a break from cricket writing for some time. I am back perhaps not with a bang but hope it won’t become a whimper either like the New Zealand bowling.

Sachin speaks the world listens

Sachin is not one who talks idly, just ask Glenn McGrath! He usually lets his bat do the talking. Yet he stirred the hornet’s nest (or at least a lethargic blogger to action) when he said that this current Indian batting side was the best that he had been part of. I guess there is a lot of truth in the statement, made as it is, by someone who knows what he is talking about. Whose 43rd century, just a few days ago, shows that the old fires are still burning in his fatigued body, which has done yeoman service for his often unappreciative countrymen. Then Sehwag blasted a century, in just 60 balls off a hapless Kiwi attack that did not know where to hide. In fact, Vettori, in the post match press conference, quipped that 500 might have been a match winning target against the rampaging Indians. Yes Indian batting and cricket too is at all time high and when Sachin makes a statement the cricketing world sits up and takes notice.

Blistering batsmen ruling the roost

There is no doubt that the Indian top three in the one day version is easily the best in the cricketing world, and its value is perhaps best realized by a team like England, whose top three is perhaps the best indication of what such a line up should not be! But with Sachin batting with all his old skill and renewed vigour, with Sehwag in the form of his life, Gambhir bringing his own brand of improvisation, Yuvraj batting in the one dayers with the same abandon that he exhibited in the T20s, Dhoni being the binding stability that the middle order badly needed and dashers like Yusuf Pathan floating around, one can afford to be euphoric. Make no mistake; this is one helluva batting line up. I am not sure that any other team in the world has this ability, experience and potential amidst its ranks. Yet having been a disappointed Indian fan, who has been traveling around India in ‘96, England in ‘99, South Africa in 2003 and West Indies in 2007 on unsuccessful world cup campaigns, I am reluctant to celebrate just yet! Are we overreacting to our exploits on the wickets of Sri Lanka and the miniscule grounds of New Zealand? Seriously the ICC should do something about the sizes and shapes of cricket grounds in New Zealand!

A look at the past

India has at least for the last decade had an amazing batting line up. Sachin, Ganguly, Sehwag, Dravid and Lakshman have made runs in every condition, against every opposition and not only at home. Maybe some of them did not have the strike rates of the current lot. But to counter that they had to contend with the McGraths, the Warnes, the Bonds, the Wasims, the Waqars, the Donalds and the Pollocks in their prime, often on wickets that were not as benign as they have become universally today. In fact, it is a sad truth that despite the fab four making hordes of runs as often and as consistently as they did, never did we capitalize on that to win a world cup or be the best team in the world. This current team has the capability to do that and it seems certain that Sachin is pacing himself for the 2011 world cup.

A time for optimism

While I am not able to stick my neck out and say that this is the best batting side ever, I can certainly say a few things with a fair degree of confidence. This team has no fear. It has no ghosts from the past to handle, or any mental scars from repeated defeats like the English cricket team. Nor is it a bunch of ‘chokers’. It is full of confidence and can chase down any total under the sun or under lights. It has already won the T20 world cup. While one can argue about the batting, there is no debate about the fact that it has currently the most balanced bowling attack we have ever had. Zaheer continues to torment the best of batsmen, while Ishant is a handful, not to forget Harbhajan and our underrated fifth bowlers in Yuvraj and Sehwag, who can be invaluable in the world cup in 2011 played as it will be in India at least, if not in Pakistan. Yet I always remember what Geoffrey Boycott used to tell Ravi Sastri when he used to get too excited about the Indian team’s performance “Raavi, Raavi,” he would say,” don’t get ahead of yourself”. That is perhaps my message for the Indian cricket fan who borders between total arrogance and complete diffidence and does not realize that there is a happy medium in between. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but enjoy the moment and remember that 2011 is a long, long time away. Let’s just pray that our players remain modest, despite their phenomenal success. Let’s hope that they remain fit, what with so much cricket being played. And let’s hope that they field better than we are currently fielding or else the best batting line up will consistently have to chase down 400!

(Ramanujam Sridhar is CEO, brand-comm, and the author of One Land, One Billion Minds.)

The last frontier or the end of an era?

The Australians are here to play one more test series against India and the two teams will compete for the Border Gavaskar trophy once again in what we hope will rival some of the epic contests in the Australian bid for the final frontier in the recent past. Steve Waugh retired from test cricket without climbing the final frontier while Ricky Ponting who is probably playing his last test series in India was able to climb it vicariously (being sidelined through injury} as Australia won the last time around under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist. Will this series hold the same thrills and excitement that encounters between the two sides have been arousing in the last few occasions? Will it be the last hurrah or a painful farewell to some of the ageing stars in both sides? We will know soon enough.

Australia who?
Several of the Australians who made their team such a dominant force in world cricket are no longer around. The pugnacious Langer, the metronome McGrath, the legendary Warne, the aggressive Gilchrist and the graceful Martyn, not to forget Jason Gillespie’s who had the unique feat of scoring a double century in his last test, will not be in display this month, making this series likely to be definitely less watch-able than the ones we have witnessed earlier. Only four of the present lot have played test cricket in India and Ricky Ponting has been a real bunny here rather than the raging kangaroo that the rest of the world knows him as. And yet despite the relatively new look to this Australian team, it has its fair share of champions like Hayden who loves Indian curry and Indian conditions, Brett Lee who with his speed and newly acquired reverse swing could upset more than one Indian batsman, not to forget the Husseys and Clarks of the world. Australia as always will compete and for once may savour the underdog status that media is conferring on them.

What about India?
Normally what should have been a cake walk for India against this depleted side is now assuming a fair degree of uncertainty as the fab four as we know them are in their last year of test cricket if not on their last legs .Ganguly is living on borrowed time while Tendulkar’s injuries are always a cause for worry though he has just announced himself fit. Laxman despite his tremendous talent is never a certainty in the side while Dravid seems to be searching for that sublime touch which was his for the asking for years on end though he soldiers on manfully. Kumble too seems to be showing his bowling age. Of course Sehwag is in the form of his life, Gambhir is waiting to explode while Harbhajan (in case he does not lose his head) can run circles around the opposition. Nor can we afford to forget the old head on young shoulders, Dhoni, waiting in the wings for the captaincy of the test side. Yes we have the capability to win despite a new selection committee and lack of co-ordination within the BCCI as one never knows how the pitches will turn out to be.

Preparation the key
One of the key things that one can learn from the Australians is perhaps the seriousness with which they have approached India and the tour. They have come to India a week earlier than originally scheduled, have roped in Greg Chappell and the Rajasthan cricket association even as their A team has just left the shores of this country after winning the tournament. Throw in the IPL experience that people like Shane Watson have got, then one can see that Australia have put their best foot forward and if they are found wanting then it cannot be put down to lack of preparation. Maybe the cash rich BCCI should remember all this when we tour England, Australia or South Africa the next time around. Yet a word of caution is probably relevant here. The series despite all the media hype could turn out to be a damp squib if either of the two teams fails to live up to its potential.

The last hurrah for test cricket?
Rivalry between India and Australia has now assumed enormous proportions and the Australian players compare it with the rivalry of the Ashes which has a rich heritage of over a hundred years. The tests between the two countries have in recent years thrilled audiences in both countries and have had phenomenal viewer ship. Yet the whole environment has gone through a sea change in the last year or so with the increasing attraction of players for IPL which has been India centric. Test cricket may no longer be top dog for players and most certainly for spectators in this part of the world who are hooked on to the shorter version of the game thanks to its brevity and our new found success in it. So in many ways this series can be far more important than merely throwing up a victorious team, it could be a make or break exercise not only for the ageing stalwarts on both sides but for the venerable institution of test cricket. Who will win?
Your guess is as good as mine.

‘’Back to the pack’ in thirteen years

Way back in 1995 Australia the emerging champions dethroned the long time champions West Indies in the Caribbean to annex the Frank Worrell trophy. Last night Ricky Ponting’s Australians beat the West Indies in a series again and proudly held the same Frank Worrell trophy after winning the series 2 -0. The Australian team has been on top of the cricketing heap for so long to the extent of making test cricket boring and one sided. The only teams to have pushed Australia in this period have been India and England in the 2005 Ashes series. Yet this series, just concluded, demonstrates the shift in the balance of power and perhaps signals the end of Australian dominance. If this series was any indication, a lot more teams will certainly be able to draw more matches against Australia, if not actually beat them. Australia without the belligerence of Gilchrist and the bludgeoning of Hayden and the unorthodoxy of Justin Langer not to forget the silken grace of Damien Martyn are struggling to score at the frenetic pace that they used to score in, thereby giving their top flight bowlers enough and more time to take twenty wickets. And while even this is manageable as the batting replacements like Katich have kicked in and people like Hodge and Marsh have not even gotten a look in, the real problem is in the bowling with only Brett Lee and Stuart Clarke being truly effective and the matches have been much closer despite West Indies being currently ranked eighth in the ICC test rankings. All of this led Ricky Ponting to grudgingly accept that his bowling has gone” back to the pack”- some admission from the normally cocky Australian captain.

Test cricket is the real McCoy

India in particular and the world in general had been sucked into the glitz and glamour that the IPL provided .The IPL had gotten in a new breed of viewers who admired the shortened format and perhaps the attendant entertainment in the grounds. Some even predicted the death of test cricket. At Bridgetown, the West Indies made a gallant effort at chasing down 475.They fell 87 runs short, but the match and the series made for excellent viewing even if some of the grounds were empty .Shivnarine Chanderpaul demonstrated what a difficult batsman he is to dislodge and not surprisingly was the man of the series even as the slightly stodgy Simon Katich scored two centuries and conceded sportingly that he may not have a place in the Australian team once Hayden returns for the Bangalore test against India. What an embarrassment of batting riches and how enormously frustrating for people waiting in the wings like Watson and Marsh who had such a fantastic IPL season. But the bowling is where replacements are harder to get and this is where the once mighty Australians are suffering and this is where the rest of the world can take heart from and actually capitalize .The next test match that Australia will play will be here at Bangalore at the lion’s den and the “last frontier” that Steve Waugh never conquered. This could well be the beginning of the end for Australia. Mind you it will not be a quick demise like the one in the eighties when Marsh, Lillee and Greg Chappell retired in one go. Australia will move from flamboyance to percentage cricket, which will make them a lot less attractive to watch if not easier to beat. Teams will gain confidence from what the lowly ranked West Indies showed the rest of the world. While the ranking may not do justice to the West Indies’ current ability, there is no going away from the fact that they are still ranked eighth. Teams no longer to have play the reputation of the Australian team, they just have to play the team and beat it.
Will we show the way to the rest of the world or get caught in our own hype?

Let's make an example of Harbhajan

Way back in February 2008, this writer had the temerity to be critical of Harbhajan, when the whole of India and the Indian media were unqualified in his support and thought he was being singled out unfairly in the racism row by the whole of Australia and their media. The reason for that was simple. As someone who has watched cricket for years and has seen the ill-mannered Indian continue to live on the edge, it seemed apparent to me that Harbhajan was not lily white in this case and has never been.

Harbhajan continued to behave obnoxiously on the Australian tour, emboldened perhaps by the unqualified support of the board, the media and the whole of India. Soon after the judgement, in the match against Sri Lanka, after getting Sangakkara out, he jumped up and down and thrust his tongue out, reminding us of the animal that had caused all the tension at Sydney, cocking a snook at the racism charge and telling the whole world how he got away with a mere rap on the knuckles.

Harbhajan, this time around, has gone just a little too far by slapping Sreesanth who, it must be conceded, refuses to grow up and probably deserved a kick up his backside from one of his family members and not a slap from the provoked Sardar in view of a television camera.

A few lessons
Let us go back in time to the Australian tour where we all closed ranks against Australia and leading the support was none other than Sachin Tendulkar. In fact, Sachin’s role in protecting Harbhajan was crucial as he has a reputation that any sportsman would give an arm and a leg for. An admirable sportsman and a gentleman who reserves his aggression for the opposing bowlers. A role model for young India to follow, even Sachin seems to have limited impact on the behaviour of his erring teammates.

Sachin also had a key role to play in getting Harbhajan into the Mumbai Indians team at a fantastic price and must have had a say in his being nominated captain in his absence. It was hardly Harbhajan’s fault that the poorly-selected Mumbai Indian team has lost all its four games, though a minor consolation could be that the biggest defeat came when Shaun Pollock was the captain, in Harbhajan’s absence.

Harbhajan is a competitor and the succession of defeats must have rankled him. It is not clear what Sreesanth said though I am hardly inclined to be sympathetic to this maverick whose theatrics so far seem to overshadow his ability. Having said all that, I think the person most affected by Harbhajan’s moment of madness must be Sachin. Clearly he has been let down and will think twice before putting his reputation on the line for his teammates if they do not deserve it. Harbhajan would do well to reflect on this when he sits at home over the next few weeks.

It is not only the money
Harbhajan has been banned for 11 matches of the IPL which means that he may not participate in the tournament at all. As on current form, one does not see the Mumbai Indians making it to the semifinals. If they do, Harbhajan could get a chance to play. So it does seem like a serious penalty as he will lose a lot of money. While it can be argued that it is an adequate punishment, I beg to differ. This offence of his is no different from the obnoxious behaviour of Shoaib Akhtar to his teammate, Mohamed Asif, a few months ago. Many of us believe that Shoaib, with some more serious offences, has no place in the cricket field, perhaps because he is from a different country. Harbhajan is giving Shoaib a run for his money by his thoughtless actions and must be giving the BCCI sleepless nights as well.

But merely restricting the punishment to banning Harbhajan for 11 IPL games seems inadequate and will certainly send a wrong signal to the rest of the cricketing world.

All eyes on BCCI
The rest of the cricketing world does not like India. Maybe the rest of the world resents the eyeballs we command or the single-minded following that the game has in this country, which enables the BCCI to call the shots. It has not been averse to showing its financial muscle or the clout and has often gone to the media with its loud voice and threats. It is common knowledge that the other cricketing nations are straining at the leash and resent the shift in the balance of power.

While the shift in the balance of power is not necessarily a bad thing, some of the BCCI’s actions and statements are not necessarily in good taste and run the risk of dividing the cricketing world in two. The BCCI has conceptualised, sold and is organising the IPL as a showpiece event of a magnitude, scale and stature that no other cricketing tournament has attained.

This tournament has now been cast under a cloud, because of Harbhajan’s irresponsibility. The BCCI should demonstrate to the rest of the world that it is a body that is concerned about the spirit of the game and can think of things other than money. They should ban Harbhajan for a year at least from international cricket so that it serves as a lesson to youngsters and also sends out a strong signal to the rest of the world that India can run the game globally and run it efficiently and without bias even if it has encountered a hiccup just now.

(Ramanujan Sridhar is the Chief Executive Officer of Brand Comm)

Indian cricket team getting there but not yet there

We Indians are a wonderful race, but believe in extremes. We are either in a state of total and misplaced euphoria or are down in the depths of depression. We do not know the middle path or refuse to recognize it even if it hits us in the solar plexus. This wonderful (!) quality applies equally to the cricket fan and the writers who contribute on this subject. The fan that was getting ready to attack the houses of the Indian team after their poor showing in the West Indies at this time last year, is now proclaiming that this is the best team ever and the media uses headlines like ‘world beaters’ without bothering to think carefully about whether this is really justified right now. Yet in the midst of all the jubilation, I think it is perhaps relevant to sound a word of caution, even if that may not go down well with the average cricket fan, if such a person exists in India. Make no mistake, this young Indian team has significant achievements already - winners of the Twenty-twenty world cup in South Africa and winning the recently concluded Commonwealth bank tri-series. Not very long ago the older version of the Indian team won a Test match in South Africa, won a series against England in England after ages and won a test match at Perth in Australia for the first time ever. Yes all the indications are there that this young team has a great time ahead of it but it still has a few frontiers to conquer before it is labeled as a world beating team.

Let’s look at the current world champions
However unpalatable it may be, the fact of the matter is that Australia has dominated world cricket since 1995. While they have been beaten comprehensively by us in the tri-series we need to remember that England too did that last year around and where are they now? There have been instances when other teams have run it close and even pipped it like South Africa which was ranked no.1 at the beginning of the world cup last year but for a very short time. It is likely to be ranked no.1 again after its triumph in Bangladesh. Notwithstanding their status they were found wanting in their first big game of the World Cup at St. Kitts against Australia and lost. They were also found wanting in the semi finals where they were pitted against the same team and were defeated quite comprehensively if not disgraced. South Africa have promised much and threatened more particularly in media conferences without having delivered. Now they must be fancying their chances of being the top team in the world again this time for a longer duration, but I have my doubts about their ability on the big occasion or on the big stage. Significantly India will be playing South Africa at home at the end of the month for a three match test series which should have far more significance than a mere three match series. It could in a sense determine which direction the cricketing world’s future leadership would point.

Consistency the key
If we go back to 2005 and the Ashes, we had England beating Australia in a memorable series. Since then England has regressed, having lost the Ashes 0-5 in 2007 and is now struggling with New Zealand having lost the first test, though it is New Zealand that is playing inconsistently in the second. To be world beaters in the true sense of the term we need to be consistent in all forms of the game, in all conditions and against all opposition. We are the reigning champions in the twenty-twenty format and we can expect to be well prepared for the future in this with so much cricket happening on the IPL format. We have a young team in the one day version of the game with Sachin the only senior around. But boy has he contributed! The test team has our senior gang but we need to remember that they may not be around for much longer. But there is an enormous amount of talent in the cupboard which has forced Dilip Vengsarkar to quickly change his opinion. He was the bright forecaster who said that there is hardly any talent in the pipe line after the dismal loss in the world cup. Our current plan of different teams for tests and one-days seems to be working for us. Ironical that Australia which first mooted this concept and took great credit for it has 9 of the same players in both teams and it was hardly surprising that they seemed tired and jaded after a long and controversial summer. So clearly a lot of the indications are positive for us. Yet there are a few realities that we need to remember. The pitches at home are quite different from Australia, England and South Africa where our recent victories have happened and we might well struggle to get twenty wickets regularly on our dust bowls. Strangely the BCCI is talking to Les Burdett the renowned curator from Australia for the IPL. I wonder why they never thought of him or other curators earlier for test matches. The BCCI is throwing money left, right and centre at cricketers of all ages and all countries which can actually prevent the development of youth. When someone asked Virat Kohli the captain of the under 19 team what he would do with the 15 lakhs he had earned because of his teams victory, his answer was honest enough “I will buy that Honda city”. We have enough instances of youngsters losing their way and the BCCI is just making things more difficult for today’s talent by providing distractions in hordes by way of money and the consequent media attention.

Patience the key for the Indian cricket fan
The war is not yet over though we have won the first few important battles particularly with Australia who even if they are not our oldest enemy are certainly the most vicious. India is rising and I am sure the fans must be patient. We shall prevail but it will not be as simple as some of us would like to believe. But whatever happens remember that this is our team. We have a young team. We are a young country and have enormous talent and cricket is the number one game in the country. We will be number one and soon and till that we must be wary of calling this team “world beaters”.

Ramanujam Sridhar is CEO, brand-comm and the author of “One land, one billion minds”.

Young India signals the end of an Australian Era

Some time ago when Australia toured South Africa and demolished them, the South Africans said openly that they could not wait to see them leave the country as they were so demoralized by the rampaging Australians. This tired, stressed and sorry Australian team after a long and bitter series must be relieved to see the Indian team leave their shores with the Commonwealth Bank trophy. This tour has been one of the most acrimonious ones in recent times and knowledgeable and older critics liken it to the same angst that was part of the bodyline series. But it has been a major disappointment for Australia who was nowhere near its best and yet made it to the finals in a canter. Still there were a few worrying signs on the way. They lost a low scoring game to India and could not chase a moderate score against Sri Lanka in the match preceding the finals. In the first finals they came across Tendulkar who played a once in a life time innings. The second final was no different as Tendulkar again made things count with a fantastic yet restrained innings of 91 that was still enough. What a farewell for the little master in a country that just idolizes him! In fact it would not be an exaggeration to say that Tendulkar has easily been the most admired international player above Worrell and even Lara. And he has entertained the doting Australian public and showed them what a great human being he is, surrounded as he is by lesser mortals. I speak of the beamer bowled by Brett Lee at the great man. Despite prodding by media the great man brushed it aside saying he had a lot of regard for the bowler and it must have slipped. I am certain, Brendon McCullum would not have agreed. Imagine the chaos that could have happened had he, as he was well within his rights to have done, complained. A reminder from the humble champion that cricket is still a game.

So what ails Australia?
Over the last twelve years, Australia and its team have built an aura of invincibility around themselves as they beat every team in sight at every venue. They did not lose a World Cup game in two successive World Cups in 2003 and 2007 and recently even won the Champions trophy that had eluded them for quite some time. When Australia lost a game it was news, though in the last few weeks the news is being made a lot more frequently than they would like. The problem has been that a lot of Australia’s success has been built around the amazing success, consistency and dominance of Ricky Ponting as a batsman who has delivered big time on the big stage. Remember Johannesburg and the World Cup final? This season, both in the tests and the one-dayers, Ricky Ponting has had an eminently forgettable season. I admire Ponting, but I do not like him, which is why he does not have my sympathy. But this tour has drained him more than anyone else and throw in some unplayable balls early on in the tour, accusations, hearings, media manipulations, complaints by his team mates, calls for his sacking... He has not had a moment of peace and will be waiting to take a break from the game. To Ponting’s poor form add the poor batting of Andrew Symonds, the sporadic brilliance of Gilchrist who was busy offering good byes, the scratchy form of Mathew Hayden and a below par performance by Michael Hussey who seems a far cry from the Mr. Cricket that he was a couple of seasons ago. The Australian bowlers have come to the party right through the summer and covered up for the poor performance of the illustrious batsmen. But in some defense of the Australian batsmen, they have had to cope with pitches that have not been their usual belters even in the one-dayers.

Let’s also put another fact in perspective. Australian and world batsmen are not comfortable with the moving ball. England won back the Ashes in 2005 after 17 long years thanks to the new ball and reverse swing that Mathew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones produced. One of the reasons for India’s success has been the phenomenal bowling of Ishant Sharma who seems to have rattled the Australians and Praveen Kumar’s bowling in the finals has been a revelation. With Gilchrist and the under-recognized Brad Hogg deciding to move on, Australia will be hard pressed to regain their dominance as they have certainly lost it, after this series, against the Indians who were hardly fancied. The climb to the top again may not happen for some time, in my view at least.

Lets focus on the future Champions
Now that we have knocked the world champions off their perch, it is easy to believe that we are the world champions. Sadly it is not as simple as all that as the ICC rankings are far more complex and we need to be consistent. We have a long and challenging home season with South Africa who have a couple of feisty fast bowlers and some stodgy but high scoring batsmen who will fancy our tracks. But clearly this team is on its way up. It has a mature test leader in Anil Kumble who led the team wonderfully in a hostile and challenging environment and deserved a far better score line. Unlike Australia where Ricky Ponting had to take the pressure in both forms of the game, we had a younger and more charismatic leader in Dhoni for the one-dayers whose captaincy and savoir faire have been wonderful to watch and relish. Clearly India is on to a good thing with this team and a lot of young talent seems to be on evidence in the under 19 World Cup winners as well. Yet it is worthwhile to remember that it has been by and large our bowling that has been winning us matches recently on pitches that have been quite unlike our own. Our bowlers could well struggle at home. But let’s just savour this moment without worrying too much about the future. Yes we have toppled Australia, at their den. This is a supreme moment for Indian cricket.

Ramanujam Sridhar is CEO, brand-comm and the author of “One land, one billion minds”.