What an Encore!

Ah! Here we go! Again. The time is here. We’ll all rejoice. A nation will be in frenzy. What times! Lets enjoy it while its here. To the fullest! Because, this too shall pass.

I think the last time there was such a feverish pitch surrounding Indian cricket, it was 1998. And not surprisingly, the protagonist of that play remains the protagonist in this encore! Yes, these are amazing times. At times, on would wish to freeze such a moment. Sounds childish. I can almost hear some of those voices, “It’s only a game!” But hell! If it was so, there wouldn’t be this much said, written, and indeed, celebrated! It’s another landmark in the history of Indian cricket. Have no doubt. This isn’t one of those ‘flash in the pan’ moments. This series will be remembered as the one that witnessed the change of guard; its audience has witnessed the last stand of an era. And what a gifted audience we are! It’s been more than a decade of domination. A juggernaut has run its course. It may not be the end of Australia’s run as the number one side in the world, but it’s for certain that it will never wear the cape of invincibility again. Well, at least till it unearths a few Warnes, McGraths, and Waughs again.

In the near future, it’s very difficult to foresee an Aussie side utterly dominating world cricket. The loss of Gilchrist will only add to the burden that Ponting has already been carrying since late ’06. The fact that this day would arrive, we all could see. The Ashes of 2005 was the soothsayer in this tragedy! It had predicted the “Ides of March” (what an irony!), when a missing McGrath was all that Englandneeded to topple the Australians. They always prided in their rotation policy. “None of our stars will depart in a clutter”, they said. “The transition will be smooth”, they said. Well, I suppose they never really saw it coming. Who can blame ‘em? With those thick curtains in the form of McGrath and Warne, they probably couldn’t see beyond. In their company, even rookies like Stuart Clark seemed geniuses! With a sound opening pair, the middle order batsmen were never tested, truly. On the litmus test, that Indiaproved to be, the Husseys and the Clarkes, and of course, the Pontings did not respond when the absence of a Langer triggered an early wicket. It was a sad departure for Gilchrist. But a stern test for Ponting, it certainly was.

The captain has looked nothing but invincible ever since donning the mantle Steve Waugh left behind. Now, though, the pressure is showing. What it means to captain a less than godly bowling attack has hit the punter. And the batting is suffering. Of course, the bowling of Sharma and Co. has played the part in eroding the batting form away from Ponting. Alas, things don’t look very dainty for him, as sterner tests await the man.

Many shall dwell on the happenings of this tour. Of all the places that Australia went wrong, and where Indiawent right. And why not? The last four months has been about little, apart from these two giants, in world cricket. It’s attracted the attention of cricket followers and casual on lookers alike. An unpleasant tour for the most part, in the larger context, this block-buster bonanza may spell an increase in viewership of the IPL as well as the next India-Australia series, slated to be in India later this year. The game was loosing its shine in the west, especially Test cricket, with the emergence of T-20. But now the crowds may be coming back. Test may still have its hay days.

Speaking of hay-days, I must return to the Protagonist! To be honest, already a million quills have written an elegy to an inning of amazing substance. Yet, I find it difficult to resist! Such is the aura of the Master. Indeed, the aura was at its height over the weekend (which actually ended up being an extended one, till Tuesday)! Yet, hindsight makes things look much more glamorous than they really are, at times. At times you tend to remember only the good, and not the bad and ugly, and crave for the moment to be back again. I never saw the “Twins of Sharjah” live. Perhaps the reason that I get so hooked whenever it’s shown on the tely. Yet, watching the 117* live, I never realized how akin this was to a decade ago. Indeed I never expected the after effects to last so long. Maybe they shall last forever. Maybe that’s why we are all Sachinists! The innings itself, wasn’t flawless. It was very near perfection though. Sometimes flaws tend to make imperfect things perfect, rather than the opposite. That’s precisely what I witnessed on Saturday. The start was circumspect, the middle was glorious, and the end was self assuring. The highlights tend not to do justice to such perfection. Yet, to the candid observer, the highlights may bring more satisfaction. The highlights probably won’t show the difficulty that the inning was built around. What I witnessed in that inning, ball by ball, was the kind of stuff I have dreamt off. It wasn’t as glamorous as the highlights show it to be. Yet the planning and execution of it all only added to my perpetually regenerating belief that this man is something unreal! Henceforth, only the highlights of the inning will be shown. The inside edge which missed the stump by just an inch will probably be erased, from the highlights, and eventually from our minds. The Genius shall be elevated to God yet again. Yet, a master shall be lost. A chunk of the glory of the triumph shall be cut out especially for him. A glorious career will proceed, without the uncertainties that dogged Ganguly and Dravid. Yes, I use ‘dogged’ and not ‘dogging’, perhaps echoing what’s been on my mind, as in the minds of others, two legends might not wear the blues again. Probably a blessing in disguise, for it may prolong their Test careers by a good two, or more, years. In that, India has achieved what Australiaset out to do. Phased out the “irreplaceables”. And it was done in a smooth fashion too. First Laxman went through the dreaded door, followed by a more than willing Kumble. Suddenly, the team is not recognizable. But for one face. The face, that smiles, right from the top of the order. I had once thought that he should retire post the ’07 World Cup. That, to the obvious ire of other Tendulkar fans whom I shared this with. They wanted him to continue his star studded career. Apparently, so does the man himself. He loves the game, and evidently does not want to part with any of his “toys”, as Harsha Bhogle put it, in a hurry. And who can doubt his judgment? With master classes such the one at Sydney, it seems he will go on forever. In our minds at least, that’s ever so possible!

The scenes beyond the ground, too, shall probably ring on in our hearts.

After that inning, right until Tuesday, it was all Sachin. Everywhere, the same chants. One couldn’t expect the critics to accept that they were wrong. The egos meant those few stayed low throughout the euphoria, probably to emerge upon another failure. The fans, those with more of a reach to public media than others, were all over the television, newspaper, and indeed radio too.

Anon Payn