Friday, December 02, 2005

All-rounder – adept cricketer or anachronism?

Time and again, history shows that man has embarked on futile searches for elusive mythical riches. The search for an Indian all-rounder seems have fared no better. And I don’t think that this search is ever going to end, well, not until certain issues are resolved. But far easier would be a simple scope change.

If you ask me, the definition of an all-rounder is all skewed. Ask one the selectors who were in the panel last year to name his favorite all-rounder and I bet I can guess what his answer would be. Oh wait, I was not supposed to write that. But to my defense, I think this mindset is typical of any average Indian, who would define an all-rounder as a batsman who can bowl at least 5 overs a day and keep the batsmen quiet and take wickets from time to time. So, the focus in the sub-continent seems on finding players who would contribute both with the ball and the bat. And there lies the flaw.

Read more here...

This was originally cross posted on the Cricinfo Blog - Different Strokes. I took the original post off here to drive traffic to the Cricinfo Blog which is not majorly promoted at the moment. There are more posters there who are coming out with awesome posts and who deserve your comments much more than just me. So go there and read all of our posts...

17 comments:

Nilu said...

I kinda disagree.

Tennis ball cricket has its own advantages. While I agree that playing in the midst of buildings surely does instill some bad habits, playing on the open field with a Tennis ball, early in the morning is one of the first exposures to swing.

The climate in Chennai is such that we used to start playing at 5.30 in the morning - just to avoid the sun. And that also aided our first brush with the phenomenon of swing. Though none of us did that by design, it still was a good starting point. When we went to those 'coaching camps', they always made us play on mats with old balls - obviously, there was no exposure to any lateral movement there(unless there was a stone beneath the mat)

I said...

A genuine contemporary all rounder is like Kallis or Andrew Symonds. Me thinks u are putting down the all rounder spot a bit. An AR provides more support, variety and flexibility to the team. Must for one day cricket.

For tests, mabbe he ain't all that important. But bottom line: a value added player is always a +.

anantha said...

Sex-Samiyar: This post came out mainly cos of all the "all rounders" that India has blooded in the past. And am not only talking about the bowling/batting all rounders, though the post might indicate differently. Case at point, Deep Dasgupta. We were prepared to play him mainly cos he said he was ready to open or something! Ratra, who replaced him after a couple of tests in WI actually made a century down the order. Those are the things that piss me off...and make me rant like this...
Nilu: Dude, tennis ball cricket in the beach was not what i was talking about. I was talking about the cricket that i used to play in the mottai maadi/street.

Anonymous said...

Of course - The swinging tennis ball..Goddammit..Anantha - Now I remember. If we had picked up the seam position and had been prepared for the late movement on those green tops of ours in Shanmugha, we would have all become world class batsman.Crap.

Nilu said...

sunil,
satire that stuck in shanmugha causes constipation. go see a proctologist or someone ;)

anantha said...

Sunil: Vaango vaango..

Subramaniam Avinash said...

Would you promote my blog too? :-) Read your post. Like. Cheers.

Shobana Jayaraman Srikumar said...

who can teach me cric basics? :(

J said...

no more cricket phuleeeez. the game sucks!

anantha said...

J: Am writing on Cricinfo, not here. This was just a plug.. So what do YOU wanna read here? I aim to please... :)
Shobz: Teaching cricket basics.. hmmm... That's like teaching the basis of life! Mebbe you should take this up with Kumar over a bottle of red wine. But you kids shouldn't get drunk. Cricket requires sharp reflexes and clarity of thought!

anantha said...

TDU: Sure dude. Haven't been on yours much. Will go on there...

Vee Cee said...

Good rant!

GratisGab said...

Hello Hello!!! Anti boy has been moving up and beyond while I've been out I see...Happy to hear about the different strokes contibutions and all..! How's the garden state treating ya?

anantha said...

Gabby: Yo.. wassup! Garden State's treating me just fine. You make it sound like am Zach Braff or someone, though that's certainly appreciated. And why you surprised? I thought I emailed you when I moved... :(
How are you and Mr.Gabby coming along? If you need any tips on home decor or furnishing, particularly drapes and curtains, I could be someone you wanna tap into. Have some experience in that area :D
vc: Thanx....

J said...

Gimme a Sula red wine, and i'll explain the basics of life *hic*

What do i want? u didnt ask that did u? ;)

anantha said...

J: Well, I did, didn't I? ;)

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