THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE WRITING WITHOUT KNOWING THE FACTS WHILE QUOTING STATISTICS. ONE GENTLEMAN HAS QUOTED THE BATTING AVERAGES OF IRFAN AND VENGSARKAR. WHEREAS VENGSARKAR MADE HIS RUNS WHEN BOWLERS LIKE HOLDING, MARSHALL, ROBERTS, GARNER, LILLY, THOMPSON, BOTHAM, HADLEE, IMRAN, DONALD ETC. WERE PLAYING AND THE PITCHES IN THOSE DAYS WERE NOT THE 300 ONES. EVEN INDIA WON THE WORLD CUP IN 1983 BY SCORING ONLY 180 RUNS ONLY. I CAN RECALL MANY ONE DAY MATCHES WHEN THE PITCHES SUITED THE HIGH QUALITY BOWLERS OF THAT ERA SO MUCH THAT IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT FOR BATSMEN TO CHASE LOWLY SCORES OF EVEN 150 ODD RUNS. AND THE AVERAGE SCORE OF EACH TEAM PER INNINGS WAS CLOSER TO 200 RUNS. NOWADAYS THERE ARE VERY FEW FAST BOWLERS AND MOREOVER, THE PITCHES ARE PREPARED IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THERE IS RUN RIOT. SCORES OF 350 TO 440 ARE BEING SCORED AND BEING CHASED SUCCESSFULLY. SO WHEN YOU COMPARE THE AVERAGES OF THE BATSMEN YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE PERCENTAGES ALSO. IN A PARTICULAR TV CHANNEL, FOOLISH COMMENTS WERE BEING PASSED ON THE SAME LINES AS MADE BY THE GENTLEMAN QUOTED ABOVE IN THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT CRICKETER LIKE KAPIL DEV WHO DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO SAY FOR EVERY CRICKETER IS NOT A GREAT ANALYSER. ANY BATSMAN SCORING AT AN AVERAGE OF 25 RUNS IN A SCORE OF 300 IS SCORING ONLY 8% OF THE TOTAL RUNS SCORED WHEREAS ANOTHER BATSMAN WHO IS SCORING AT AN AVERAGE OF 34 RUNS IN A SCORE OF 200 IS SCORING 17% OF THE TEAM'S SCORE WHICH IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SCORING RATE OF THE FIRST BATSMAN, REPRESENTED BY IRFAN IN THIS CASE AS COMPARED TO VENGSARKAR. HOWEVER, AS FAR AS PATHAN'S PLAYING OR NON PLAYING IN THE WORLD CUP IS CONCERNED, THAT WILL BE DECIDED PURELY ON HIS FORM AND FITNESS AS IN THE CASE OF ALL OTHER PLAYERS. NO ROOM FOR EMOTIONS AND DRAMA IS TO BE ALLOWED THERE. COL. VENGSARKAR, A NO NONSENSE MAN IS THE BOSS WHO WILL DECIDE THE MATTER.
RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by Diwakar BoddupalliRam on Feb 23, 2007 05:41 PM Permalink
I wish to come to Rakesh's support as he has made a valid point. Today's cricket is bereft of GOOD FAST BOWLERS. Whatever you see in today's one day cricket is due to the feather bed pitches, heavy bats and small grounds, coupled with average bowling and rules favoured towards batsman. It is highly improper to even compare Irfan and Vengsarkar. Just to quote one example, guys dont forget the pasting he gave to Craig McDermott (an Aussie fast bowler who was as fast as Brett Lee)in the 1987 World Cup Match at Delhi. He was also a class Test cricketer who scored his centuries against guys like Holding, Marshall, Garner, Bob Willis, Lillee, Thomson, Hogg, Imran Khan (you want more???)
RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by BlurBlur on Feb 23, 2007 04:53 PM Permalink
Records and averages as a player has no bearing on how one will fare as a coach or selector. Prime example, John Buchanan and Dave Whatmore...both were fringe players where one has played no international cricket and the other has a record not worth mentioning.
Both as a coach and selector, one must have skills to select players and strategy that will bring success and having a great average or playing record is not a yardstick. So complex analysis on Vengsarkar's record as a player does not prove anything.
RE:RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by on Feb 23, 2007 04:57 PM Permalink
A coach or the captain is only as good as his team. I think one will agree here atleast in majority of the cases. Yes, we do have exceptional coach/captain who can inspire his men. But present indian team can boast of neither and hence the former holds true.
RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by shah ahmad on Feb 23, 2007 04:39 PM Permalink
Dear R. U R calculating the contribution of a player, We are discussing the averag of a player,U can say at that time the batting is not so cracker as now.. it is too difficult to carry on an average of 50 in today cricket, There were so many fast bowler at old cricket but U know there is very less body guard equipment at that time so player playes the cricket under the fear and they loose the wicket...If those bowler played today cricket they will not sucsses as compare that time..
So cricket wahi hai lekin cricket khelne ka andaj and tech change ho gayi hai..thats it..
RE:RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by AJ on Feb 23, 2007 04:48 PM Permalink
Rakesh, Please know the fact that donald d'nt even make his debut when vengsarkar was playing.
RE:RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by Narahari K on Feb 23, 2007 04:49 PM Permalink
One more input in to the scenario, the number of overs in those days was 60 overs/side
RE:IRFAN'S WC FATE
by on Feb 23, 2007 04:15 PM Permalink
you can kindly put our spontaneous outbursts in small letters so that lesser mortals will attempt to read it
