Ticket revenue from Delhi-Pune IPL match at Kotla could have broken all records

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

The GMR-owned Delhi Daredevils are firing on all cylinders – on and off the field. Not only the Virender Sehwag-led team has begun well in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the revenue from the gates is also amongst the all-time best.

Saturday’s Daredevils-Pune Warriors India match at the Ferozeshah Kotla reportedly either broke the all-time IPL revenue records or came close to doing it with a collection of close to Rs 5 crore from the paying spectators.

“We sold close to 90 per cent of the tickets of the total capacity of the stadium, which is 42,931. This figure of 90 includes both the sold and complimentary tickets,” Phaneendra P, general manager (marketing) of team owners GMR Sports, told Mail Today.

“The crowd may not be the biggest of the IPL history, but in terms of revenue, it was one of the best, but I can’t disclose how much revenue we made,” he said.

However, sources said that the revenue from the gates was probably the best since IPL was launched in 2008.

“A total of 32,182 spectators purchased the tickets to watch the match as recorded by the turnstiles, according the report that was sent to GMR Sports and the DDCA. The total income from the tickets sale for the game was about Rs 4.70 crore,” said a source. “Even if this revenue did not break the overall IPL record, it’s definitely the best income at a Kotla game.”

Now, Friday’s match against the Mumbai Indians, which includes Sachin Tendulkar, is expected to do still better at the gates.

“Delhi fans have lapped up the game, as all the tickets have already been sold out. The crowd response is likely to break even Saturday’s record,” said the source. “Although it’ll be house full on Saturday, tickets would always be available in the black market. Tickets of Rs100 denomination sold for up to Rs1,500 for the Pune match, and it’s likely to be in a greater demand on Friday.”

On Saturday, fans showed unprecedented enthusiasm. Their excitement to get inside the ground quickly and grab a seat proved too hot for the turnstiles and those at the Gate No. 17 and 18 failed to bear the sudden load and broke down. The turnstile at Gate 1, from which the teams’ buses and ambulances enter and exit, also partially malfunctioned.

“Of course, the DDCA is not to be blamed at all for the turnstiles breaking down. There was such a big and sudden rush at the various gates that the machines just couldn’t bear the load,” said the source. “They will be repaired before Friday’s match.”

There are two reasons for the excellent crowd response for Daredevils’ next match: the team, after finishing ninth and last year, has begun exceedingly well in this tournament, and then Tendulkar would be part of the visiting team.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi)

Half a billion dollars of illegal bets on India-Pakistan Asia Cup match in Dhaka, says Mani

(Exclusive interview)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in Dhaka

DHAKA: A day after an exhilarating Asia Cup encounter, in which India thrashed Pakistan when a win looked quite improbable at one stage, former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani said on Monday (March 19) here that he has gathered that illegal bets worth about half a billion dollars were placed on the day-night game.

“The amount of illegal betting that takes place is huge. The India-Pakistan match that took place yesterday, I believe, would have attracted bets of about half a billion dollars. It’s a huge amount of money. So, when you look at the amount of money involved and the temptation for people to affect the outcome of a match, or affect the performance of individual players, it’s huge,” Mani, here as a guest of the Asian Cricket Council,” told Mail Today in an exclusive interview.

Mani, who was ICC president from 2003 to 2006, said that India is the hub of the unauthorised betting world and suggested that the Indian and other national governments should make betting legal to check corruption in cricket.

“Unless the betting industry is brought under control in India, you can’t stop match-fixing. There’s no doubt that India, certainly Delhi and Mumbai, is the epicentre of cricket betting. Since betting there doesn’t exist officially – it’s done in grey market areas – I’m a strong advocate of legalising betting in India, and bringing it under control of regulatory authorities so that the booking odds, the conduct of bookies, can be monitored properly,” he said. “And from that you’ll find that the risk of corrupting players around the world will reduce significantly.”

The London-based Mani said that the ICC, headed by Indian Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, and the BCCI should impress upon the government to make betting legal.

“For his to happen, both the ICC and the BCCI have a responsibility to collectively talk to the government of India. This is nothing to be confrontational about; this is reality, that betting takes place in India,” he said. “It’s a matter of how you control it because there’s no way, I believe, that it can be stamped out in India. So, if can’t be stamped out, how do they control it in a way that it can stop corrupting the game, destroy it.”

Mani said that legal betting firms inform the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) if they suspect anything fishy. “Countries like England already do it. Cricketing odds are monitored by the ACSU because they all are on record. And every bet is monitored and anything unusual is immediately picked up,” he pointed out. “If bookmakers like, say Bookfair, come across any unusual bets they’ll notify the ACSU. And I’d say it’s not only India that betting is not regulated; it happens in Pakistan and in the Middle East. It’s important that these countries have a mechanism by which they can regulate this industry and monitor the bets.”

A chartered accountant by profession, Mani charged that lucrative twenty20 tournaments like the IPL and Big Bash in Australia have emboldened illegal bookies who have easy access to players during these events.

 “Obviously, high profile matches like the IPL and Big Bash leaves a lot of scope for players to be corrupted; whether they are being corrupted or not, I can’t say. But I can tell you that the ACSU had concerns about the first two editions of the IPL,” he said referring to the first edition in 2008 held in India and next one in South Africa.

“After that the ICC insisted on monitoring and getting involved in the control of matches and bringing in the best conduct. For example, access to the players was controlled and sensitive areas and so on. I think IPL must have added hugely to the cricket betting industry in India.”

The Rawalpindi-born Mani felt that the ICC should convince the Indian government to make betting legal to cleanse the game. “ICC should certainly take a very firm view on it. It has always stated that it has a zero tolerance o betting, and so have all the cricket boards. So, if that’s the case then they should put the money where the mouth is, and engage with the Indian and the other governments,” he said.

“They should’ve a serious discussion with them on either stopping the illegal betting industry, which I think is not possible, or the alternative is, with full responsibility of the emerging countries where betting takes place, to take the leadership role and say ‘okay, how we are going to now regulate betting’. That has to be driven by the ICC; it has to take the lead. I’m not seeing that lead being taken at the moment.”

Mani is also concerned with increasing number of players preferring to play in lucrative twenty20 tournaments like the IPL and Big Bash ignoring their countries.

“What has gone wrong I think is that when the IPL, which has been the most significant development and probably on the whole a good thing for cricket, was being put together -- and even now it should be done – that a pool of money should have been be set aside -- I would say four or five per cent of the gross turnover,” he said. “It should be mandatory for every cricketer who is selected by his board to represent his country must play. If he’s earning less from his country than what the IPL would pay him then the differential should be made from this pool.”

(This story first appeared in Mail Today newspaper in New Delhi on March 20, 2012)

https://twitter.com/#!/cricket_first

Explosive India-Pakistan Asia Cup match today

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in Dhaka

Dhaka (At the ringside): A potentially explosive India-Pakistan match is in the offing at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium here in Dhaka. The action begins in the afternoon at 1400 local time (0800 GMT). So, watch out this and follow the match on https://twitter.com/#!/cricket_first

For the passionate local Bangladeshi cricket fans, it can’t get better than this. A day after watching Sachin Tendulkar score his historic and much-toasted 100^th international century and a remarkably astounding Bangladeshi win over India, they would get another opportunity to watch the high-octane action when India and Pakistan clash on Sunday.

The equation for defending champions India is crystal clear: beat Pakistan to hope to qualify for the final, and a win with a bonus point will make their path further easy. The scenario is pregnant with so many possibilities that even a win would not give Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team a ticket to the final. They will anyway have to wait for the result of the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka game on Tuesday to see if they stay back for the March 22 title clash or return home before that.

Currently, Pakistan are in the best position with nine points from two matches, but they are still not guaranteed of a place in the final. It is because if India beat them with a bonus point and Bangladesh too mete out exactly the same treatment to Sri Lanka (win five points) on Tuesday, three teams will end up with nine points each. In that case, the net run rate will come into play and the two teams with the better numbers will qualify for the final.

And if India win but fail to earn the bonus point, they would have eight points and if Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka, both India and Bangladesh will finish on the same number of points – eight. In that case, Bangladesh would enter the final as they have beaten India in their one-to-one game.

But if the Mahela Jayawardene-led Sri Lanka, who have lost both matches, beat Bangladesh – and assuming India beat Pakistan -- then India would be through to the final. And if India go down to Pakistan, Mishbah-ul-Haq’s team will enter the final, and if Sri Lanka get the better of Bangladesh, all three teams will have four points each and the net run rate will come into play. It’s complicated.

Indian bowlers failed to deliver against the determined Bangladeshi batsmen, and Dhoni will have to take a hard look at his bowling resources before the big game against Pakistan. He has only 24 hours to put the department in order. But since the team chose not to practice on Saturday, he will have only the drawing board to plan the team strategy.

The Indian batsmen put up a good total of 289 for five wickets, which the bowlers could have been defended despite the batting-friendly conditions. Barring part-timer Suresh Raina, the other six bowlers completely lost their bearings, and the plot. Their line and length left a lot to be desired as the under-rated Bangladeshi batsmen launched an all-out attack to win the battle with four balls to spare.

India cannot afford to take the field with negative thoughts against Pakistan, who got a huge scare against Bangladesh before scraping through and then regrouped quickly to beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point.

Dhoni and his boys would do well to recall their previous clash with Pakistan, in the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, where they got the better of them on way to winning the title.

Pakistan, on the other hand, would be keen to avenge their defeat in Mohali, but played down the ‘revenge’ factor. They know that their focus should be on winning and sealing their place in the final rather than settling narrow scores.

The last three matches of the tournament have suddenly become hot properties. No wonder that people who may have otherwise ignored the last two league games are now seeking match tickets. It’s a welcome scenario for the game in the region and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which organises the biennial Asia Cup but is struggling to sell the tournament to the cricket boards in the region due to the international schedule getting tighter. For the moment, though, the ACC would be happy that the matches, which were likely to have no takers, would now be meaningful and relevant.

(This article first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi, on March 18, 2012)

It’ll be trial by spin for India & Pakistan

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in Dhaka

Dhaka, March 18, 2012: The big India-Pakistan game in the Asia Cup in Dhaka on Sunday would be a “trial by spin” for batsmen and the team that will collectively tackle spin better will win, says former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja.

Referring to the batsmen and spinners-friendly pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricker Stadium, Rameez also said there was no clear favourite team for him as both teams would start on equal footing.

“Pakistan’s recent one-day form has not been great, even though they had a great year. So, you can never count Pakistan out because they’ve got individual brilliance; some of the players are match winners. And the same goes for India. So it’s going to be a very close contest,” Rameez, here as a television commentator, told Mail Today in an interview.

“I think at the end of the day whoever plays spin better will win – considering the pitch and considering the strength of the bowlers. Pakistan clearly will be pinning their hopes on their spinners. And it’ll be a trial by spin. If India can master that trial, I think they can win quite easily in the end. But I expect it to be a 50-50 contest; no clear favourites for me.”

While India need to beat Pakistan, preferably with a bonus point, to stay alive in the tournament, Pakistan only need a simple victory to confirm their berth in the final.

Asked if toss would be important in the day-night game, Rameez said: “I don’t think so. Batting under lights can have its own problems; batting upfront can be a little bit easier. It’s a fast outfield, so I think the totals would be around 300.”

India batsmen, chiefly Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Gautam Gambhir, have performed well in both matches, and so have the Pakistani bowers, especially off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and speedster Umar Gul.

Rameez said that cricket is lucky to have the India-Pakistan rivalry going. “It’s great for the game. The world got a glimpse of an India-Pakistan contest when the semi-final of the World Cup was played in Mohali last year. The entire world came to a standstill. It had enough strength for a bilateral talks to restart at the government level,” he said referring to the prime ministers of both countries who were present at the stadium.

“It’s always fun – there’s a lot of passion also, a bit of needle also because of the political tension, I guess. And there’s a bit of class too; it’s a classy contest. You’ve got legends on both sides. You’ve got great natural cricketers. And it’s good they will be playing here in Dhaka in front of a very passionate Bangladesh crowd which always admires good cricket.”

Rameez acknowledged that the Pakistani team is likely to get more support from the local fans in Dhaka. “Historically, they have been Pakistan-supportive. But because there are legends playing in the Indian side, the crowd will also have their Indian favourite players. I expect the crowds to, maybe, favour Pakistan more than India,” he felt.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi, on March 18, 2012)

TENDULKAR FINALLY GETS HIS 100th INTERNATIONAL 100, AND HIS FIRST AGAINST BANGLADESH

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in Dhaka

(I was privileged to watch from the ringside the batting maestro score his much-anticipated century, against Bangladesh on March 16, 2012)

Dhaka: It took time to come but when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the Kohinoor of Indian cricket, scored his 100th international century, against Bangladesh in an Asia Cup match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday evening, he killed several birds with one knock.

With his place in the annals of the game reserved, Tendulkar, aged 38 years and 327 days, took one year and four days – or 33 Test and ODI innings -- between his 99th and 100th ton. His previous international century for came on March 12, in an ODI against South Africa in the World Cup in Nagpur. But when he got it, it was more than welcomed as the 26,000-capacity Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium stood up to salute the most decorated cricketer of all time.

At exactly 5.06 pm local time in Dhaka, as the right-handed batsman turned the left-arm spinner Shakib-al-Hasan to square leg and completed the 100th run, Tendulkar climbed the ‘Mount Everest of International Cricket’ – a peak that has never been scaled. It will perhaps never be attained as cricketers’ careers are getting shorter with the increasingly tight international schedule.

Tendulkar showed remarkable control over his emotions; he did not jump or punch the air after reaching milestone. He took his time to remove his helmet and in a perhaps unprecedented gesture he with the handle of his bat pointed to the Indian flag fixed on his helmet. He was probably tried to say that he plays for India.

Bangladeshi players actually ran towards him to congratulate; some of them even held his hand in both their hands in reverence. He looked up to the sky, acknowledged the applause of almost packed house, and shook hands and accepted congratulations from all, including batting partner Suresh Raina.

Probably the elusive century against Bangladesh and the 100th ton were the last two personal milestones that were left for Tendulkar to achieve. He now has 49 hundreds in ODIs and 51 in Test matches. But, perhaps more importantly, he once again silenced his detractors who have been asking him to quit ODI cricket.

Tendulkar completed his 96th ODI half-century (63 balls, 7x4s, 1x6) in the 19th over, with a boundary to extra cover off left-arm spinner Shakibal Hasan. His 50 came after nine innings, the last being against Pakistan in the World Cup semi-final in Mohali on March 30 last year. He then completed his hundred off 138 balls (10x4s, 1x6). Speedster Mashrafe Mortaza finally had Tendulkar caught by captain-wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim for 114 (147 balls, 12x4s, 1x6) as he attempted to drive.

Numbers reveal something, not everything. But Tendulkar’s stats reveal a great deal indeed: 33,844 runs in 650 Tests and ODIs. But perhaps more than his cricketing achievements, his greatest quality is that he is a fine human being, with his feet firmly on the ground. Tendulkar was brought up by a very cultured middle-class parents – his father was a professor -- and then his elder brother Ajit took over, and those qualities amply reflect both in his demeanour and batting.

And think of Tendulkar’s stamina and fitness as he has been batting virtually endlessly since making his ODI debut in November 1989 – more than 22 years on the international road. He took 21 years, seven months and eight days – or 7,891 days -- between his first international century in August 1990 in Manchester to the 100th in Dhaka.

Tendulkar was talented and also was extremely lucky that he got an opportunity very early to showcase his skills on the international platform; many a talent goes waste for want of opportunities. But late BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur, when he was chairman of selectors in 1989, picked Tendulkar in the now-famous “team of the 1990s” for the tour of Pakistan under K Srikkanth. It was baptism by blood for the tender teenager, but there was no looking back for the Mumbai maestro.

After Tendulkar’s 100th ton on Friday, former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja said: “Cricket actually tells you about the character of a person; it brings out the personality in a man.” The Indian batting great’s batting does reflect his personality.

A former India captain, Tendulkar never sledges and once famously won over Pakistani speedster Aaqib Javed when he tried to ‘mentally disintegrate’ him. He is a shy person and hardly ventures out of his hotel room when with the team. He mostly orders food in his room, though he usually sits in the front seat of the team bus, on the left side of the driver.

Since he arrived here with the Indian team eight days ago, Tendulkar’s fans here are observing him minutely -- the way he eats, the way he conducts himself, and the way he plays.

Mohammed Abu Salem, the in-charge of practice sessions for all four teams here, on Wednesday pointed out another quality of the widely respected cricketer. “Sachin is also a humble human being. During the practice, I saw a piece of fruit fall from his plate. He immediately picked it up and put it on the table,” he said. “He could have asked someone else to pick it up, but he didn’t; it only showed he respects food too.”

Over the years, Tendulkar has tried his best to remain free of controversies. Even excess money couldn’t force him to change his attitude. He has a mansion in London and recently built a new, independent house in Mumbai. But his feet are firmly planted on the ground.

(This article first appeared in Mail Today newspaper, New Delhi, on March 17, 2012) 

India tour of Australia 2012

Tiredness & lack of focus reasons for India's capitulation in Sydney

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

Before the second Test in Sydney began on January 3, 2012, the cumulative Test experienced of just three Indian players was more than the sum total of all 11 players of the Australian team. Sachin Tendulkar (185 Tests), Rahul Dravid (161) and VVS Laxman (131) had played a cumulative 477 Tests while the entire Australian team had played just 408 -- 69 less than the much hyped visitors.

In batting, and the Indians were miles ahead of the Australians. The combined run aggregate total of Tendulkar (15,288) and Dravid (13,172) – 28,460 – was more than the entire Australian XI (27,113).

The difference between the teams was most noticeable in bowling. Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan’s 280-wicket tally was more than the 236 wickets that all Australians had taken – and not one Australian had taken 100 wickets.

The difference between the two teams ended there. Period. The Michael Clarke-led Australians were more determined and hungry to perform; the Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side was causal. The Aussies showed more intent; the Indians went through their motions. The home side players were markedly more aggressive; the Indians, widely known as good hosts, proved they could be gullible guests too.

And, not to forget, the Australians were fresher than the tired Indians who have been on the road since time immemorial. Tiredness and lack of focus were the main reasons for their abject surrender. The Indian team is the most travelled of all the national sides. But arrogant mandarins of the world’s richest cricket body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), think players are machines that don’t need oiling or rest.

BCCI’s stated policy is that whoever wants rest can pull out of the national team. This clearly implies ‘we don’t give a damn to the results of the national team; our main aim is to fill BCCI’s coffers and bask in reflected glory’.

Only Dhoni – apart from the powerful Tendulkar – has so far mustered courage to take rest, in 2008 and after the recent home ODI series against England. Dhoni, who also plays for BCCI president N Srinivasan’s IPL team Super Kings, can afford to do it. Can any other player take rest with a guarantee that he would return to the team after he’s refreshed? NO.

In the absence of an association, players cannot afford to protest on the issue of ‘too much cricket’, and other issues, to a Board that can be very vindictive, as we have seen in the case of Ashish Nehra.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today)

BCCI got Rs.2,168 crore government tax relief from 1997 to 2007

EXCLUSIVE

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

THE Indian cricket board harps on one particular point while defying the government on various issues: it doesn’t take financial assistance. That’s far from truth, as official figures show that it has received huge tax exemption over the years.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) got tax exemption worth Rs.2,168 crore in 10 years, from 1997- 98 to 2006- 07, according to a document furnished by the assistant commissioner of income tax ( Mumbai) to Rajya Sabha last month.

Then, after the BCCI changed its objects and memorandum in 2009 to sponsor athletes of other sports, the department withdrew the exemption as this contribution is also charitable as per the Central Board of Direct Taxes circular of 1984.

The income tax department slapped a tax demand of Rs.375.15 crore on the BCCI income for two financial years — 2007- 08 and 2008- 09 — as per the document.

The figures were disclosed under Section 18 of the RTI Act and as part of a reply to a complaint filed by RTI activists Subhash Chandra Agrawal and Alok Varshney from the Capital. By disclosing these figures the sports ministry has tried to prove that the BCCI does receive indirect funding from the government in terms of exemption on the income, besides the entertainment tax exemption, customs exemption, discounted land for building stadiums, and police provisions during international and domestic matches etc.

The ministry, while giving its opinion to the Central Information Commission on whether or not the BCCI was a ‘ public authority’, said that it should be classified as a national sports federation as it also uses one of the national emblems (‘ India’), which means that it’s ‘ under govt patronage’. Also, the BCCI has been importing expensive ground/ pitch equipment from Australia, England and other countries and for that it gets heavy customs exemption.

The income tax exemption — which the BCCI enjoyed u/s 12A of the Income Tax Act before changing its objective on June 1, 2006, and thus losing that privilege — is huge. According to the document, the between 1997- 98 and 2006- 07 was in 1998- 99 when the figure touched Rs.1,818.20 crore.

In 2006- 07, the financial year during which the Sharad Pawar- headed BCCI changed its objective, it got the exemption worth Rs.127.51 crore.

In the 2007- 08 financial year, when the department started imposing tax on BCCI’s income, the Board’s income was assessed at Rs.274.86 crore and a tax demand of Rs.118.03 crore was raised, as per the document. And in 2008- 09, the BCCI’s income was Rs.608.30 crore and the tax demand was Rs.257.12 crore. Will the tax department ever be able to force the BCCI to pay up?

(This story first appeared in Mail Today newspaper in New Delhi, on Dec 24, 2011)

Virender Sehwag’s brass statue to be put up in Jamia Millia Islamia, his alma mater in New Delhi (Exclusive)
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi
VIRENDER Sehwag will soon get a unique honour when his brass statue, worth around Rs 10 lakh, is installed at his alma mater, Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.

The central university and GMR Sports, whose IPL Delhi Daredevils team is captained by the swashbuckling batsman, have joined hands to pay this tribute to him.

Additionally, Jamia will name the pavilion of its ultra modern sports complex after Sehwag, who graduated from this central university in 2001- 02, and also establish a special Sehwag archives. The ground will now be known as Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Sports Complex.

The Sehwag statue — one of the few celebrities, after renowned poet Mirza Ghalib, installed in the university — is part of an agreement that GMR Sports is set to sign with Jamia for establishing a cricket academy, officials involved in the project disclosed.

“ A three- year agreement is going to be signed between the university and GMR soon for the opening of an academy at the sports complex, which was fully renovated for the Commonwealth Games. The parties have agreed in principle on the terms and conditions, and an agreement is expected to be signed next month,” an official told MAIL TODAY . “ As part of the agreement, a brass statue of Sehwag, worth around Rs. 10 lakh, will be installed in the pavilion that will now be called Virender Sehwag Pavilion.

We have also decided to change the venue’s name from Bhopal ground to Pataudi Sports Complex, after the late former India captain.” Interestingly, Sehwag laid the foundation stone of the EJ Kellat Viewers’ Gallery of the complex on June 4, 2004, minutes before he received his Bachelor of Arts degree at a special function organised by the outgoing vice- chancellor Syed Shahid Mahdi, on the last day of his tenure. After receiving the degree, Sehwag had said that “ perhaps it has given me more happiness than the triple century” scored in the first Test in Multan.

It was also at this venue that Sehwag, with his off- spinners, performed his only hat- trick, in a club match in 2007, when he was trying to stage a comeback to the Indian team. By the end of that year, he was back in India’s squad for the tour of Australia.

Apart from Sehwag, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has been honoured with a bust in 1984 and Rahul Dravid being depicted in a mural at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore years later.

Gavaskar’s bust was made by a professor at the Arts College of the Lucknow University, when he played a Gavaskar XI- Viswanath XI match at the KD Singh ‘ Babu’ Stadium in April 1984.

Officials of GMR Sports, mainly chief operating officer Amrit Mathur, and Sunil Valson, a part of its management and a member of the 1983 World Cup- winning team, were highly impressed with the ultra modern facilities at Jamia during the three- day trials in September to test new players for possible recruitment to the Delhi Daredevils squad.

“As per our understanding, GMR will give scholarships worth Rs 3 lakh per annum to promising Jamia students who are good at sports, mainly at cricket. Thanks to GMR, it would be a very good exposure for the university students as they would get to learn from Daredevils’ specialist coaches and players by being involved with them, or by simply watching them,” the official said.

“In return, GMR will use all the facilities, including practice pitches etc., all the year round.” There are three practice pitches at Jamia and there is a proposal to establish three more. The exact details will be known when the formal MoU is signed in the New Year.

“Jamia vice- chancellor Najeeb Jung, who is a sports lover, has played a crucial role in this project, as have the officials of the GMR Sports,” said the official. It’s perhaps the first tie- up between an Indian Premier League franchise and an educational institution as large as Jamia.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today on Dec 23, 2011)

British club to fund poor Indian children's cricketing lessons

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

NOT that money is a constraint in Indian cricket, but a prominent British club has pledged to finance free coaching to some poor kids in India with a fund of £25,000 to begin with.

Former British Prime Minister John Major, as head of the Lords and Commons Cricket Club, one of Britain’s oldest clubs, promised the scholarship after tying up with former India Test opener Chetan Chauhan’s New Delhi-based academy, which will soon be turned into a trust for the purpose.

“I am delighted that the Lords and Commons is giving practical and lasting support to Indian cricket and Indian society, and strengthening the relationship between our countries,” British MP Crispin Blunt, who managed a Parliamentary team’s tour to India a few years ago, said in a statement here through the British High Commission.

“That said, I will have slightly mixed feelings if any of the scholars turn up here at Lord’s in a few years time for India against England,” he said.

Chauhan, who scored a century against a team of British Parliamentarians in 2004-05, said that both the coaching and academic requirements of these poor kids will be taken care of.

“We would provide free coaching and also take full care of the boys’ academics. We will have boarding facilities for them. Although the modalities are yet to be chalked out, we will have five-six trainees between 12 to 19 years of age,” Chauhan told Mail Today.

“These trainees will be poor kids. Lots of such kids keep coming to my academy, but we will hold trials to select the trainees.”

Chauhan said his academy’s profile will change soon. “We are converting the academy into a trust and the process has already begun. The money that will come from Britain will be deposited in a bank and its interest will take care of the trainees’ needs,” he said. The trainees will be called the ‘Lords and Commons Cricket India Scholars’.

A High Commission statement here said that the trustees of the Lords and Commons scholarship fund are Crispin Blunt (MP), Prisons and Probation Minister Ian Gomes, and Mark Runacres, a former British Deputy High Commissioner to India.

“Mark was instrumental in this venture. He visited several academies, including mine, about one and half months ago for this purpose, though the talks about starting the scholarship started five months ago,” said Chauhan.

Chauhan, a former member of Parliament, has had a long association with Mark as they have played against each other during the British MPs’ cricket tour of India.
“Major pledged the fund to Anirudh Chaudhry, manager of the Indian touring team, during the first Test against England at Lord’s, London, on Monday,” said the statement.
(This story first appeared in Mail Today on July 26, 2011)

Wadekar wants BCCI to celebrate 40th annivarsary of 1971 Test triumph

(EXCLUSIVE)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: In the euphoria that engulfed the country after the memorable World Cup triumph and the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) soon after that in April, millions of Indian cricket fans forgot about the 40^th anniversary of the national team’s momentous first Test series win abroad.

Others could miss April 19, 1971 -- the day India sealed a 1-0 series win over the formidable West Indies in the Caribbean -- but not Ajit Wadekar, captain of the team that included Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Sardesai, Srinivas Vekataraghavan, and Bishan Singh Bedi among other stalwarts.

With the 40^th anniversary approaching, Wadekar wrote to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organise a felicitation function with two purposes in mind. Apart from seeking recognition for his team, his other idea was that youngsters in the Indian team should know about their illustrious seniors who walked the same path years ago.

“Basically, the idea was for recognition and nothing else... no one is asking for donation or financial help etc. It was for felicitation of the team, so that people know at least about that historic series,” Wadekar, 70, told Mail Today.

“Today’s youngsters don’t seem to have time because they are playing so much of cricket. Most of those, who are playing for India now, were not even born then. So, if the 1971 team is felicitated they would have an idea about that team and the series. It just occurred to me... But I never got any response from them (BCCI),” the left-handed batsman said.

Just for the comparison, sports ministers MS Gill and Ajay Maken felicitated the football teams of the 1956 Olympics and 1960 Olympics respectively.

Wadekar had written to the board president Shashank Manohar soon after the World Cup win on April 2 in Mumbai.

But the BCCI, which on Tuesday organised a function in Mumbai to felicitate Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s world champions, has still not replied to Wadekar. When contacted on Thursday, the top board officials’ response was lukewarm.

“I haven’t thought about it. I will have to talk to my colleagues. Maybe, we will discuss this at a working committee meeting,” Manohar told Mail Today.

BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said he had no idea about the proposal. “I haven’t seen the letter. I will have to check up,” he said.

Wadekar said he will not write to the board again. “I don’t think I will be writing to him (Manohar) again to remind him,” he said.

The man who played 37 Tests, however, pointed out the three successive Test series triumphs under his leadership. Soon after the win in the five-Test series in the West Indies, India registered a historic series victory over in England in 1971 and then a 2-1 verdict in a five-Test series against England in India in 1972-73.

The success in the West Indies, which had the likes of captain Gary Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai and David Holford, simply stood out. For India, the main performers were Gavaksar (774 at 154.80), who was playing his maiden series, late Sardesai (642 at 80.25), Vekataraghavan (41 wickets) and Bedi (33 wickets).

Similarly, the 1-0 win in the three-Test series against Ray Illingworth’s English side was no less creditable, points out Wadekar.

“I think that was a momentous chapter in the Indian cricket history. At that time there were no ratings, but England was considered the number one team. They were really the champions. On their own soil they were supposed to be difficult to beat,” he emphasised.

The architects of India’s win were late Eknath Solkar (210 runs), Wadekar (204), Venkataraghavan (13 wickets), BS Chandrasekhar (13) and Bedi (11).

Wadekar says the win was the greatest source of happiness for him. “Of course, it was the biggest thrill that I got in my career. That was the best moment of my life. My players also feel the same,” he said.

(This story was first published in Mail Today newspaper on June 3, 2011)

Bhandari’s each wicket is worth Rs.1,000, says DDCA

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has decided to present former India pacer Amit Bhandari a cheque of Rs.3.14 lakh for taking 314 wickets in first-class matches while representing Delhi and other teams.

This figure has been calculated at the rate of Rs 1,000 per wicket that Bhandari has captured for Delhi, India A, the Board President’s XI and North Zone between 1997-98 and 2007-08. The 32-year-old bowler, who played two One-day Internationals, announced his retirement on Monday.

“We took the decision to honour Bhandari at an executive committee meeting on Tuesday,” DDCA general secretary SP Bansal told Mail Today.

“We will also honour the four Delhi players who were part of the Indian team that won the World Cup recently,” he said.

The Delhi government has already announced Rs 1 crore each for Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, and Virat Kohli as well as Rs 2 crore for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

It is learnt that the association would most likely honour the four players, and also a few top women players of the city, at its annual function in July at the conclusion of the DDCA league and the hot weather tournament.

Bansal said that an 11-member ad hoc has been constituted, as per instructions from a lower court, to conduct the rest of the DDCA league and handle other cricketing-related issues.

“This ad hoc committee will not conduct just the league but all cricket, in consultation with the Cricket Improvement Committee [comprising five eminent former Test players]. We haven’t named anyone to head the ad hoc panel, but we would do it soon,” said Bansal.

The need of an ad hoc panel arose after a Tis Hazari lower court on May 13 restrained the Sports Working Committee (SWC) from performing all its duties till steps were taken to hold the long over-due election to the committee.

The last election to the SWC was held on August 20, 2009, and its one-year tenure expired last year, but the same set of people continued without election being held. The 110-plus clubs vote to elect the SWC.

Bansal said an independent yet-to-be-named retired judge would identify the real voters representing the clubs and prepare a list for the election. “There’s no time frame for this as it depends on the number of objections that are raised while finalising the list. But we would like to go through the election process as soon as possible,” he pointed out.

The court, which empowered the DDCA executive to carry out the duties of the SWC under Article 47 and 48 of the Association until election is held, told the DDCA to write back to it by July 4 about the steps taken for holding the election.

The executive also ratified a nine-member finance committee.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today newspaper on June 2, 2011)

Durrani receives CK Nayudu Award for lifetime achievement

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: SALIM Aziz Durrani’s selection for the CK Nayudu Award, the highest cricketing accolade of India, has made him nostalgic and brought back memories of his childhood.

As a child, he was attached to the man after whom the award is named — also India’s first Test captain — and used to respectfully call him nana abba ( maternal grandfather). Both families had a close bonding and it continued on Tuesday when Nayudu’s daughter Chandra met up with Durrani.

So, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) selected the former swashbuckling Test batsman for the 2010 awards last week, Durrani, 76, was simply thrilled as it brought him twin joy.

“The biggest thing for me is that our families had very close ties. My father, Abdul Aziz, played two unofficial ‘ Test’ matches under Nayudu,” Durrani told Mail Today hours before he received the trophy and the ` 15 lakh prize money on Tuesday at the BCCI’s annual awards function in Mumbai.

“I was very young when he [ Nayudu] used to visit us in Jamnagar and I used to call him ‘nana abba’. Some of his family members are still based in Indore and we often meet to continue our family ties,” said the hard- hitting batsman known for hitting sixes on demand of spectators.

Durrani, who played 29 Tests between 1960 and 1973, was the original heartthrob of the masses and he executed those big hits with bats, especially those made in India, that were not of a high quality.

But the Kabul- born batsman tried to play down his achievement. “Everything comes into play — new bats and new talent. In the present team, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli, for instance, are very talented. We did not have high quality bats produced in India. At times, we used to get bats from England. The bat does make a difference. I played my first Test with a bat made by Mehtab Sports, which used to supply sports equipment to my school,” he recalled.

Times have changed and third generation Durrani, his grandson Yaseen, now wields bats made with the latest technology.

“He is more interested in academics and is also very good at cricket. Education is very important. If you see, all members of the Indian team are graduates. I have been guiding him and he’s now 18. Hope he also makes a name for himself,” Durrani added. “But it will be his individual decision. I will never impose my choice on him.” Yaseen, son of his Durrani’s niece Fouzia, is a second year Bachelor of Arts student at Ferguson College in Pune.

“He ( Durrani) hopes that Yaseen does something in cricket. My goal is also the same for him, along with excelling in academies,” said Fouzia, who teaches at St. Ann’s Convent in Jamnagar.

Fouzia who, along with Yaseen, attended the function, was thrilled at her uncle getting the award. “It’s nostalgic. It’s a great feeling when a player in his 70s once again comes into the limelight. His grandchild is also attending the function. It’s a wonderful feeling,” she said.

Durrani is living a retired life to the fullest and is content too. He is based in Jamnagar and travels as and when required. He is on the advisory committee of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, which he represented besides Saurashtra and Gujarat in Ranji Trophy.

Bishan Singh Bedi recalled his long association with his senior as well as Indian team rival as both bowled left- arm spin. “ He was quite a genius and I admire his cricketing ability. I always call him uncle and he treated me like his nephew,” he said. “ I met his father in Pakistan when toured in 1978- 79. We called him ‘ masterji’; he opted for Pakistan and coached Javed Miandad.”

(This story first appeared in Mail Today newspaper, New Delhi, on June 1, 2011)

Sri Lanka T20 meet to have 2 Indians in each team

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

THE recent tussle between the Indian and Sri Lankan cricket boards over the Lankan players availability for the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a thing of past.

In return for allowing Sri Lanka players for the IPL, the Indian board is set to let its players compete and earn a few dollars in the neighbouring countrys own version of the IPL. Not just that, a prominent former first- class Indian player will oversee the T20 tournament — the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL).

About 35 international players are expected to be seen in action in the tournament that begins on July 19, according Milind Rege, former Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain and a tournament manager of the recent World Cup, who has been appointed as head of the competition.

“There will be seven teams and each one will have two Indian players in the XI. So, 16 to 20 Indian players would be seen in action in the Sri Lankan Twenty20 competition. But the selection of the Indian players will depend on who all are picked for the Test series in England that will take place at the same time,” Rege told Mail Today.

The four-Test series against England begins on July 21 and ends on August 22, dates that suit the SLPL perfectly. Since the lone India- England Twenty20 International and the five One-day Internationals will take place after the Tests, the shorter version specialists from India will be free to play in Sri Lanka.

Also, since Sri Lankas tour of England, Ireland and Scotland finishes on July 13, it will allow the top Sri Lankan players to be available for the league.

According to reports in the Sri Lankan media, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan are among the players approached by the organisers. However, another prominent Indian player, who has been approached, said on Wednesday that the BCCI was yet to give the green signal.

“We are busy with the IPL now, so we’ll look into this after it finishes,” he told Mail Today. Those from other countries expected to play in the first edition of the SLPL include Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Herschelle Gibbs, Daniel Vettori, Dwayne Bravo, David Warner and Shaun Tait. The teams will be led by Tillakaratne Dilshan (Basnahira), Kumar Sangakkara (Kandurata), Mahela Jayawardane (Wayamba), Sanath Jayasuriya (Ruhuna), Chaminda Vaas (Uva), Afridi (Nagenahira) and Vettori (Uthuru).

“The important thing in SLPL is that the players are being selected by the Sri Lankan national selectors as this tournament is being organised by Sri Lanka Cricket ( SLC) and the International Cricket Council has approved it,” said Rege.

“There will be 24 matches in all, including the semi- finals and the final, and the starting time for two matches in a day will be 4 pm and 8 pm.” The matches will be held in Colombo.

Mumbai- based Rege said the name of the title sponsor would be announced either in Mumbai or in Colombo. “We are talking with two- three parties for that and the sponsors name will be announced later,” he said.

The organisers are also mum on how much money will be paid to the players. Singapore- based Somerset Entertainment Ventures Pte Ltd. (SEV) has won the commercial rights of the tournament and Rege said he is working with SEV and the SLC. “With political stability having returned to Sri Lanka after 30 years, the government intends to rebuild the country’s reputation as a world- class tourist destination.

Given the passion for cricket in the country, the SLC believes it can contribute significantly to this objective by extensively promoting the sport on an international scale,” said SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga.

“Since 80 per cent of our cricketers are from outside Colombo, this tournament will help us identify the next crop of talented cricketers.”

(This story first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi, on May 5, 2011)

BCCI unexpectedly scraps Rajasthan Royals & Kings XI Punjab teams for breach of IPL rules; Kochi gets another life

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

IN A major and unexpected step, the Indian cricket board on Sunday scratched Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab for unspecified breaches and gave another chance to the beleaguered Kochi to put its house in order.

Both the Royals and Kings XI were close to former IPL chairman Lalit Modi and are believed to have paid the price for it. The BCCI’s decision leaves only eight teams in the fray for the fourth edition of the IPL, to be played in April-May, though there is now a question mark if the lucrative Twenty20 tournament would be held at all.

Modi, whose fight with the board’s ruling group is well documented, was suspended by the BCCI for alleged financial irregularities in April. The board launched an inquiry through its disciplinary committee and Modi has challenged it in the Supreme Court.

N Srinivasan, secretary of the BCCI, said in a statement that Sunday’s decision, based on legal advice and taken at an emergent IPL governing council (GC) meeting held in Mumbai, was a unanimous one. “It was unanimously decided that the franchise agreements with KPH Dream Cricket Pvt. Ltd. and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd. be terminated forthwith based on the legal opinions obtained by BCCI in the matters,” he said. Srinivasan also said that BCCI advocate PR Raman has been given instructions to issue notices to the three teams.

“The decision to terminate the contract of Punjab and Rajasthan franchises were taken purely based on legal opinion we received and the breaches committed by these franchises,” Srinivasan told reporters after the board announced its unanimous decision. The two franchisees denied the allegations.

Kochi, publicly opposed by Modi, was given a 10-day ultimatum by BCCI president Shashank Manohar on September 29 to form a joint venture company, was given another chance on Sunday, according to the board statement.

Owners of the scratched teams reacted with anger. “I don’t see IPL-IV happening if the BCCI treats other teams like this. The termination of the contract by BCCI is shocking. We are seriously thinking of legal action. We need to see a copy of the termination notice and study it,” Royals co-owner Kundra said.

Arvinder Singh, senior vice-president (cricket operations) of Kings XI, said they haven’t received the notice so far. “We haven’t got anything from BCCI. We will comment only when we get something in writing. Until then it’ll be premature to say anything,” he told Mail Today.

Modi, abroad for many months and facing the Enforcement Directorate’s light blue alert notice as he is required by the government agency for finance-related questions, reacted aggressively. “The action is totally illegal. They are hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of -- the IPL. So as to satisfy their personal agendas,” he wrote on Twitter. “BCCI’s total disregard for franchisees and there stakeholders only goes to show that BCCI has lost the ability to administer sensibly... the action is totally illegal.”

Experts said that Sunday’s BCCI decision, apparently under pressure from government agencies, is in continuance of their policy to completely wipe out Modi’s name. Modi came in the line of fire after he alleged that Shashi Tharoor, then a junior external affairs minister, had influenced Kochi to win one of the two franchise bids (Sahara won the other, the Pune franchise).

“Modi had rubbed the government the wrong way by claiming a minister’s berth. Plus, Modi is seen as having allowed the change of shareholding pattern of the Rajasthan and Punjab teams without informing the BCCI. Do you think the government will let him go scot free for all this?” an official of another franchisee told Mail Today. “But one positive outcome of all this will be that players will now become cheaper at the upcoming auction when the eight franchisees will bid for them as more players would now be available to the eight franchisees.”

(This story first appeared in Mail Today newspaper in Delhi on October 11, 2010)

Gavaskar turns 61 on Saturday

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, my childhood cricket hero, turned 61 on Saturday. As usual, I have sent him a mail on his birthday, and am awaiting his reply. Much like his habit of replying to his fan mail in his own hand writing, he always replies e-mail messages.

Gavaskar mesmerised millions of cricket fans around the world, including me, during his long and successful international career. A graduate from St Xavier's College, Mumbai, and Bombay University, the master opening batsman tallied 10,122 runs in 125 Tests and 3,092 runs in 108 One-day Internationals.

The inside story of Lalit Modi’s defence

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

MUCH has been written and said about the three show cause notices that the BCCI sent to Lalit Modi and the extraordinarily long replies of the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman. But there are still many interesting aspects of the embattled official’s replies — Hotel Maurya Sheraton’s Bukhara restaurant is thrown in for good measure — that have still not entered the public domain. Here they are. Read on …

One of the charges against Modi is that he tried to launch a “mirror image” of the IPL in the United Kingdom and that this plan was hatched in a secret meeting with representatives of the English counties and IMG. While defending himself in his reply, Modi says that it was a casual lunch and not a sinister meeting or a diabolical plot.

“I was informed by the IMG that some county representatives were in India and they were eager to meet me. I had very little time then since IPL Season-III was already underway. However, as they continued to request IMG, I agreed to briefly meet them,” he writes.

“Originally, it was decided that I would meet them on 30th March, 2010, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai. I, however, had to unfortunately cancel the meeting. The county representatives, via IMG, requested me to somehow to squeeze them for a brief meeting as they were leaving the same night. On 31st March, I had planned to meet some friends for lunch at Bukhara and this was the only time I had. So, out of courtesy, I asked them to join me for lunch with my friends and they agreed,” he says.

The BCCI has alleged that Modi made a presentation to the guests as part of his “plot”. Modi refutes this. “Anyone who is familiar with the Bukhara restaurant will know that it is hardly the place where a formal business meeting involving ‘presentations’ can be held. The lunch was [a] casual and informal affair with friends in which the county representatives and IMG officials joined in. There was no agenda for this meeting nor did I have any preconceived ideas on the lines on which this meeting would proceed,” he explains.

CLARIFYING his patriotism further, Modi discloses that he virtually thwarted the plans of organising an Arab league on the lines of the IPL. “In fact, when one of the Rajasthan Royals shareholders held a meeting with Sheikh Nahayan regarding a proposed Arab League, I severely reprimanded him,” he claims. “I also sent a mail to the promoters of Rajasthan Royals with a copy marked to BCCI-IPL lawyer John Loffhagen and Andrew Wildblood of IMG, saying that if the said shareholder directly or indirectly associates with any form of unauthorised cricket we would have to take action against him.”

Meanwhile, varying speculative figures have appeared in the media about the number of pages in the show cause notices and Modi’s replies.

For the first time, here are the authentic figures, based on copies of all the notices and the replies. The first notice, which was delivered on April 26, was 34 pages long and, interestingly, there was no date mentioned on it. The second one, dated May 6, was Five pages long while the third one was of eight pages and was sent on May 31.

Modi’s replies have evoked much interest among the media, especially the pictures of huge cartons containing annexures which were delivered to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. For the record, the first reply actually was just 156 pages, besides the annexures, while the second and third replies were 24 and 51 pages long respectively. There could be many, many more exchanges as some of the unrelenting top officials of the BCCI and Modi continue to sling mud on each other in the most public spat in the board’s 78-year history.
(This story first appeared in Third Umpire column, Mail Today on July 10, 2010)

Sehwag: Knowing the man behind the batsman
Two of his closest friends recall their association with the swashbuckling batsman

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

THE Twitter bug has only recently caught Virender Sehwag. The swashbuckling batsman’s millions of fans are now closer to him than ever before. So far, the world has been getting to read or listen to Sehwag’s quips and teasing one-liners only through the media— but now he tweets almost every day.

However, Twitter cannot reveal the real Sehwag, who is extremely witty and a master at pulling other people’s leg. Only his really close friends, with whom he has spent many years and still spends time, know the real person inside Virender Sehwag.

The world knows that Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar are close, but not many are aware that Viru opens up a lot more in the company of some of the lesser-known names of cricket like Delhi-based Raju Sharma, who represented Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy betweem 1993 and 2002, Mahesh Bhati, who led Jamia Millia Islamia to its only Rohinton Baria Trophy triumph in 1991-92, Delhi Ranji batsman Mithun Manhas and ex-India pacer Amit Bhandari.

Interestingly, all of them live within a few kilometres of each other in south Delhi. And when Viru is part of this company they all go bananas, cracking jokes, pulling each other’s leg and recalling silly tales from the past — from Virdhavan to Sharjah to Palval — as was witnessed the other day during a local match.

Incidentally, Sehwag, Sharma and Bhati attended Jamia Millia Islamia and that cemented their bond further. “When we meet we recall incidents that happened 15 years ago hundreds of times and laugh our hearts out,” said Sharma, also a BCCI Level-1 coach. “Viru is very sharp, intelligent and has a great sense of humour. He has reached the top because he’s a good person, apart from being a talented player.”

As a rookie, Sehwag started out with Kranti Star Club under Bhati’s captaincy in a team which also included Sharma. Both recall that Viru was very young when their coach RP Sharma asked Bhati to give him an opportunity in the Goswami Ganesh Dutt Tournament in the early 1990s.

“In that match, we also got a taste of Sehwag’s temperament. He told his Najafgarh friends, who had come to watch him play, that he would smash sixes off off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan, who was then representing India,” recalled Bhati. Even Rahul Dravid has commented that Sehwag has a habit of devising his strategies sitting in the dressing room.

Although Sharma and Bhati are older than Sehwag, the three have gelled remarkably because of their idiosyncrasies, sense of humour and the knack of keeping everyone in high spirits. They are excellent raconteurs. When Sehwag played for Leicestershire in England in 2003, Sharma, who has also played in the Leicestershire league, stayed with him and had a great time.

“We often ate out, though I would make tea etc. at our flat,” he recalled. Later, Sehwag’s parents and younger brother Vinod joined them. Needless to say, food was subsequently never a problem.

Recalling Sehwag’s passion for cricket, Bhati said he never accepted the usual match fees after joining Collage Club in the mid-1990s. “He used to tell me he was only interested in playing the game. He was reluctant to accept even the prize money,” he said. “He reached the ground well before all of us. Once, after he bought his first car, a Santro, he reached the ground so early that we found him sleeping inside when we reached the venue.”

Sehwag remains humble, says Sharma. “He used to come to my home on his old scooter and now visits us in a BMW. But he hasn’t changed one bit,” he says.
(from 'Third Umpire', the fortnightly column that I write in Mail Today)

Sehwag’s back after shoulder injury
Cracks breezy 69 in a local match and declares himself match fit for Asia Cup

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: Virender Sehwag on Junr 8 successfully tested his injured shoulder with a dashing and satisfying knock, which gave him a good reason to smile and crack jokes with some of his close friends at the end of a fruitful day.

The quick fire half-century was enough for Sehwag to declare himself match fit for the Asia Cup beginning in Sri Lanka on June 15.

“Yes, I have recovered from the shoulder injury and am fully fit for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the Test series that will follow,” Sehwag told Mail Today after guiding Rajnigandha Cricket Club to the semi-finals of the 34th Lala Raghubir Singh Memorial Tournament.

Sehwag, who returns to the Indian team as vice-captain for the Sri Lankan tour, missed the World Twenty20 in the West Indies recently as well as the ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe. Due to a similar injury on the same shoulder he had missed the last year’s World Twenty20 too.

While the full-strength Indian team was struggling in the Caribbean and the second-string in Zimbabwe, Sehwag was working hard on his shoulder at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. He slogged it out under the supervision of physiotherapist Paul Close and strength and conditioning expert Paul Chapman.

“I did a lot of shoulder exercises at the NCA. I am especially thankful to Close and Chapman for the treatment that lasted about four-five weeks. Thanks to both of them, I am back in shape,” said the 31-year-old opener. “I am also thankful to the BCCI for establishing a wonderful facility in the form of NCA. You get everything that you require there. It’s such a wonderful place.”

Sehwag’s last big game was the One-day International against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24. On his return to competitive cricket, however, he was satisfied with his outing.

“I felt very good in today’s game, though I felt a little bit tired after the match. It was because I was playing a match after a long time. But, thankfully, the weather was good. More than anything, I am happy that we won the match. It was the real pleasure,” he said modestly.

Sehwag cracked 69 off just 38 deliveries, smashing eight boundaries and four sixes in his inimitable style as Rajnigandha, chasing Air India’s 296 for nine in 40 overs, finished with 299 for eight in 18 overs at Modern School (Barakhamba Road) for a two-wicket win. Amardeep Sonkar won man of the match award for his 82 (69 balls, 9x4s,1x6). In the semi-finals,
Rajnigandha will play Malik Sports on Saturday.

Earlier, when Air India batted, off-spinner Sehwag turned his arm over to good effect and captured two wickets for 13 in the only over he bowled.

Sehwag is keen to utilise the time he is in Delhi before leaving for a two-day camp of the Indian team in Chennai on the way to Colombo. “I will play a couple of more matches because match practice is much better than net practice,” he said.

Sehwag not only batted and bowled well, but he had some fun too. Visibly satisfied with his performance, he cracked jokes with some of his old club mates, including former India pacer Robin Singh (junior). With dark clouds and cool breeze providing a welcome relief – as did the absence of a large crowd -- he got an opportunity to unwind uninhibited.
(This story first appeared in Mail Today on June 9, 2010)