Onwards to Adelaide.

 There are seminal, never to be forgotten times in every one’s life. One such for me was actually being present at the Adelaide Oval during India’s famous victory there in 2003.

I contrived to travel to Adelaide on Business and finish all my meetings by lunch, whereupon I took a taxi across town to the Adelaide Oval to a press pass organised by a relative who was with ESPN.

I watched Dravid get his double from the George Giffen stand and post lunch, went up to the press box from where I watched Ajit Agarkar get his immortal 6-for. This was as close to cricketing heaven as it got. I was directly behind the bowler’s arm. On either side were the Channel Nine, ESPN, ABC and other media boxes.

Tony Greig, Ian Healy, Wasim Akram, Ravi Shastri, Harsha Bhogle, Geoff Boycott-they all came to stretch out in this area and grab a drink or two. Gavaskar played tennis ball cricket with, I think, Jim Maxwell’s son while he was waiting for his lunch of naan and subzi from the local Indian restaurant.

Various print and internet journalists flitted about-Roebuck especially stood out in his kurta-particularly appropriate wear for that hot day. When I gushed to Sambit Bal that Cricinfo was my homepage, he asked politely whether I also subscribed to Cricinfo magazine. When I said no, his look, I imagine, seemed to say “Kanja Pisnaari payal” (Tight fisted so-and-so).

It was an unforgettable day, made particularly eventful when India won the next day.

Here’s hoping there’s an encore this time around and we are celebrating it in full measure over the Australia Day/Republic Day long weekend!

Soundar

Good day to be an Indian.

This, or variants thereof, might have been the scenarios in various Australian workplaces this morning as resident Indians walked in the door.

A1: Look who’s here. And wipe that smile off your face.

My Manager (another A): Good to see you mate. Thought you’d be calling in sick from Perth.

Me: Well, the red-eyes going west were all full of those bloody miners on FIFO deals.

A2: I tell you, these Indians, terrorising us Aussies-haven’t heard of sticking to scripts have ya?

A1: Looks a few inches taller don’ he?

Me: I’d suggest that we would still want to wrap things up in 3 days. After all the boys are booked for that trip to Monkey Mia on Saturday morning.

A2: Well, if we bat the way our bowlers bowled at See-wag yesterday evening, your boys might make that trip after all.

Soundar. 

Hail to the Chief!

Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself here.

Nevertheless, is it in Anil Kumble’s destiny to be remembered as a transformational leader? 

For, his act in withdrawing the charge against Brad Hogg, among other things, demonstrates a generosity of spirit that will not be lost on Australia and indeed the Cricketing world. I hope it is the Tipping Point that stems the seemingly irreversible flow towards boorishness by all, including otherwise pacific cricketing nations like India and Sri Lanka.

Had Kumble been bloody-minded about it and pursued the charge, and as seems to be the consensus, Hogg had been rubbed out for four, you’d think the chances of the latter making it back would be severely diminished.

This gesture is, in part, considerate of the fact that a co-professional has just broken into the Aussie squad at age 36, thus precluding a long and distinguished career. Let’s let him live the dream for as long as it runs.

Predictably, those unable to see the larger picture have tended to be cynical. In other words, they’re accusing Kumble of engineering a quid pro quo; we’re withdrawing the Hogg charge, you drop the Harbhajan one.

I will take refuge in the time honoured mechanism of scorn by writing that I won’t dignify that with a response.

 Irrespective of the outcome of the Test Series, I foresee Kumble departing these shores to approbation and applause. He has brought true meaning to the term Captain, and just as GR Viswanath will always be remembered for recalling Bob Taylor despite being given out by the umpire, Kumble’s act of statesmanship will now be ingrained in the rich lore of the game.

On a flippant note, now that we are done naming traffic circles after him, what’s next? Ambassadorship to the UN?

 Soundar.