An incomparable record

Virat Kohli Virat Kohli is India's 'Kohinoor.' He deserves to be preserved with utmost care and responsibility to increase his cricket longevity . Of an average build, he is a towering figure with his deeds and actions.
His record is incomparable. Three double centuries and one single in six months of 2016 are highly laudable. He is dashingly prolific batsman, as Sachin Tendulkar was. Off and on, he has personality and style. He receives ovation in every centre, including Mumbai. As many as 13 victories out of 21 Tests are achieved under Kohli's captaincy . India has lost 2 and 6 are drawn.
In a short time in international cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin is already a legend of the game. His art of off-spin is subtle because he has several trick hidden in his sleeves. His art of bowling is subtle; his top- spin zooms and baffles even accomplished stars. He knows the value of the pivot; he probes the weaknesses of batsmen. He does not believe in variation of flight as BS Bedi nor he has cunningness of Anil Kumble.
But like Kumble and Prasana, he displays exercise of composure. He foxes batsmen with nimble ingenuity. A discursive and diligent, he has a knack to hit stumps or secure edges for catches in slips. Unlike others, he experiments even in razor-sharp Tests. In the 4th Test alone he took 12 wickets (6 in first and 6 in second). In all, his tally in four Tests was 27 and scored 239 runs, Including 72 in one and three 50s. Left-hand spinner, Jadeja, was a perfect ally to Ashwin. He took 16 wickets. The find of the tour was Jayant Yadav. He scored 221 and bagged nine wickets.
If Kohli was a run-making machine, Ashwin was a destroyer in bowling. Between two, they played havoc with England and took serieswinning 3-0 lead with one remaining. Judging from their morale, bodylanguage and competence, they are unlikely to come back to reduce the lead.
Seldom, if ever, in the long history of Test cricket, there is an instance when mountain of records have been established in a solitary Test, 4th, at Mumbai. Most of the records were set by Kohli and Ashwin.
When Cook's England landed here for five-Test matches, the dispassionate assessment was that it would be a well-fought series. But it did not happen. Even week's holiday in Dubai did not help Englishmen come out of the depressions of 0-2 after third Test.
Fortunes changed in the first Test. Hopelessly placed and on verge of defeat, Kohli, in particular, and some others, put their heads down and saved the Test. India got into high spirits and England was hit by the disease of depression, low morale and self-belief. Skipper Kohli fought strongly and saved the Test. Kohli and his men won two Tests and provided a mauling to England by an innings and 36 runs in the fourth Test. All India and the team celebrated for battering to smitten colonial authority . This time, they collected dust instead of ashes.
Winning against West Indies and New Zealand was sweet, beating Sri Lanka was sweeter and over-running England was the sweetest inside of 14 months. In the words of a former England captain, wrong selections was one of the major causes.

Spat

Indeed. Ashwin should not have reacted. But what was provocation for Jimmy Anderson a comment about Kohli? How would he have taken if any Indian players had said something about Cook? Kohli played the role of mediator. The fact is that Englishmen are no longer sporting. They lose sense of sanity when they are losing against any sub-continent team.

Beating Pakistan

Mithali Raj Mithali Raj, 34, continues to be India's backbone as the team beat Pakistan in the final and won T-20 Asia Cup at Bangkok.This was team's 6th successive win.
Called upon in open, Mithali made the most of it by scoring unbeaten 73. She was adjudged : Woman of the tournament (63 balls). In the competition, she collected 220 (average 110) with two half-centuries. In international cricket, she has been playing for 17 years with many stupendous performances. She holdsannual central contract with the Indian board.
Regardless of the tension between India and Pakistan, the players of both teams mixed, mingled and shown healthy respect. There was no illfeeling at all.

In trouble

Anurag Thakur Misled and provoked by legal luminaries that the Supreme Court does not have the powers of Parliament, the Indian cricket board officials have worn a defiant and stubborn posture to defy the apex court.
The board officials continue to live fool's paradise. No one can save them because their corrupt doings outnumber their good things like granting pension and other perks to past and present players.The entire cricket community feels that the officials should be thrown out as there is dirt and unbearable smell of corruption in every nook and corner of the board headquarter and officials are guilty of grossly wrongdoings.
Trusting some legal bigwigs views, the board officials have shown the temerity to challenge the Ladha panel recommendation. A Supreme Court bench, led by CJ-I, has slammed the board president, Anurag Thakur and reserved its orders whether he should be prosecuted for perjury. "Apologise or face jail" was the indication.
The scenario has nose-dived so much that there is no window for Anurag Tkakur and his team to jump to safety. They have to abide by the judgment of the court.
The SC bench told board's lawyer, Kapil Sibal: "We are inclined to launch prosecution against your client (Anurag)..Once we pronounce on this, your client will have nowhere to go but to jail .And we say that you are guilty of perjury, do you think any other court will grant you any relief".
The Court has recommended to appoint former Union Home Secreyary, GK Pillai, as observer to monitor cricket board's business operations. The board is reported to oppose the name of observer but has not named any replacement.

K.R.Wadhwaney