Applying for the India Coach Position

The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has invited applications for the position of the "Head Coach" for the Senior India Men's Cricket Team (Link). In line with its new-found love for openness, BCCI has also posted the eligibility guidelines fot the post. Slipstream Cricket would like to present their case for the advertised post in line with these criterion.

Candidates applying for this position will need fulfil and demonstrate evidence of and knowledge in :

1.Should have successfully coached a cricket team of any of the member countries of the ICC, at the first class or at the International level. 

Not fulfilled. But do have multiple years of experience in managing playing XIs in Fantasy Leagues.

2.It is preferred that the candidate should be qualified through a certification/assessment program conducted by any of the full member countries and currently possess such a valid certification. 
Not fulfilled, but this criterion is preferred and not compulsory

3.Should be able to prepare and present a coaching plan elaborating the approach for ‘Team India’ to attain leadership position in all formats of the game. 
I am ready with my Vision & Mission for Team India (but this is a public forum so not sharing details here)

4.Demonstrate methods/tools to effectively measure individual player performance and present metrics to the Board, which will in turn measure the performance of the team, on a consistent and timely basis. 
Moneyball type evaluation will KPIs on defined OKRs will be used and 360° feedback shared with relevant stake-holders for performance improvement. 

5.Demonstrate an understanding and ability of employing a multi disciplinary approach that will include sports psychology and sports medicine, and effectively manage the work load of the players, thereby enhancing their contribution to the cause of the team. 
"employ a multi-disciplinary approach"; "effectively manage work-load", "enhance contribution". I like this heavy use of MBA jargons. I shall have a result-oriented holistic approach towards achieving our one-year vision to reach the number one ranking across formats while ensuring all-round development of stakeholders.

6.Communication skills befitting the coach of an International team are mandatory along with the ability to effectively convey the right messages and must demonstrate proficiency in English. It is desirable to communicate in Hindi and other regional Indian languages.
English, Hindi, and snatches of Marathi, Assamese and Bangla - this one I sail through [Fluent in Minionese also, although that may not be relevent here]

7.Should be well versed with the latest technologies/trends in sports software and ability to utilise the same, which will assist in analysing/ improving the performance of the player and the team. 
Can play around Cricinfo's Statsguru & have proficiency in MS Office products (oops, that was for Pakistan's coach position)

8.Mandatory that the candidate should have an impeccable personal record, devoid of any past or current disputes, with any of the member boards of the ICC or its affiliates. 
All clear on this front!!!

9.Demonstrate plans and ability to contribute to the NCA Cricket Development Programmes and forecasting/planning to develop the next generation cricketer and agree to make themselves available for the NCA, as and when they are not with the team. 
Proper Supply Chain Management tools will be used so that resource wastage is minimized  and the supply pipeline to the national team doesn't run dry (Also Refer 4 & 5 above).

Out of nine, six criterion fully met, 1 partially met, and one is optional. I rest my case! 

Now awaiting a call from Mr. Ajay Shirke, Hony Secretary BCCI.

Rahul Dravid - The Dark Knight?

The marvelous world of internet memes can throw up some real gems
Take this, for example, combining two of my favorites. No further words need to be said.

Confidence is thy Middle Name

Even the most inconspicuous of scorecards can throw up something interesting. Like this upcoming Zimbabwean international.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe-v-india-2013/content/current/player/333001.html

But this gets better, when you learn that "Confidence" is his middle name. Literally. (Cricinfo profile)

Enough Said. 

The Trophy

Not often you  get a chance to get up close and personal with a trophy. So even though the tournament may have been tainted by the corruption charges, why miss the chance. After all the trophy wasn't. 

Congratulations to the Mumbai Indians for winning the IPL. Please continue providing match tickets and such photo-ops and may you continue the winning streak :)

One for the memories.

A Year is a Long Time

An year is a long time.

Things change... a lot

Just look at the cricketing world.

A year ago early 2011... India were the Test No. 1. A No. 1 ranking which looked more and more deserved after having survived a thorough examination in South Africa. England were on the ascendancy handing out innings defeat after innings defeat to the once mighty Aussies who seemed in terminal decline. Pakistan were moving from one crisis to another. Zimbabawe were not playing Test cricket. The Kiwis were getting beaten by Bangladesh.

A year later, India are getting hammered by the Aussies (who had to suffer a 47 all out and a home defeat to the Kiwis). England blanked out India to reach the Test ranking pinnacle. Yet managed to lose at the first available instance to an increasingly stable, controversy-free (!!!) Pakistan. South Africa have forgotten how to string together 2 test victories in a series. Kiwis beat Oz in a Test. Zimbabwe are playing Tests. India played a Test without any spinners.

David Warner is now the first choice Test opener for Australia (!!!). South Africa now use Dale Steyn as a support act rather than the main one.

The time they certainly are a changin'

The Jinx & The Request

Writing a 2-in-1 blog, i.e. 2 remotely related posts in 1 post :)

The Jinx

This is every sports fans boo-boo. When a game of their favorite team/player is on, the true sports fan will try to avoid doing anything which might get the stars misaligned and the team's performance gets affected. It might be wearing the "lucky" shirt, ordering the same food, not shifting from your seat during an important passage of play. I remember, while watching in hostel common rooms, we used to immediately throw out anyone whose entry resulted in a fall of Indian wicket. These days, there is a new dimension added to the jinx. Facebook and twitter networks fall relatively quiet when some milestone is approaching. People try not to post anything related to the approaching milestone.

Today I tried to test this theory. 2 wickets down in Perth on 1st morning. Sachin Tendulkar batting. And not a single post about the 100th 100. So I posted the following message -"Sachin batting and no one talking about his 100th 100. Weird." This was with Gambhir on strike. Lo and behold, within 3 minutes of posting, of the first ball he faced, Sachin Tendulkar was out lbw to Ryan Harris. If this was not a jinx then I dont know what is. :D

The Request

Dear ICC

It seems (though there is no proof except faith) that the milestone of 100 international centuries is weighing down Sachin Tendulkar.  He doesn't look out of form. He just gets out in the vicinity of the 100 (it could be 100 runs away also). The only solution would be to find some match in which Sachin has got a hundred and declare it as an international match. Thus adding to the tally of Sachin's hundreds. I have a couple of suggestions on the subject.

Mumbai vs Australia - in 1998, SRT got his 1st double century.

Diana Memorial match, at Lords, in 1998 when Sachin scored 125.

I'd recommend that 2nd game, which would also give SRT an international 100 in Lords.

Yours sincerely

An Indian cricket fan

If you get another chance

Came across this video via Facebook.

It offers an alternate ending to one of the worst incidents in international cricket, the underarm ball. What if the situation was same in a repeat match???

Twenty11

Wishing a very Happy Twenty11 to all readers (I know there are a few).

So the new year is here, and it seems to be filled with lots of cricketing action specially for the Indian fan. So here is a look at what to expect in Twenty11.

• The battle for No. 1 (right now on in Cape Town, as I write South Africa losing wickets in heaps).
• The World Cup. I have already begun dreaming about the sight of the Indian team holding the World Cup in Wankhede. What a finish that would be to SRT's ODI career.
• Tours of West Indies, England & Australia.
• IPL

In other news currently Australia battling on with England in Sydney. Usman Khwaja has made his debut. (In my opinion should have made his debut earlier replacing North rather than Steve Smith). And it seems @theashes is there in Sydney watching the match in company of Steve Waugh. Now I am feeling really jealous of this American girl.

And finally hoping against hope that there is no further drama in Pakistani cricket.

The Indian Injury Conspiracy

India vs Bangladesh Test Series, 2010

As expected the Indians are on their way to a 2-nil victory over Bangladesh in the Idea Cup Test Series. Cricket Wise it was a decent performance. Barring the the odd hiccup here and there, its been more or less a comfortable victory in terms of the field performance. But there is something else which is worrying me here.

Prior to first Test Dhoni & Harbhajan get injured, but they recover in time for the second and were not really missed. But after that the story gets grim.

Sreesanth - Hamstring injury (normal injury for any fast bowler)

Laxman - Hand (never heard of Laxman missing Tests due to injury)

Yuvraj Singh - Wrist Ligament Damage

Dravid - Broken Jaw (Hit on the side of the helmet while batting)

Tendulkar - Shoulder (while fielding)

And all this just prior to the South African series which is being billed as the "World Championship of Test Cricket" (with the top 2 ICC ranked Test teams taking on each other). The entire Indian middle order is injured and in doubt for the the tests against South Africa.

Is this a mere coincidence or are the South Africans performing some sort of Voodoo/Dark Arts/Black Magic/Witchcraft/Sorcery on our team? (Or are the Pakistanis involved following the IPL auction?)

Just wondering...