ID :
96815
Fri, 12/25/2009 - 20:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/96815
The shortlink copeid
2009: Year of India's ascent to Test pinnacle
Amlan Chakraborty
New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) The Indian Premier League (IPL)
gold-rush drew players in droves and the cult of Sachin
Tendulkar completed two illustrious decades but 2009 will be
fondly recalled as the year of India's ascent to the pinnacle
of Test cricket, a format that ironically languishes at the
bottom of their pecking order.
The 2007 World Twenty20 champions could not defend their
title in England, came a cropper in the Champions Trophy –
second most elite one-day tournament after World Cup – and
also allowed the opportunity to become the number one ODI team
slip through their fingers with the home series defeat against
an under-strength Australia.
It was rather an irony that Test cricket provided them
their finest moments despite the cricket board's criminal
negligence of the format which is on its last leg.
So engrossed in IPL proliferation, Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) has scheduled just two Tests in the
next 11 months for the team, which is just not enough to
protect the number one Test team's status.
Subsequently some sanity prevailed and BCCI apparently
has convinced South Africa to play two unscheduled Test
matches when the Proteas visit the country in February-March.
If the 2-0 win against Sri Lanka put them on top of the
world, Dhoni and his teammates can look back on the 1-0 away
series win over New Zealand in April with considerable pride
since it was India's first series win there in more than four
decades.
India's rise as the number one Test team was not
particularly well-received in certain quarters with the
British press trying to find fault with the ICC ranking system
but the common fan on the street was euphoric as Dhoni,
inheritor of the proud legacy of his predecessors Sourav
Ganguly and Anil Kumble, shepherded the team to an
unprecedented high.
In one dayers, the team under Dhoni bearded the Lanka
lion in its den, thumped the Kiwis in New Zealand and upended
West Indies in the Caribbeans for their fifth series win on
the trot.
They won the blinked-and-you-miss Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka
as well but cut a sorry figure in the Champions Trophy in
South Africa, managing just one win in the tournament.
The home series against a second-string Australian side
presented with the gilt-edged opportunity to become the number
one ODI team but the Men In Blue tamely surrendered to allow
Ricky Ponting return with the bragging right.
Even more frustrating was their tame title defence in the
World Twenty20 Championship in England where they beat
minnows Bangladesh and Ireland before crashing out with three
defeats on the trot.
The IPL allure, however, showed no signs of waning.
The second edition of the cash-awash league seemed doomed
after it coincided with general election and the government
expressed its inability to provide adequate security.
Few believed Lalit Modi when he talked about shifting the
show to South Africa and to his credit, IPL-II turned out to
be massive success even in its adopted home.
To go with it, last edition laggards Deccan Chargers,
under Adam Gilchrist's inspiring leadership, provided the
rags-to-riches story and lifted the crown after a fairytale
campaign.
The far-reaching impact of IPL was more than evident when
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff rejected a national
contract to turn freelancer and troubled Australian
all-rounder Andrew Symonds soon followed in his footsteps.
Personally, IPL chief Modi had a roller-coaster year. If
IPL's success in South Africa was a feather in his cap, twice
losing the battle for power in the Rajasthan Cricket
Association was a bitter pill to swallow.
The media was also agog with reports that BCCI secretary
N Srinivasan was plotting to oust him from IPL but Modi
eventually had board president Shashank Manohar saying that
his job is safe till 2012.
Individually, the year 2009 also marked the 20th year of
Sachin Tendulkar's international career that was celebrated
across the country with no little fervour.
In an era of injury-breakdowns and players' burnout, the
batting great completed his 20 years in international cricket
which is an achievement in itself and tributes poured in from
players – both current and former – as they hailed Tendulkar's
talent and longevity and his ability to sustain the hunger for
success.
Among others, Gautam Gambhir had a particularly
successful batsman and the left-hander evolved from an
attacking opener to an all-season batsman.
Gambhir proved that he was not merely a mindless slogger
and proved that he can graft too, prompting mentor Virender
Sehwag to call him the "Second Wall" of Indian cricket, Rahul
Dravid being the first.
It hardly raised an eyebrow that Gambhir was named ICC
Test Player of the Year for 2009, and is ranked the number one
Test batsman in the ICC rankings.
Apart from his charismatic captaincy, Dhoni too had his
moments of glory with the bat, being the number one ODI
batsman in ICC rankings and winning the ICC ODI Player of the
Year.
He was named captain of both the ICC Test and ODI Team of
the Year. PTI AY
ANU
New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) The Indian Premier League (IPL)
gold-rush drew players in droves and the cult of Sachin
Tendulkar completed two illustrious decades but 2009 will be
fondly recalled as the year of India's ascent to the pinnacle
of Test cricket, a format that ironically languishes at the
bottom of their pecking order.
The 2007 World Twenty20 champions could not defend their
title in England, came a cropper in the Champions Trophy –
second most elite one-day tournament after World Cup – and
also allowed the opportunity to become the number one ODI team
slip through their fingers with the home series defeat against
an under-strength Australia.
It was rather an irony that Test cricket provided them
their finest moments despite the cricket board's criminal
negligence of the format which is on its last leg.
So engrossed in IPL proliferation, Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) has scheduled just two Tests in the
next 11 months for the team, which is just not enough to
protect the number one Test team's status.
Subsequently some sanity prevailed and BCCI apparently
has convinced South Africa to play two unscheduled Test
matches when the Proteas visit the country in February-March.
If the 2-0 win against Sri Lanka put them on top of the
world, Dhoni and his teammates can look back on the 1-0 away
series win over New Zealand in April with considerable pride
since it was India's first series win there in more than four
decades.
India's rise as the number one Test team was not
particularly well-received in certain quarters with the
British press trying to find fault with the ICC ranking system
but the common fan on the street was euphoric as Dhoni,
inheritor of the proud legacy of his predecessors Sourav
Ganguly and Anil Kumble, shepherded the team to an
unprecedented high.
In one dayers, the team under Dhoni bearded the Lanka
lion in its den, thumped the Kiwis in New Zealand and upended
West Indies in the Caribbeans for their fifth series win on
the trot.
They won the blinked-and-you-miss Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka
as well but cut a sorry figure in the Champions Trophy in
South Africa, managing just one win in the tournament.
The home series against a second-string Australian side
presented with the gilt-edged opportunity to become the number
one ODI team but the Men In Blue tamely surrendered to allow
Ricky Ponting return with the bragging right.
Even more frustrating was their tame title defence in the
World Twenty20 Championship in England where they beat
minnows Bangladesh and Ireland before crashing out with three
defeats on the trot.
The IPL allure, however, showed no signs of waning.
The second edition of the cash-awash league seemed doomed
after it coincided with general election and the government
expressed its inability to provide adequate security.
Few believed Lalit Modi when he talked about shifting the
show to South Africa and to his credit, IPL-II turned out to
be massive success even in its adopted home.
To go with it, last edition laggards Deccan Chargers,
under Adam Gilchrist's inspiring leadership, provided the
rags-to-riches story and lifted the crown after a fairytale
campaign.
The far-reaching impact of IPL was more than evident when
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff rejected a national
contract to turn freelancer and troubled Australian
all-rounder Andrew Symonds soon followed in his footsteps.
Personally, IPL chief Modi had a roller-coaster year. If
IPL's success in South Africa was a feather in his cap, twice
losing the battle for power in the Rajasthan Cricket
Association was a bitter pill to swallow.
The media was also agog with reports that BCCI secretary
N Srinivasan was plotting to oust him from IPL but Modi
eventually had board president Shashank Manohar saying that
his job is safe till 2012.
Individually, the year 2009 also marked the 20th year of
Sachin Tendulkar's international career that was celebrated
across the country with no little fervour.
In an era of injury-breakdowns and players' burnout, the
batting great completed his 20 years in international cricket
which is an achievement in itself and tributes poured in from
players – both current and former – as they hailed Tendulkar's
talent and longevity and his ability to sustain the hunger for
success.
Among others, Gautam Gambhir had a particularly
successful batsman and the left-hander evolved from an
attacking opener to an all-season batsman.
Gambhir proved that he was not merely a mindless slogger
and proved that he can graft too, prompting mentor Virender
Sehwag to call him the "Second Wall" of Indian cricket, Rahul
Dravid being the first.
It hardly raised an eyebrow that Gambhir was named ICC
Test Player of the Year for 2009, and is ranked the number one
Test batsman in the ICC rankings.
Apart from his charismatic captaincy, Dhoni too had his
moments of glory with the bat, being the number one ODI
batsman in ICC rankings and winning the ICC ODI Player of the
Year.
He was named captain of both the ICC Test and ODI Team of
the Year. PTI AY
ANU
