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Why Lalit Modi is like Sehwag : Ian Chappell


ViruRulez

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There's a correlation between a stable administration and a team's strong performance on the field, so is it then fair to compare the style of a player with that of an official? The thought came to me following Virender Sehwag's highly amusing press conference in Chittagong where he claimed: "Bangladesh are an ordinary side. They can't beat India because they can't take twenty wickets." Why all the fuss over his comments? After all he is correct. Sehwag was only being honest, which is the least you should expect from players and administrators. He was also being consistent; he's a straightforward, uncomplicated batsman so why would he be any different off the field? As a batsman Sehwag is brilliant but frustrating. He can win a match in a session with scintillating strokeplay and equally drive his captain and fans to distraction by playing an indiscreet shot at an inappropriate moment. However, as the lyrics in Love and Marriage go: "you can't have one without the other". A captain can't gleefully hail Sehwag's scintillating performances when it results in victory and then castigate him for the odd indiscreet shot when it's detrimental to the team. If we were to judge the flamboyance of administrators along similar lines, does that make Lalit Modi the Sehwag of officialdom? Modi has had moments of brilliance interspersed with occasional lapses. His outstanding manoeuvres have resulted in IPL franchises, the IPL-Google deal and the BCCI's finances rising exponentially. On the debit side there have been his indiscretions in the USA during his student days and a rampant ego massaged by appearing more often on the IPL television coverage than the sponsor logo. Modi is an administrator for the modern game. He's decisive and forward thinking. However, like Sehwag needs a steady opening partner to balance the combination, Modi requires a strong lieutenant to watch over him and temper his instinctive brilliance with a liberal dose of discipline. With a number of international teams now bunched at the top of the rankings and sides being more aware of each other's ability through technology, one of the few remaining ways of gaining an advantage over opponents is to have a decisive and more flexible administration. This should apply to officials both at home and on tour. And "decisive and flexible" certainly do not describe Pakistan's administration which is like the captain who is always at least a couple of overs behind the play. :haha: It would have been preferable if Pakistan hadn't appointed Mohammad Yousuf captain in the first place. He has a temperament being weighed down, rather than buoyed, by the extra responsibility. However, having made the appointment and then found him wanting in the second Test, a vibrant administration would have considered replacing him swiftly. It couldn't have done any worse in a new appointment because following the SCG debacle, Yousuf was a dead captain leading. Having seen that Yousuf would back off even before trouble reared its ugly head, the Australians couldn't wait for the next opportunity to attack Pakistan. They knew Yousuf was likely to succumb and he quickly obliged on the first day of the Hobart Test. That just confirmed his lame-duck status. :cantstop: And the Pakistan board reacted in the worst possible way. With a number of international teams now bunched at the top of the rankings and sides being more aware of each other's ability through technology, one of the few remaining ways of gaining an advantage over opponents is to have a decisive and more flexible administration Instead of making a bold move in an attempt to keep the team's hopes alive in the ODI series, it threw a lead-weighted lifebelt to a captain already up to his neck in quicksand. :hysterical: It retained him as the ODI captain and announced there would be a change in leadership when the team returned home. It couldn't have committed a bigger crime if it had backed Australia to win all five matches in the series. With the administration of both Pakistan and West Indies floundering, Cricket South Africa has made an interesting decision on the eve of the team's departure for the crucial Indian tour. It has decided to restructure the administration and as part of the process the coach has resigned and the selection panel has been sacked. This move has the potential to replicate either a brilliant attacking masterpiece by Sehwag or the chaos of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Salman Butt gesturing at each other after having failed to complete an easy single. We'll soon know. If South Africa win the 2011 World Cup, instead of making an ignominious exit at the knockout stage, the decision will have a touch of Sehwag's genius.
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/446349.html Brilliant article. Full entertainment from hailing Lalit Modi and Viru to pwning Pakis. Also raises finger at SA over the recent sacking fiasco. Another great article by Chappel. :adore:
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Ian Chappell was the same man who said Sehwag does not have a brain between his ears. Ian Chappell was also the same man who wrote infamously that article on Sachin Tendulkar titled 'Look in the mirror' or something to that effect where he essentially claimed that Tendulkar was playing on for reasons other than cricketing. So, whoever wants to trust what he is saying may feel free to do so. For Modi, honesty too has a price. To Sehwag nothing has a price. He is what he is.

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^ Same thing that has been said by many people on this forum, and Ian Chappell has since said that he has been proven wrong and written numerous articles in favour of those 2 batsmen In general, I rate him as one of the best cricket commentators going around and most of his articles are spot on the money. I don't see anything in this article that is so controversial or even suprising that you need to warn us about 'trusting' Ian Chappell ... lol we're reading an article not marrying the guy ... calm down.

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^ Same thing that has been said by many people on this forum, and Ian Chappell has since said that he has been proven wrong and written numerous articles in favour of those 2 batsmen In general, I rate him as one of the best cricket commentators going around and most of his articles are spot on the money. I don't see anything in this article that is so controversial or even suprising that you need to warn us about 'trusting' Ian Chappell ... lol we're reading an article not marrying the guy ... calm down.
Bharat - people in many forums may have made mistakes. But that is not something one would expect of a player/captain of Chappell's stature. He did make that and he is now singing the opposite tune without even expressing a modicum of regret for his earlier outbursts. Also I was not warning anybody of anything. Just pointing out his gaffes. People will believe what they want to - no matter what.
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Bharat - people in many forums may have made mistakes. But that is not something one would expect of a player/captain of Chappell's stature. He did make that and he is now singing the opposite tune without even expressing a modicum of regret for his earlier outbursts. Also I was not warning anybody of anything. Just pointing out his gaffes. People will believe what they want to - no matter what.
He's not allowed to make mistakes? ... So what if he criticised Tendulkar before ... I am one of the biggest Tendulkar fans out there and when I saw that article about Tendulkar all I thought was "I disagree". That doesn't mean everything he says from now on I disagree with ... nor does it mean the opposite. Another article of Chappell's I disagreed with was his criticism of MS Dhoni's tactics of employing an 8-1 offside field against Australia in the 4th test 2008. However in general, most of his articles are fair and spot on the money. Here all he is saying is that Modi is a very successful administrator in today's climate. Hard to argue with that given how IPL has revolutionised world cricket. Then he balanced that he needs a stable figure guiding him to channel that forward thinking into the right areas. Fair enough I say because I don't want T20 to overtake Test cricket in scheduling.
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He's not allowed to make mistakes? ... So what if he criticised Tendulkar before ... I am one of the biggest Tendulkar fans out there and when I saw that article about Tendulkar all I thought was "I disagree". That doesn't mean everything he says from now on I disagree with ... nor does it mean the opposite. Another article of Chappell's I disagreed with was his criticism of MS Dhoni's tactics of employing an 8-1 offside field against Australia in the 4th test 2008. However in general, most of his articles are fair and spot on the money. Here all he is saying is that Modi is a very successful administrator in today's climate. Hard to argue with that given how IPL has revolutionised world cricket. Then he balanced that he needs a stable figure guiding him to channel that forward thinking into the right areas. Fair enough I say because I don't want T20 to overtake Test cricket in scheduling.
Bharat - those are not the only mistakes that Chappell made in his career as commentator and cricket expert. In the name of being blunt, he gets excited and passes judgment too quickly without thinking it through. Not what you would expect from an illustrious former captain. It is not that one mistake dooms the man forever. I am only pointing out the obvious. I do not have much regard for him. Not because I love Tendulkar (that I do), but because Chappell did not take the time to think through what he was planning to write. In this particular case, he talks of honesty and straightforwardness then compares Sehwag with Modi. Sehwag is honest - naturally. Modi will do whatever needs to be done for commercial interests. That is not Sehwag. How many people - elevated to the position of captain of the national squad - will still say and do what he did? Not many - I am sure you would agree. Modi is a product of the times. Sehwag is one of a kind. Modi is outspoken. Sehwag is a straight shooter. And yes, there is a difference. There can be no comparison. Except in Chappell's mind. No offense meant if you like Chappell. His 'look in the mirror' article was such a load of clap-trap that it put me off him forever.
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