India’s Gautam Gambhir, center, is congratulated by Australian Brett Lee as Indian V.V.S. Laxman, right, looks on as they return after end of play on the first day of their third cricket test match in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008. Gambhir scored his second hundred in consecutive matches with an unbeaten 149 Wednesday. AP Photo/Gurinder Osan
It is time for a reality check. The centre of the cricketing universe is not Australia. Neither is it England, notwithstanding their comprehensive victory at Lords.
This current Ashes series, for many players, is an audition for the IPL. Who will be the first 2 million dollar man?
Currently, Dhoni,Pietersen and Flintoff have the bragging rights at 1.5 million dollars.
Michael Clarke, Haddin, Hughes and Johnson are being head hunted and I lean towards Clarke being the first to break the magic two million. The Punter at $400,000 is below David Hussey and Brett Lee. Symonds and Gilchrist are both on a million plus.
The Symonds sacking could have something to do with dissent in the dressing room. Dressing rooms around the world are not one big happy family. There are poor relatives aplenty.
Coming back to Test Cricket, Australia no longer has the invincibility of five years ago.
There is a belief among the top six that Australia can be beaten. South Africa, India and England have exposed the vulnerability. In a perverse way, this is exactly what many in Australia have been craving.
They wanted more even contests and now that they have them it is unpalatable.The moral to the story is never to wish mediocrity on your team.
The Test results of 2008 clearly put South Africa at the top, with 11 Test wins and series wins against Australia and England. They also drew a series in India.
Australia played 14 won 5 and lost series to South Africa and India.
Their five victories included one against India and two each against West Indies and New Zealand. India played 15 and won 6. They won series against Australia and England.
In 2009 Australia have played 5, won two and lost two. India won away to New Zealand in 2009 and are the only unbeaten Test side this year. Depending on your nationality, any one of three can lay claim to being the number one Test nation.
If England win the Ashes, then they too can start crowing.
Lets put aside the statistics and money for the time being and speculate on who of the Test players we would actually pay to watch?
I list my unbiased preferences for what I expect to be a contentious debate. I am working on something similar to the marketabilty component of the current CA contracts.
Australia: Ponting, Clarke, Hughes
England: Pietersen, Flintoff
South Africa: De Villiers, Steyn, Duminy
India: Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Sehwag
Sri Lanka: Sangakarra, Mendis, Jayawardene and Murali
West Indies: Sarwan
Pakistan:Mohammed Yousuf
Sadly there is no one I would pay to watch from New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Finally, taking current form, post Lords, I lean towards India as the number one Test nation.
Lest I be accused of bias I base this on the last 8 Tests played between Australia and India and it is 3-2 to India with three draws. In my mind, this situation can only change if Australia win the next three tests against England.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jonno--I share your sentiments regarding the future ofTest Cricket and the article a few days ago "Million Dollar Babies" set out my concerns. I made the distinctionearly in our robust debate,between players and administraors. The BCCI has inordinate power and with power must come a concommitant responsibility. Viscount Crouchback is not totally off the mark. If there is a perception that the BCCI influences the ICC and other Boards the question is why are the other Boards so influenced.? The answer is mired in politics and double speak . I am sorry that Boony walked off with your bat. I also agree self denial does not help any team and it is to be hoped all teams raise the bar.
2cents
Guest
Vinay, Sachin's ban was never lifted. Get your facts right. The status of the match as a test was revoked thus nullifying any status or outcome of the match including fines and sanctions. It is as if it never happened. Exactly what the BCCI wanted. Why was it revoked? Well the money grubbing ICC chose to remove the status of a test match rather than stand up to the absurd demands of the BCCI. But the video and pictures of Sachin lifting the seam on the ball will remain forever.
2Cents
Guest
Oh and I forgot... the Indians even stoop to having to bribe kenyans. Check out the Odumbe Report if you dont believe me... http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/anti_corruption/reports.php
2Cents
Guest
Everyone seems to forget that in the Cronje case it was Sanjay Chawla and two Indian bookmakers who were the bribers. India's own FBi the CBI had this to say about it 'The CBI linked the current sophisticated nature and monetary scale of betting in India to organised crime with clear signals of 'Mafia' underworld involvement."
davido
Guest
Who bribed who? Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were investigated, found guilty of match-fixing, and banned from playing cricket (for life and for five years, respectively). That's who for starters.
jonno
Guest
Vinay, I am not sure what youre getting at regarding how many cricketers do I know personally. The sum total of my contact with international cricketers would be this: - 1 beer with David Boon (who then left with the bat I brought to sign! Good on ya boony) (Launceston) - 1 chat with Ricky Ponting re his appalling performances at Bellerive oval (Hobart). - 1 slanging match with Merv Hughes over who had the better facial hair (Launceston). - 1 conversation with Ganguly on the 5th day of the first test in Bangalore. - Extensive chats with Dravid re Bangalore real estate (no cricket involved - a relief for him no doubt) That's it. I have no special connections or any talent. I am merely a humble yet opinionated arm chair critic worried about the future of TEST cricket. Look - you know it and I know it. The future of cricket is with India. But they must pick up their act. What works in India will not work internationally. As such, it is no good for any team to deny their past mistakes. And to some degree India has lifted it's act. One thing is for sure, if we as a community want TEST cricket to survive we really have to work together. And that means giving credit where credit is due.
westy
Guest
Sachin told one story to the umpires and ponting and then had a very convenient memory loss to the enquiry. As the term monkey is a term of endearment in India he is a lovely little monkey changing his story like that to protect his team mate.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Ok Jonno,since we are talking of cricketers how many International cricketers do you know personally and have interacted with. We will forget journalists and commentators,as you are not influenced bythem. My experience is that most cricketers who have played a while are sporting,humble and charitable. Ditto for International umpires. I am not easily swayed and am a freelancer so I dont have to answer to a sports editor and am not driven by set agendas. I do wish to limit the discussion to cricket issues and it is a shame that you have not actually addressed the major topic of my article which is that the Tests now seem to be an audition for the IPL. and who would you pay to watch play. And who do you think will be the next 2 million dollar man. I would be interested to hear your views. Jonno,I can assure you that you will have plenty of oppurtunity to discuss the relative sporting behaviour of international cricket teams as time goes on.
jonno
Guest
True, Sachin is highly respected. I merely point out his is not the Saint many make hime out to be. As an aside, please dont listen to Roebuck. He has zero credibility in Australia. And with regards to the constant comments by people in these threads like Chappel said "..." or Boycott said "..." I and most people tend to make up our own minds on the evidence in front of us. I try to get to the actual behaviour of people rather than what a commentator thinks happened.
jonno
Guest
My mistake, I should have said, India is the only team to have one international cricketer strike another on field and get away with it of the current international teams. Obviously I am discussing standards between cricketing nations today. I am not comparing standards of behaviour of past players with current players (another topic completely).
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jonno,The readers will make up their own mind. Suffice to say Tendulkar is one of the highest individual taxpayers in India.His sportmanship and skill were publicly acknowledged by Sir Donald Bradman so I dont need to defend him. He got a standing ovation from the SCG crowd when he came in to bat. I dont know of any respected Australian journalist,print or media, that would have truck with your aspersions. And frankly I doubt any serious cricket lover would entertain your labelling the Indian team unsporting. Shane Warne and Brett Lee and Ponting certainly dont think so. Kumble's behaviour during the last tour was called "statesmanlike" by Peter Roebuck and I dont know of any respected Australian journalist who thinks Kumble was unsporting. And I meet many. So lets move on.
Dublin Dave
Guest
Jonno - India is the only team to have one international cricketer strike another on field and get away with it. Harbhajan struck Yuvraj Singh in the face at the end of a 20Twenty match Sorry, mate. I may not know much about cricket but I know that's a whopper. Maybe you're too young to remember a chap called Dennis Lillee, but he was a spiky individual who was known to kick out (literally) at opponents who showed signs of being any way near as obnoxious as he. HAve a look at this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tisjdB_3iOc&feature=PlayList&p=153D71B6F3BE9A4A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=33) if you don't remember. And Lillee's punishment? Fined $200 (reduced to 120 on appeal) and banned for two matches, neither of them Tests. Not quite as harsh as the punishment inflicted on Harbajan.
jonno
Guest
Vinay, Im sorry but you truly misrepresent the facts... you say: "The Indian team are not the gatekeepers of the venue." No they are not.... so why did they lock out a match official? Read an independant account of the crazy Indian antics here... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2001/india_in_south_africa/1669900.stm Sounds a bit like what happened in Australia the last time India toured doesnt it? That my friend is a HISTORY of disgusting behaviour (intimidation, bullying and sheer outrageous bad sportsmanship) that makes controversial catches seem very tame indeed. You once again mislead... Mike Denness WAS NOT stood down. He resigned shortly after his open heart surgery. Sachin Tendulkar’s dodgy tax evasions are well documented... look here for starters...(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TOIonline/Cricket_/Tax_exemptions_of_Tendulkar_Gavaskar_faulty_CAG/articleshow/2045848.cms). Finally, you have made the comment dismissing Harbaghan's disgraceful strike to the head of another cricketer on the field. You say this is fit for gossip mag's. This reveals an interesting standard. You obviously think it is ok for this sort of behaviour.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Marees..I am always surprised at the direction online conversations take. The reader tends to pick up on particular strands and then the questions start. My thrust is that fans want to see the top sides play against each other and India dont play Australia for another two years. I am also not sure if the SA/India series will take place. Certain things have to be defended and and debated. I dont necessarily want to be right all the time but I do want to be fair. And if I can help get rid of misconceptions and sterotypes than it is worthwhile. I cant argue that SA deserve to be No 1 on the last 2 years performances. They have a younger team with Kallis the oly likely retiree in the short term. The other big movers I see are Sri Lanka and in the two M&M's they have a potent pairing. You may have gathered I am passionate about Test Cricket and I believe this should be properly marketed. The comments sometimes have a life of their own and the original article becomes secondary.
marees
Guest
Vinay, When I first saw the headline of your post, I thought it was a joke to lighten up the mood of the aussies (after the lords loss) I am actually very surprised to see you defend your views to this extent :-) On current form SA deserve to be no.1 in test. I also believe they have fewer retirements(check average age) compared to other teams, hence they are poised to enjoy a decent run as no. 1.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
A few things,JohnB: 1.In Dhoni they have a captain the team is willing to go through a brick wall. And dhoni is well grounded and will back his players. Sehwag is flourishing underhim. Forget the media beatup on their falling out. Guys like Dravid and Tendulkar and Dravid are right behind him and even though they are former captains,Dhoni is in total control. He puts himself up the orde when he has to and plays according to the perentages. He has curbed his own game for the team good. 2. Self belief. The team believe they can beat anyone anywhere. They also believe they can come back from bad sessions and days. In 2008 they actually played 15 tests(one more than Australia) This is a chang from previous years. 3. Their Test side is different to th one day sides with Dravid,Tendulkar and Laxman not playing .Tendulkar will play some ODI's but not Twenty/20 internationals. 4. In Zaheer Khan they have a bowler who can swing,conventional and Irish, He's also improved his batting,scoring a fifty reently. And Ishant Sharma has grown as a bowler. The guy is only 20 and consistently 145kph plus. He has been successful against Ponting and can be a handful with his height and the bounce he extracts. 5. In Mishra they have a young legspinner who is settled in the knowledge he is going to get an extended run. And Harbhajan lifts for the big games. Their away record has been getting better and the team is settled. Kumble is still involved wth the team and they have the hard heads of Ravi Shastri and Gavaskar to instill more self belief. They are striving to prove they are the best and will compete well. In cricket you never know but I have a good feeling about this current team to be able to do the job. If kumble had got the captaincy five years ago I think they would have been there now. But Dhoni is the man for the job. I am not sure but I think the planned Test Series against ouh Africa,early next year seems to have disappeared off the pages of the Future ToursProgramme. And Australia is not ue to play them for another two years. So in the end it is all hypothetical. I believe the cricket fan deserves to see a Test Championship now. Because in 2 years there may not ne Tendulkar,Kallis, Dravidor Ponting.
JohnB
Guest
Fair enough Vinay, but if we're talking about right now, what justifies thinking India would be a good thing right now to beat any of the top sides away from India? Not saying it couldn't happen, because no argument they're a good side - but realistically it's not something they've managed to date. I probably should also have mentioned that losing Kumble surely should be taken into account in rating them.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
JohnB,Tendulkar and Dravid are 36 ,Laxman is 34 and Sehwag is 30. Actually my ranking was based on this moment in time. Say the nxt month.Here and now. Any way to answer your question there will be a massive downgrade of my expectations with two ofthe four not being there. Have some young ones like Rohit Sharma,Badrinath and Kumar but experience is such a big part of Tests. As young Hughes is finding out. But I still back Hughes to come through.
JohnB
Guest
Vinay, as your ranking is based (if my hurried scan through the comments gets it more or less right) on how teams are going to go in future, shouldn't the age of the Indian batting cause a downgrade?
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jonno- Are you and Davido one and the same? Your facts appear distorted. Firstly,racism is a very complex issue and it does not help if we rely on stereotypes.Yes I live in Australia and yes I would pay the same as anyone else. I visit India once or twice a year and have taken many business contacts and friends to matches in India. Many of these friends were white and no we did not pay more than anyone else. This post is not about racism and your comments and Davidos are really not relevant to this article but I am giving you both the courtesy of a reasoned reply. If you are referring to Mike Dennes being locked out of the third Test in 2001 the facts are that he was locked out of the Venue. The Indian team are not the gatekeepers of the venue. Mike Dennes was subsequently stood down from his duties.by the ICC Sachin Tendulkar's ban was lifted by the ICC and his fine waived. And I suppose your refrain will be that the BCCI bullied the ICC into doing this. Well I suppose the Law is an ass. Tendulkar's tax is known to the Tax authorities and no one is more public than Tendulkar. I suggest you do not know the facts of this case and suffice to say he was not convicted of any wrongdoing. And I do not think you are in a position to lecture Tendulkar or anyone else about their obligation to Indian Society. I am not going to list all the charities that Tendulkar donates to as this is also common knowledge. As far as the 385 million living on below a dollar a day go this is reasonably accurate and it is a problem that India wrestles with. I,more than you,know the massive problems a population of 1.2 billion faces. I am aware of the bureaucracy and the endemic corruption. I am also aware of the crying need for more health care and education and general infrastructurre. At the same time I am also aware of the number of villages that have clean drinking water.I am also concious of the work done by NGO's and indivduals like Brett Lee and Patrick Swayze in hygiene and education. Jonno,I live in a real world and know the problems India faces. Bad things make good news and copy. The good news is not news. There are many good people,Indians and whites that care about humanity and work on the positives. I was at a dinner I organised for an Australian Charity that helps impoverished students in India and Africa. As an Australian Indian I care not only about India and Australia but also about Africa and the rest of the world. So,I suggest,respectfully that you are not fully informed. With regard to the video you mention it is really irrelevant to the discusiion as India did not go home . And finally,Harbhajan did not slap Yuvraj. He slapped Shreesanth. some say deservedly. Again it is irrelevant and rates as high as Shoaib slapping one of his teammates. This is all Peyton Place stuff and belongs in gossip mags and tabloids. You say they dont have the integrity to do it and I ask the question what do you mean by Integrity? To be truthful and consistent and compassionate...would you agree? Well the Indian team are all that and more. And please dont read this as meaning the rest of the teams are not. With the odd exception I do not know of one team that does not have integrity. We all tend to use the word cheating very loosely and Rudi Koertzen used this word yesterday. He should be sanctioned for bringing the game into disrepute. His errors,if he used the same value judgements,could also so be construed. Jonno,if you read this site I assume you love the game. And I would much prefer to celebrate the game and its practioners. In closing I believe to differ is fine but to denigrate "tall poppies" ....needs careful thought. Best wishes.