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This is an archive article published on September 10, 2009
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Opinion No serendipity in Serendip

In Michelle Tramezzino’s fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip,first published in Venice in the 16th century,the heroes...

indianexpress

Kunal Pradhan

September 10, 2009 04:45 AM IST First published on: Sep 10, 2009 at 04:45 AM IST

In Michelle Tramezzino’s fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip,first published in Venice in the 16th century,the heroes “always made discoveries,by accidents and sagacity,of things they were not in quest of.” Considering Sri Lanka’s penchant for producing accidental cricketing heroes,it isn’t surprising that Serendip is the old,Persian name for the teardrop island where the love for the sport remains undiluted despite decades of internal strife.

Sri Lanka is a land of dark waters and brown palm trees,of emeralds and opals,of bus stands and commercial high-rises that have been bombed and rebuilt,of tiny boutique hotels and gigantic resorts that are now empty almost all year round. But in the middle its ravaged beauty,numerous cricket stadiums remain unharmed and forever in use (Colombo alone has 22 full-fledged grounds,as compared to nine in Mumbai,three in Kolkata,13 in Delhi and 12 in Chennai).

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On every visit to Sri Lanka,I’ve learnt more about how they manage to keep cricket a fair distance away from the violence of their national politics. In 2001,for example,riding late at night in an auto rickshaw from the city’s famous Cricket Club Cafe to their hotel at Galle Face Green,a group of Indian journalists was stopped at an army barricade. The soldiers asked for their passports,and an explanation of their nocturnal activities was demanded in the gruffest of voices. But no sooner had the words “cricket”,“India” and “media” been mentioned in the same sentence than the mood changed entirely.

There was a long discussion about Sanath vs Sachin and Murali vs Kumble,about India’s chances at the Premadasa the following afternoon,about Mendis and Vengsarkar,and about the lbw decision that stopped Mohammad Azharuddin on 199 in Kanpur in ‘86. The journalists was eventually escorted home in a military jeep,and asked to stop by the following night so they could chat some more.

Though there has always been such clarity about the importance of cricket to Sri Lanka,why the game is now played so defensively in a country that is both scenic and emotive continues to be a mystery. Somehow,especially over the last few years,viewing a cricket match there has been like watching evaporation. There are fielders close to the bat,oohs and aahs after every delivery,the scoreboard indicates that the game is closely fought — but is the cricket entertaining? It might be,if you get excited about water vapour rising.

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At a time when one-day cricket is gasping for breath,fighting what seems to be a losing battle against a tempest of change,there could be few worse advertisements for the format than a meaningless September tri-series on wickets that are either slow or two-paced,and where the toss more or less decides the outcome. In 56 one-dayers played at the Premadasa Stadium in the last 10 years,teams have elected to bat 48 times — that’s an alarming 86 per cent — and gone on to win on 34 occasions.

Of the many predictable patterns that are rapidly spelling one-day cricket’s doom,the ‘win toss-win match’ blueprint is the most troublesome,for it tilts the balance so overwhelmingly that even the now well-known mechanics of ODI cricket — lose early wickets,crumble; lose early wickets,consolidate,crumble; lose early wickets,consolidate,slog; start well,keep going; start well,collapse; and finally,start well,lose your way,slog — become somewhat irrelevant.

So,as India attempts to become the world’s top-ranked team by winning the triangular series,a few things may not be entirely in their control considering how difficult it is to bat under lights in dewy Colombo.

It is here that the experience of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid,back together in the one-day fold after two almost-perfect years,will be crucial,especially in the absence of Virender Sehwag. Call it planning,providence or (since we’re talking about Sri Lanka) just plain serendipity,but their presence boosts India’s chances immensely because the path to success in this tournament may well be charted on aging shoulders.

kunal.pradhan@expressindia.com