Source: PTI

Indian cricketers demand less cricket 
 
New Delhi: Fearing burn-out from too much cricket, India's top cricketers have told the Cricket Board to reduce the number of matches they play, vice-captain Virender Sehwag disclosed on Saturday.

Skipper Rahul Dravid and other senior players, including him, had taken up the matter with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which had pleaded inability to do anything about it immediately since the current cricket calendar had been fixed long ago, he said.

The 27-year-old dashing batsman spoke candidly about the raging controversy regarding the amount of international cricket, his own recent lean patch with the bat and a wide range of other issues concerning Indian team.

About the burn-out issue, the Board had been understanding and had promised to give the players adequate breaks after the commitments already fixed were fulfilled, he said.

How much rest did the players ideally need?

"I think after every series a player should get 20 to 25 days rest. If a player gets 3 to 4 months break in a year, it is good for players and good for BCCI also", Sehwag said.

His recent poor form, which saw him average just 15 runs in his last nine Test innings and 31 in his last 15 ODIs, is seen by Sehwag as something that happens to all international cricketers.

A slump suddenly "comes into your life" and in some ways "I was ready for that", he said, adding, "I was just praying to myself that this patch will go quickly but that did not happen".

After his 73 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in his most recent one-day innings, Sehwag declares with confidence, "I am now pretty confident because I have learnt my lessons."

He is grateful for the guidance he received from Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, coach Greg Chappell and others during the lean patch.

Does he worry a lot about his batting and is his approach too cavalier? "Of course, I worry about my performance. But I also have so much confidence while I am batting. I just watch the ball and play my shots," he says.

Sehwag, actually, has a new approach to his batting. In the wake of his poor form he pledged to himself to try to bat for at least 100 balls. Against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, he went out with that mindset.

"I wanted to play (at least) 100 balls. I think I played 80 and got 73 runs. Now I am changing my goal to play 100 balls in every game. If I do that, I will get 80 or 90 runs and the team a good start," he said.

Is a well-directed short-pitched ball a chink in his armour as is being suggested by some bowlers?

Sehwag dismisses the theory as rubbish saying that he may have got out in that fashion a few times. "I have got about 3000 Test runs and 4000 ODI runs. If I had a problem like that, I will get out in that manner in every innings", he contends.

In fact, he is of the view that he encounters problems on Indian wickets because they are not bouncy enough for a stroke-player like him. "If the wicket does not have bounce, it is very hard for stroke players who have to hang around there and get their runs by rotating the strike".

Which bowler does he fear the most? "When I am not in form, I fear every bowler", he says with a laugh, suggesting that fear does not cross his mind when at the wicket.

"I have faced Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Andrew Flintoff, Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar, Shaun Pollock, Steve Harmison and Muttiah Muralitharan. In good form, I have scored runs against all of them."

His happiest cricketing moment was when he scored triple Test century against Pakistan in Multan two years ago, Sehwag says, noting that he is the only Indian to have crossed the 300 mark although there have been such great players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly and many more.

And the saddest moment? That was when India lost to Pakistan in the Bangalore Test last year chasing over 300 and losing only one wicket in the first session. "We lost that match in just one session after that," he says, shaking his head.

Sehwag remains an unabashed admirer of Tendulkar. "He is my role model, my inspiration. He is still the greatest. I learnt my cricket from Tendulkar.”

He had started watching Tendulkar since 1992. "I used to see how his bat was coming down and how he played his shots so well. He was playing on TV screen and I was copying him in front of that screen."

But aren't their batting styles different? "If you look at his early innings such as those in Sharjah (against Australia) and before that in New Zealand, Sachin was playing the cut shots over the top, over the point, the mid-on or mid-off," Sehwag points out, suggesting that these are the Tendulkar shots he plays now.

Tendulkar, he says, has changed his batting because he could not continue in that vein forever when everybody wanted 100s from him. Now the maestro tries to play down the ground and to play 50 overs.

Of crowd expectations from the two of them, Sehwag says that these are entirely different. "They want to see Tendulkar get 100 and Sehwag score quick runs."

The vice-captain firmly rejects suggestions that Tendulkar is in the autumn of his career. "He is still young at 33. Lara is 37. Tendulkar is a very fit man. I don't think he looks old or is getting old. He has got a lot of cricket left in him," he said.

What does he make of the recent one-day match in which South Africa made 438 to beat Australia's 434? "This sends a message to the world that any target is chaseable", Sehwag says, adding that some day teams may cross 450.

If India was chasing 450 in an ODI what would his approach be?

It is simple and rather easy, Sehwag explains. "There is no option but to hit every ball. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Ah, if I get that 450 target, I will be the happiest man in the world," he said. 

Sehwag welcomed the move for wider use of technology in umpiring decisions, including lbw, and also to give the batsman the right to appeal decisions of umpires.

"If a bowler can appeal for a decision, why can't a batsman appeal against it. It is fair for both," he said, recalling that he had felt miserable in the dressing room watching replays of the wrong decisions against him.

Technology is being used in every game - football, hockey, basketball, table tennis. He was all for its full usage in cricket.

He does not agree with those who argue that the ground umpire would not have much to do in that case. Technology would, in fact, only help the ground umpire.

Sehwag sums up his cricketing philosophy thus : "Whenever I play cricket I want to be just happy and make others happy."

Sreesanth hoping to bag more wickets on West Indies tour

Chennai: Upbeat after his success in recent one-dayers, India's new pace find S Sreesanth is hoping to reap a good harvest in the upcoming West Indies tour.

The Kerala star said he wanted to undergo a short four-day training under the tutelage of T A Sekhar, Chief Coach of MRF Pace Academy, and focus on bowling yorkers for good returns against the West Indies.

"It is about positioning of my left arm before delivery. I will be working on my yorkers as well. I have not bowled much of it during the last six months. I am told that yorkers will be an effective weapon against the West Indies batsmen he said.

"As a first class cricketer, I had claimed 33 wickets through bowling yorkers alone and I want to develop it further to become a much more effective cricketer."

On bowling to left hand batsmen in the West Indies team, the youngest pace bowler in the team said, "I do not want to complicate things for myself. Left handed or right handed batsmen is not a major worry for me. I want to be simple in my approach and do do what the team management advises me to."

Asked about his tendency to lose concentarion immediately after taking a wicket, he said, "I am working on that mental aspect of the game. I should be patient enough for better results. I am confident of a good showing on the coming tour." Sreesanth said he wanted to maintain his rhythm and consitently bowl around 140 kmph.

"It is really a pleasure to be a fast bowler. My basic motto in the coming series is to show consistency in my rhythm," he said.

Players can appeal to third umpire in Champions Trophy

Dubai: In spite of having its reservations, the International Cricket Council today agreed to players' making a limited number of appeals to the third umpire in case of difference of opinion with the on-field umpire during the ICC Champions Trophy in India.

The ICC Cricket Committee decided at its two-day meeting to first implement the recommedation on trial basis in the October-November tournament and review it after the event.

"Each team will be allowed three appeals to the third umpire per innings. If the appeal is successful they will retain the right to three appeals but if not, then it is lost," ICC General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson said.

The recommendation was, however, made by the narrowest possible margin (six votes to five) with reservations expressed over what it will mean for The Spirit of Cricket, the fabric of the game and the role and authority of the on-field umpire.

The Committee also recommended that the equipping of umpires with earpieces connected to the stump microphones be mandatory in all international matches.

"The main point of the trial would be to see how much this use of technology may impact on the Spirit of Cricket," said Richardson.

The recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee have to be approved by the Chief Executives' Committee and if that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board meeting, with both meetings set for London in July.

ICC's LBW move will reduce umpires to dummies: Venkat

New Delhi: ICC's proposal to have lbw decisions referred to third umpires by batsmen has evoked a strong reaction from former player and umpire S Venkatraghavan who says such a move would reduce on-field umpires to mere dummies.

Venkatraghavan, who officiated in 73 Tests and 52 one-dayers, says instead of resorting to the TV umpire for every decision, the ICC should put in place quality umpires to minimise chances of a wrong decision.

He also said ICC must not hesitate to pull up umpires if they make too many mistakes.

"I am a traditionalist and in my opinion, the ICC should put in place the best umpires instead of coming up with such proposals," he told PTI.

"A player has to accept the decisions given by the on field umpire. After all there are certain rules wherein the on field umpires can seek the assistance of the third umpire before declaring a player dismissed for stumping, run outs and even for catches taken on the boundary line.

"These are perfectly alright but I am not able to accept the fact that the leg before decision will also be referred to the third umpire. Such a rule will reduce the on field umpires to dummies," he said.

"If this rule change is accepted that would mean that every jurisdiction is given to the third umpire.

"It amounts to having the game held without on field umpires, who could eventually be termed as dummies and robots. That will take the charm out of the game. I think I have officiated during the best of times when the game was played as per the Laws of the Game."