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Sufficient unto the day...

That cricket is a funny game was proved once again at the Ferozshah Kotla ground in Delhi when Australia bagged the triangular series. After four resounding wins in a row, India failed to clear the final hurdle, which came as a big disappointment to Indian cricket fans, and to the Indian team which needed this victory to cap a wonderful season .

The beauty of one-day cricket is that it takes one session or one great performance to change the course of the game. Take a look at what happened to South Africa. During the last World Cup, the Proteas conquered all opposition during the preliminary rounds in Pakistan. They had one bad day against the West Indies and were out of the tournament. Hanse Cronje's side went through a similar experience on their last tour to India. They won everything except the trophy.

During the earlier World Cup, held in Australia, Pakistan struggled to reach the qualifying round. Their fortunes took an about turn in the final rounds when they ran through the opposition and beat an in-form England for a memorable win. In the same edition, co-hosts New Zealand surprised a lot of teams with their radical tactics until the eventual winners Pakistan pulled the rug from under their spiked boots.

In the shortened version of the game, everything depends on the performance of the side on that given day. You have one bad day and you are out. Just like batting, one miscalculation or one good ball and you are back in the pavilion, irrespective of the form you are in. Who would have imagined the West Indies being humbled by Kenya, for instance? And at that point, not many expected the West Indies to beat an in-form South Africa.

Steve Waugh, the Australian skipper, credited his team's victory to good planning. He mentioned how they cramped Saurav Ganguly, bowled the right line to Sachin Tendulkar and restricted these free flowing batsmen. I am sure that the Aussies, who are known for their pre-match planning, must have done the same during the earlier matches as well -- but what happened? Frankly, you cannot plan to restrict the elegance of a Ganguly or the thunder of a Tendulkar or the silken grace of Mohammed Azharuddin. Mike Kasprowicz learned this the hard way, as Ganguly punched him repeatedly through the covers as only he can. One day cricket is like Russian Roulette - hit the wrong notch and you get a hole in the head. It is at these times that all planning and strategy goes for a toss. Fortunately for Waugh, the planning worked in the final while it failed to deliver the goods in the earlier matches.

Speaking of planning, the best laid plans of men, mice and Balwinder Sandhu went for a huge six thanks to the fantastic show put forth by the Uttar Pradesh team. Ashish Winston Zaidi and Obaid Kamal, India probables at one time, ran through the strong Mumbai batting line up to conjure a dream win for UP.

Skipper Gyanendra Pandey, who had performed creditably in the Duleep Trophy a few years ago, came up with a sterling performance to guide his side to the finals. Karnataka, the other finalists, made it by the skin of their teeth in spite of the lion hearted show by Hyderabad off-spinner Kanwaljit Singh. The 39-year old bowled his heart out and almost put his side into the finals until a gritty Dodda Ganesh thwarted his efforts.

The excitement of the Ranji semi-finals was marred by the comments of Sandhu, the Mumbai coach. Speaking to the Asian Age after his team lost, Sandhu expressed surprise that the ball suddenly started to move around in the later overs bowled by UP. He followed that statement by saying that maybe his bowlers could learn a few tricks from their opponents. If Sandhu has indeed made this comment, it is in bad taste. If he has not, he should deny it immediately.

UP's win over Mumbai only proves that Indian cricket is alive and kicking. Gone are the days when lesser known teams used to treat their matches against fancied opponents as a mere formality. Kerala set the ball rolling by becoming the top team from the South last season, and now, UP has reiterated that cricketing dominance is not the prerogative of a few states.

Two day's prior to the triangular final in Delhi, the Indian team skipper Azharuddin and Anshuman Gaekwad, the coach lamented the fact that there was no communication between the BCCI and the players. The BCCI did not take them into confidence while deciding the itinerary and travel schedules and the team ended up doing more travelling on off-days than they would have liked to. The way one reads the situation is that the BCCI's responsibility ends after they have paid the players a handsome pay packet. The underlying signal that is being sent to players is that 'we are paying you so you better play whenever and wherever we wish'. This attitude stems from the perception a few members of the BCCI have that the players are mercenaries and they would not complain about gruelling schedules if they were to play 'masala' matches.

If the players, on their own, decide to perform for a few rupees more in such exhibition matches, It is their problem. The BCCI, by doling out matches to favoured centres, which is the main cause of such ridiculous itineraries, is not looking at players' interests and their well being. In fact they are being a party to the burn-out phenomenon felt by the players.

Thankfully, the Indian skipper and coach brought to light these problems prior to the final. If they would have said the same after their loss, it would have been seen as a whining excuse. Azharuddin and Gaekwad were straightforward when they attributed the loss to a poor total. They knew that they had put in their very best. Unfortunately for them, the team which played better on that day, won the series.

Hemant Kenkre