13th March

Making history

The article praises the present Indian team for their spectacular performance in the New Zealand tour with a special mention of the new star of Indian cricket, Virender Sehwag. 

Dhoni’s men have led the team to win its first ODI series win in New Zealand in last four decades. Not only they won the matches, but won in convincing manner. Sachin Tendulkar, in fact, described the present Indian line up as the best he has ever played with. The most impressive of them has been Virender Sehwag. Dismissed in his early career due to his poor foot movement, but he used to play some of the most powerful strokes with impeccable timing. However, it was feared that he would fail on pitches like Australia and New Zealand with moving ball that bounced more often. Today he is feared and respected by the Australian team. He has scored the fastest ODI century by an Indian. His career strike rate is 100+ after 204 ODI and 6000+ runs. He has 50+ average in Tests with three triple tons, something which even Sunil Gavaskar didn’t achieve, with strike rate of 78. In the last and the present New Zealand tour, he is the most successful Indian batsman. He has been fearless and disregardful to reputation. He has always played to his strengths and not worried about his weaknesses. 

In fact this is true for most of the batsmen in today’s Indian team. Unconcerned about the past and determined to make a history.

Pakistan’s Lockdown

The article contemplates the current political situation in Pakistan and expresses an urgent need of return of constitutional and democratic principles in Pakistan.

It is a contrast that while Pakistan signs a deal with Taliban in the Swat and accepts its demands of Islamic laws in the region, it arrested hundred of lawyers and supporters of Nawaz Sharif for holding out ‘long march’ to Islamabad and banned any gathering of more then four people in Punjab and Sind. These tactics strongly draws parallel between Zardari and Musharraf who accumulated unprecedented powers around him. Zardari promised to rescind those powers but hasn’t walked his talks so far. New Delhi has no leverage in Pakistan but the world, at large, has to stand behind return of constitutional and democratic process in Pakistan. There are strong rumors of an Army Coup by General Kayani, but the General isn’t serious about executing that plan considering the ill-fame that dethroned General Musharraf just a year back. At present the only alternative to Zardari seems to be Nawaz Sharif, who is presently the most popular leader in Pakistan. But Sharif has not been in good repo with the western world. However, the policy cannot be person-specific.

What is needed is a person at the top job who engages itself in the public welfare work and gives the outer world enough points to work with him. Playing favorites is not the right way.