Vishal & Shekhar- Siddharth Anand- A combination that has produced lovable music that doesn’t get its fair due

 For somebody like me whose understanding of Hindi and generally the foray into Bollywood music happened in the early 2000’s there is one music composer duo, Vishal-Shekhar who have played a significant role in ensuring I became a big admirer of Bollywood Music and started following almost each Hindi album especially from 2005 onwards with a vigour and an expectation.

It goes without saying that this was my inlet into the world of Bollywood Movies as well. We obviously had AR Rahman who was shuffling between Kollywood and Bollywood and when he did compose in Hindi movies, he always manages to produce albums that became chartbusters and are pretty complex, and probably life changing experiences between 2000-2011 in Bollywood starting from ‘Lagaan’ to ‘Rockstar’.  

This extends even to 2020, where many listeners tired of the current state of Bollywood music are requesting ARR to come back to Hindi music and he recently announced ‘Atrangi Re’ with Aanand L Rai that would see ARR back in Bollywood. People can have lot of expectations as their first movie together ‘Raanjhana’ was an exhilarating and fresh experience.

Apart from ARR, there came four prominent music composers who were extremely talented and gifted in their own right- Pritam, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Salim-Suleiman and Vishal-Shekhar. Later on, we had the introduction of Amit Trivedi who I have personally started admiring much more in the past few months as he produces some unconventional stuff like his work in ‘Dev D’ and ‘Bombay Velvet’ can pull off a simple yet heart-touching melody like ‘Ik Kudi’ from ‘Udta Punjab’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyKZXbxx2lc

Everyone who has been following their music to an extent can have their personal favourites- personally it will be Pritam for me as the voice that he considers his favourite singer, KK is the main reason I know and appreciate Hindi Music and the lyrics so much. It’s a voice that comes once in a generation and it truly has changed my life. So, the magic KK infused into Pritam Da’s compositions still lingers on. They made chartbusters that are so good that many playlists will be filled with their songs, but they never get appreciated or lauded enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvfLz6IeXY

That I feel is got to do with them just doing their thing and not coming out and constantly being in front of audiences. Their skill does the talking and they both have largely stayed away from the limelight and that’s one more reason I respect them and love their collaboration even more.

When you look at a career graph of a music director in Bollywood especially post 2000, they are at their creative best with couple of directors. That jodi transpires into some magical compositions that still continue to impress, inspire and make people emotional years after the album has released.

Among the most talked about Music Director- Film Director combinations would be ARR with Ashuthosh Gowariker(Lagaan, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar and Mohejo Daro), ARR with Imtiaz Ali(Highway, Tamasha), Pritam- Anurag Basu(Gangster, Life In a Metro, Barfi, Jagga Jasoos) Pritam- Imtiaz Ali(Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal 1 and 2, Jab Harry Met Sejal) and SEL- Farhan Akhtar( Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya and Don, Don 2).

I would personally want to shed some light on creative partnership that I have really started to like and go back to often in recent times. This is a combination that has continuously produced some memorable tunes that would evoke lot of memories. It’s among my favourite Musical jodis in Bollywood. The combination I am talking about is Vishal & Shekhar along with Siddharth Anand.

They get talked about with less regard compared to other stellar collaborations mentioned because the movies that they have associated mainly have light-hearted and extremely easy on the eye. Their music gets probably listened and enjoyed a lot  even now, but sadly the credit doesn’t come in as much as I personally feel it should.

They came together in the amazing ‘Salaam Namaste’. Everything was so good in that movie- Saif Ali Khan and Priety Zinta were at their peak, Javed Jaffrey was hilarious in his small role and the music was so fresh and is still something that many listeners go back to. Be it the catchy title track or among my most heard Vishal-Shekhar songs ‘My Dil Goes Mmm’. Full marks to Shaan and Gayatri Iyer for singing so well!

Vishal-Shekhar after that amped their quality with every future collaboration with Siddharth Anand. Some of the most repeat worthy and pleasant melodies in that decade came in albums like ‘Ta Ra Rum Pum’ and ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’. ‘Hey Shona is probably in the top five songs sung by Shaan for me, it makes you feel calm and happy. And the same album had the fun and catchy title track and the energetic party number ‘Ab To Forever’ sung by KK that’s still a constant in party circles, discos etc.

If there is one song that took Ranbir Kapoor one level higher in terms of popularity and acceptance it has to be the immaculately well sung ‘Khuda Jaane’ where KK makes it sound so simple- a trademark of the singer! Shot on the beautiful locales of Venice, many forget that the music is still fresh and it’s not only about ‘Khuda Jaane’. The title track, ‘Aahista Aahista’ sung by Lucky Ali and Shreya Ghoshal and even ‘Lucky Boy’ effortlessly crooned by Sunidhi Chauhan are still trending songs. A solid album that became a chartbuster.

By this time, I was a quiet admirer of this combination as they had already produced tunes that was a big part of my childhood and my college days. But why this combination remains special personally and why I feel it should get more mention is after ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ came out. Boy, what an album that was! In terms of complexity, impact and repeat value nothing could beat this complete package. It would rank as the best Vishal-Shekhar album for me till date!

People who appreciate superb music complimented by some outstanding singing should definitely give this album a proper hearing. It didn’t get it’s due for sure, and lot of it has to do with the subject of this movie- two people want to commit suicide and how they find meaning in life. It’s too harsh or bold to direct a movie with such a tricky plot and I must admit in terms of performances that Siddharth Anand derived from his actors ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ would rank as his best movie.  The movie tanked at the box office, but would personally rank it very highly.

This movie has a special place in my life as two of my closest friends have had life-altering experiences (the last movie they saw with their ex-girlfriends) happened to be this Ranbir Kapoor starrer. They connected with the movie at an all new level and me trying to support and help them get over their grief, fell in love with this complex and effective soundtrack!

‘Thujhe Bhula Diya’ and ‘Aas Paas Khuda’ deserved awards for the composition and singing. Fantastic stuff. For people who had any doubts whether Mohit Chauhan could pull of Rockstar I quietly knew in my mind that through ‘Thujhe Bhula Diya’ he proved his worth as a singer who can invoke deep emotions through his voice. And after that as they say rest is history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyi-Qh_HeTI

Even the best collaborators see a slide in form or quality and for that happened to a large extent with ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘War’ where the music wasn’t that good, something felt missing. Maybe it’s the shoddy execution of the Hrithik Roshan- Katrina Kaif starrer which was almost a punch to my stomach for me as I couldn’t believe that the same team that gave us ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ could after a gap of four years come up with ‘Bang Bang’. ‘Tu  Meri’ and to an extent ‘Meherbaan’ are good songs but it requires the video to get through the song- which was not required for this combination up until ‘Bang Bang’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAOIbHBEvi0

It’s quiet often the case that once a music director gets acclaim or a film director attains a cult status, they move on to other composers in pursuit of excellence in order to offer the listeners a different perspective and maybe a different experience. In that regard, I really appreciate them standing together and continuing their journey together even now.

Lot of pleasant memories of my childhood and growing up days are associated with this unassuming Jodi. I have always enjoyed the music coming out of this creative pairing and I hope listeners revisit all these albums and can experience what I have and had experienced.

In between the unbelievable brilliance of AR Rahman to the freshness that SEL provided and the effortless ease at which Pritam was able to produce scintillating chartbusters largely propelled by KK to the unconventional brilliance of Amit Trivedi, Vishal & Shekhar get left behind.

This combination was entrusted with composing music for Shahrukh Khans much talked about comeback to the big screen after a hiatus of five years with "Pathaan", and also play an integral part in the final outcome of Hrithik Roshan & Deepika Padukones aerial action thriller, "Fighter". 

Its fair to say although both albums very received very well and most songs became huge trending hits on social media platforms, as a fan of this collabration's melodies or their work primarily until Siddharth Anand took a conscious decision to move to directing action fests over romantic dramas the music has also to an large extent become more generic party songs which after a few listens loose its sheen. 

The Bollywood music buff in me hopes to see this partnership mix up a 'War' or 'Pathaan' sort of spectacle movies along with a simple slice of life romantic drams like a 'Salaam Namaste' as well. There is certainly an audience for this mix of films but the question to be asked is will Sid Anand want to take the tougher route when all his action movies have become such big blockbusters??

For people who are unaware of the work of Vishal-Shekhar along with Siddharth Anand so far, here are my favorite tracks from this combination:

1. My Dil Goes Mmm & Tu Jahaan- Salaam Namaste

2. Hey Shona & Ab To Forever- Ta Ra Rum Pum

3. Anjaana Anjaani- Listen to the full album as its among my favorite Bollywood album of all time! 

4. Meherbaan- Bang Bang

5. Sher Khul Gaye from Fighter and Ghungroo from War. 

Their compositions have been pretty easy on the ear and also have been really effective, repeat worthy and popular and something that could get spoken of and written about more. This is my attempt of highlighting their contribution to Bollywood music as I hope the songs mentioned finds a way into all of your playlists more often now!!

 

How the music of Rockstar becomes even more magical in current times

 As the world is grappling under the Coronavirus pandemic, there are many people who want to do many things but are trapped as they can’t step out of their homes. The impending uncertainty of what to expect in the coming days and how soon this pandemic can go away still bothers everyone in some form or the other. In times like this, we all need the power of music to help us smoothly battle lockdown blues.

AR Rahman’s music has the ability to calm, heal and help us overcome any hurdle. It is that soulful and definitely magical. Back in 2011, when ‘Rockstar’ released to mixed reviews, I being a huge Imtiaz Ali fan myself was a bit confused after watching the movie, I didn’t know whether to appreciate Ranbir’s acting or feel let-down by the randomness of the screenplay.  But that was also a sign that there is something working in the movie as no movie of this director apart from ‘Jab We Met’ can be loved by everyone after the first viewing.

I was unable to comprehend Jordan and his character arc. But only when I saw it recently on TV did this movie hit me.  So profound was the impact it made on me that It probably remains my favourite movie of Imtiaz along with ‘Tamasha’.

Kudos to Ranbir Kapoor for pulling off such varied characters like Jordan and Ved so beautifully! He literally lives and breathes both the characters and every emotion he goes through is clearly visible for the audiences.

But one thing that still remains is the freshness and purity of the album, the magic created by none other than ARR. With A. R. Rahman's out-of-this-world music and Irshad Kamil's profound lyrics, no wonder the album created waves and continues to do so. This was a coming together of two creative power-houses Imtiaz Ali and ARR and I was keen to listen to the output.

 

Jordan's journey, from his anguish to his fearless conviction, everything was conveyed beautifully through the film's songs.  Mohit Chauhan was the heart and soul of this scintillating album and he was so convincing as the voice of Jordan!

 

The first ARR- Imtiaz collaboration was the album that captures a multitude of  emotions so brilliantly. The emotions felt by Jordan could well be what many of us would be feeling off late. My mind goes back to ‘Rockstar’ and its magic.

 

The album had fourteen songs including 2 stirring instrumentals. What sets this apart from many other ARR albums that I personally feel should have won the Oscars is the fact that almost every song from this classic has a relatability factor to them (Probably Rang De Basanti comes closest for an ARR Hindi album).

I remember my brother getting the CD for this and we were excited and thrilled  as it was another ARR album to discover. And this album released in close proximity to two other ARR specials- ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya’ and ‘Enthiran’ and still we were reeling from it’s after effects.

We were still decoding and discovering facets of both those albums and were thoroughly enjoying the process. But ARR didn’t relent, as he dropped another album which easily is among his best work till date. It made both of us forget his other work and concentrate on the soundtrack of ‘Rockstar’.

I had read reports online about ‘Rockstar’ and knew that it was a journey of a singer/Rockstar, so personally exceptions shot up to a different stratosphere. Thankfully, we had not hit the singles era yet (nowadays every album release singles that ruins the experience of listening to a new album, especially if it’s  composed by AR Rahman). So once the audio started playing from the sound system, I was blown away and I still haven’t got over the effect of those tunes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kOzFMR9Hys

‘Jo Bhi Main’, ‘Phir Se Ud Chala’ and ‘Nadaan Parindey’ is directly in Imtiaz Ali territory- Jordan questioning his existence, his self-worth and reflecting on his deeds. The mesmerizing lyrics by Irshad Kamil in these songs made me his fan and I continue to appreciate his work and look forward to his lyrics  especially when he teams up with his close friend and film-maker Imtiaz Ali.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RDI9CMilhk

‘Kun Faaya Kun’, ‘Tum Ho’ and ‘Tum Ko’ deal with Jordan seeking solace and doing lot of soul searching. For people seeking solace and a way out of their grief or if someone is missing someone, their loved ones in times of lockdown, let ARR help you feel you less worried.

These are the songs that attain a different meaning in times when one questions what we are doing and what we want to do in life.  Such immersive lyrics that anyone listening to these songs will  get transported into the pain and plight of Jordan. The power of spirituality and music at its outstanding best!

Just when I thought this album was only deep and emotional, ARR springs a surprise on us, as there are three lighter songs that are equally effective. ‘Katiya Karun’, ‘Haawa Haawa’ and ‘Sheher Main’ bring out the spunk and naughtiness in Jordan and also shall we say ARR as in this album, Jordan and ARR are almost intertwined. The variations in the singing in each song, especially Mohit in ‘Haawa Haawa’ make them so good and refreshing to hear!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W1hGx5CChI

 

But the two songs that I would go on to proclaim as among the best songs I have heard from ARR for Bollywood and that are  extremely close to my heart for the impact the songs still create, that manages to effortlessly express and bring out the angst and passion of Jordan out in the open so magnificently are ‘Sadda Haq’ and ‘Aur Ho’.

 

Scintillating, goose bumps inducing stuff from ARR where it’s almost as if he is almost daring the listeners to get over these songs without not getting affected by them. That’s still not happened and I have listened to them so many times that I have lost count. The electrifying guitar from Sadda Haq still send shivers down my spine!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQVG5rSMkQ

 

If there were any doubts about Mohit Chauhan the singer or Ranbir Kapoor as a performer, this album should shatter any such doubts. In times when everyone is caged and confined within the four walls of their homes and many people are contemplating how to spend their time, let ARR-Mohit Chauhan take you on a journey, one that would be enriching, joyful  and which will  prove therapeutic!!

“I hear music when I close my eyes. When I open my eyes, the music does not go away. I often can’t follow the words that people speak, but I get the music of their soul. It’s good that way, because words can lie but music cannot. Pleasant or disturbing, music is always the truth.” These deep and thought-provoking words define the magic of Rockstar!! 

Reminiscing ‘Rang De Basanti- One of my favourite movies boosted by powerful film-making and music

 I clearly remember watching ‘Rang De Basanti’ with my family and was blown away by its brilliance and the impact it created on me personally. I was in my late teens and never had any movie until then have such an ever-lasting impact on me. Everything from the performances, to the story to the plot twists and AR Rahman’s exuberance in the songs and BGMs was phenomenal. And it truly remains one of the best movies I have watched in a long-time.

I remember and now should probably even thank my brother as he convinced my parents to take us for a re-watch of ‘RDB’ on a weekday. My parents were adamant as there was  school the next day and they said we could watch it in the weekend, but I stood firm and even remember going into my room and crying like a cry-baby  in a bid to convince my parents to oblige and take me to the theatre for a re-watch of this movie.

 And my brother convinced them and we all went to watch the movie again in theatres! I have such fond memories of watching this movie and that experience is still so fresh in my mind. And this movie released at a time when my brother was in his college days. He was so lucky as he could experience and connect to all the characters- DJ, Aslam, Karan, Sukhi and even Ajay as he also had a big gang of friends in college.

Probably, that is why this remains the only Bollywood movie which has such a strong connect between us apart from Mani Ratnam’s work in Bollywood. We could probably watch it again in an OTT platform, such is the recall value of this classic. It would be the few Hindi movies we still can connect with through AR Rahman’s energetic and triumphant soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpW7Vci18gY

I clearly remember him buying the cassette of RDB and it started off with ‘Ik Onkar’ which was a nice, pleasant devotional song. But as soon as ‘Paatshaala’ started playing I wanted to dance in the car! Boy, can ARR get into the mood of a movie or what! Outstanding peppy beats and colloquial lyrics mixed with Hinglish made it a cult classic. The album has songs that touch different chords in various stages of my life.

But thanks to our love for ARR, my brother and I used to keep listening and discovering the album. A beautiful experience as he has a very unique and different taste which is pretty much in contrast to mine barring some really obvious song choices.

So, after giving ‘RDB’ a proper hearing, his favourite was ‘Tu Bin Bateyein’ and ‘Lukka Chuppi’ which I found slow and boring in the beginning. But of-course, as years have gone by, two of my go-to songs from this album are what he liked after the first hearing! Such is the connection we both share with this album as well!

I remember feeling the bromance that DJ and Sukhi shared and even the quiet yet visible love and respect that Karan and Ajay had. It was such a refreshing experience to see how the characters and people evolve during the course of the narrative. Probably, this would give ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ an extremely close fight when it comes to portrayal of friendship and bromance on screen so well!

I still can’t erase the restaurant scene from my memory where DJ in a drunken state talks about ‘The End da style’. For Ajay who is an IAF pilot, it would be with state honour and salutes and for others not even street dogs would bark after their death. This dialogue attains even more significance when Ajay passes away due to a defect in the MIG fighter jet he was operating. A seamless dialogue had such a profound impact later on!  Many more such instances makes the dialogues of this movie really powerful and repeat worthy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFpgYjL2aJo

Along with many others, having followed Ajay’s character and the pride he had in serving his country, it was an extremely emotional moment when Ajay’s belongings come in a coffin post his death and ARR’s voice kicks in ‘Lukka Chuppi’ in the background. That song holds a special place in my heart thanks to its fantastic composition along with the picturization and how that moment (death of someone who was like family) sparks a complete shift in the mood and tone of the plot. No one could hold back and sit quiet, especially after one of their best mates died to political negligence.

I would go on to say that from then my respect for the armed forces went up more as I admired Ajay and the pride, he had in serving his nation. I couldn’t believe that he died in the crash. So, a big salute to all the Armed forces and their families foe being so strong and resilient! Having not had real, first hand exposure of what their families go through, this could probably be the closest I could get to understand their situation.  As Waheeda Rahman(who played Ajay’s mother in the movie) says: They are first the nation’s pride and then he is my son. Nation above all.

And of course, you could see how much the death meant to someone like Karan who just wanted to go abroad and move on with life. Ajay’s death sparked something in him and he was at the forefront of the plan to kill the defence minister after knowing that his own father was involved in this scam. This movie took characterization and their development to an all new level. You end up loving each character and their uniqueness and you quietly vouch for them to get justice that was denied.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28OJpIA_rNo

Take for example, Laxman whose role was that of a staunch Hindutva, and how his world is shaken up when the people who orchestrated the violence on people who were peacefully protesting against the government, was actually the same people he worshipped and followed. The shift from shock to bewilderment to outrage was captured magnificently in “Khoon Chala’’.  It also introduced me to someone’s voice who I have quietly admired- Mohit Chauhan. Thank you ARR for that.

It goes without saying that Aamir Khan is probably among the best actors in India currently, and this role remains among his best. Even his detractors would rank this up there among his best work. Full credit must be given to the film’s director Rakeyesh Mehra for bringing such characters to life. I found his other works like ‘Bhaag Mikha Bhaag’ and ‘Delhi-6’ pretty disappointing but his stellar work in ‘RDB’ can’t be forgotten!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kMv5ssr6Dw

On a personal note, this movie’s soundtrack holds rather strong significance. Three years after the release of this stellar album, my grandfather passed away. And I used to listen to ‘Robaroo’ on loop on my IPOD in the aftermath of his death. The song embodied hope, happiness. I needed that and will be ever thankful for this song as it helped me in time of extreme distress and helplessness.

Every film has its shelf life, but there are some movies that never leave your system or mind. “Rang De Basanti’’ is one such movie. Ever since I saw it first time, it pulled me like a magnet and still continues to do so. I watched it on NetFlix few weeks back and still I was completely involved and was moved once the movie ended. It felt like the movie had just recently released!!!

I am sure everyone would have watched this coming of age movie ‘Rang De Basanti’ and would have fond memories of this movie. For me personally it’s a mixed bag emotionally but it is something I hold on to for sure, be it in good or bad times. The complete package was something special, I wish that we get another RDB to inspire and rouse a generation like it did upon it’s release.

Thank you Sukhi, DJ, Karan, Laxman, Aslam, Ajay, Sonia and Sue for enriching my childhood, No one could have bought their characters on screen as well as you have. I definitely will watch this movie more often, and relive your journey all over again!!

 

 

 

A Personal Take on all the recent cricketing action: From WI-ENG, AUS-PAK to IPL 2022!

There has been a lot going on in the world of Cricket in the past few months! Starting from the mega IPL auctions that was held in February 12 & 13^th, 2022 where almost 600 crores INR was spent for all the ten franchises to fill up their team & form their squads. Pretty interesting times as far as IPL 2022 goes.

 But before  I get into discussing about the IPL action, there was lot of intriguing action happening across the world of cricket that I wanted to highlight. There was the three match Test series in West Indies where Englands plight as a Test match team continued to increase. After getting drubbed 0-4 in the Ashes, there was lot of talk about them ‘resetting’ their red ball game.

                                       Times up for Joe Root to get sacked as the skipper of this English Test team

 Well, dropping some batsmen who clearly don’t belong to international standards as yet, and leaving out James Anderson & Stuart Broad from your squad surely doesnt qualify for a ‘reset.

 The only bright spots for England in the series that a cricket analyst & fan in me was happy to see how England managed to notch up scores close to 400 as a batting unit. Theres something to look ahead to when their home summer kicks on in June.

 Windies were top notch in fighting above their weight. They had a relatively young, inexperienced team & yet under the leadership of someone who completely goes under the radar in Kraigg Brathwaite, they managed to defeat England at home a second consecutive time, Earlier it was 2-1 in 2018/2019 and now in 2022 the series score line reads 1-0 in their favor! Promising signs & one hopes the Windies team can pose a strong challenge in the longest form of the game more often in the future.

 Another landmark series thats probably the most heartening sights to watch was the recently concluded Benaud-Qadir trophy in Pakistan. Its amazing to see a big nation like Australia come to Pakistan shores & send  a message to the other countries in the world that yes we can play Cricket again in Pakistan!

 England & NZ backed out owing to security concerns, so this tour will only boost the chances of people getting an opportunity to see more action from Pakistans famous, iconic stadiums.

 Keeping aside the security concerns aside & analyzing only the Cricket we all got to watch; it was a riveting Test series. Of-course theres an argument that pitches could have been better as they were too flat.

But considering this is the first Test series featuring a top nation in almost a decade, I personally feel we can excuse PCB for this as in the end of the day we got to see some fabulous individual & team performances with Pat Cummins leading Australia to a famous & richly deserved serries win in Pakistan shores! 

I am certainly looking forward to seeing how this Aussie  side fares against India in their home conditions where they have hardly been tested in the past 4-5 years. Can Australia challenge India? We would need to wait & watch for that!

And finally  moving on to the talk of the town; IPL 2022! To be very honest I am sensing an exhaustion of IPL cricket. As we just had a season completed in October, 2021 and now again to see the same teams go about isnt that exciting.  

To get familiar with how each franchise has shaped post the mega auction is another big challenge for the IPL when it comes to retaining a loyal fanbase for each team. Personally, I hope there is no more mega auctions & we can slowly get used to the 10 teams & the players who are a part of them.

 To help me do a fun & candid weekly wrap up of the IPL 2022 action thats happened so far is my mate Mayur Shivakumar who is a Toastmasters veteran & someone who watches the game a lot & is enthusiastic about sharing his views about the game & specifically IPL 2022.

                          The season of new, fresh  & energetic leaders in IPL 2022

 Here’s presenting a fun Q& A segment where I get Mayurs take on a variety of topics related to IPL 2022! Hoping that you all would like this interesting style of collaboration as the IPL action moves on.

 1. Before we get into dissecting the IPL so far, your thoughts on the successful resumption of Cricket in Pakistan as a fan/viewer? With Australia’s tour going with no major glitches. 

 The test series was good. Nail biter on the third day evening was exciting after 2 drawn matches. Pakistan is a country of wronged people who have very little to cheer for. This Test series must have been a good relief for them. 

 2. Have you got used to the how each team looks like? As in familiarity factor with each franchise is a factor in people taking to this edition of the IPL. 

 Many players have switched and it is taking time. The 2 new teams do look exciting. 

 3. Considering IPL 2021, are you satisfied as a viewer with the IPL being played only in four venues across Maharashtra? 

If its possible to do it in3 grounds and still make it successful why not in 4 grounds or venues?

 4. Getting to the big announcement ahead of IPL 2022; MSD stepping down as captain of CSK. Please elaborate on MSD-CSK bond and how much of a challenge its going to be for Ravindra Jadeja to step into MSDs shoes. 

 It had to happen someday. The transition will take time. Hopefully sooner. 

 5. Your take on the two new franchises; Gujarat Titans & Lucknow Super Giants. Some favorite players you are looking out from each team. 

 LSG’s opening pair of KL Rahul and Quin ton DeKock looks great. GT have a lethal bowling attack with Mohammed Shami and Rashid.Khan  Will be exciting to see as the tournament progresses. 

 Lets end this candid Q& A  with a quick rapid fire!!

 1. 5 Indian players who has impressed you the most so far across franchises?

Too early to say

 2. 5 overseas players who have been really worth the pay-check so far? 

Too early to say

 3. Top three teams in terms of team-balance in your opinion. 

Delhi, Lucknow, Punjab

 4. The top three teams with the best jerseys in IPL 2022. 

Delhi, Gujrat, Bangalore

 5. Its a bit early but from what you have witnessed so far, do you see a new champion this season? 

Too early to say

 

Resurgent, Ruthless India storm into Manchester as firm favorites to win this series

 Team India under Virat Kohli’s captaincy is capable and equipped to scale new heights and most importantly their attitude and approach to each game makes them stand apart. One rather bemusing aspect of this team’s rapid rise to world domination in Tests in recent times is the fact that they need to be constantly pushed to the corner for them to bounce back strongly; something thats not an ideal situation to find yourselves in as a team especially overseas.

 India struggle, ‘The After Glow Effect’ as a Test Team in recent times

 

The resounding, ruthless nature of India’s win at The Kia Oval isn’t something new for this team. In 2020-2021 itself this phenomena called ‘The After Glow Effect’ has impacted Kohli’s men. The ability to back up a fantastic series win or a win with a convincing follow up performance.

 They get bundled out for an embarrassing 36 runs at the Adelaide Oval. With Virat Kohli flying home, it looked done & dusted but under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy, India bounce back and how!

Beating Australia in their home conditions and breaching the fortress ‘Gabba’ will remain one of India’s finest achievements in their Test history; considering they were playing with a second or third best team owing to the number of injuries in their camp.

 Before R Ashwin & Axar Patel made England’s batting unit look like school kids, India failed to back up their outstanding series win in Australia when they landed up at The Chepauk. Joe Root was magnificent as he went to score a stroke filled 217 and that floored India.

But then India bounced back and trounced England, thereby winning the series 3-1 and also almost making the first game look it was from another series altogether!

So the question everyone would be asking is: After the glorious of a win at The Lord’s, India slumped to a worrying low at The Leeds only to come back harder & stronger at The Oval. Which India is going to turn up in the series decider? Can they include more consistency in their artillery? Well only time will tell!

 Small tactical moments or strategies right through the game cost England dearly

 

One among many reasons why experts, fans of this beautiful game & current and former players are advocating the beauty of Test Cricket is the fact that the game has a constant ebb & flow and small tactical glitches could cause you the game; unlike ODIs, T20Is or The Hundred where its less likely to happen.

 I would like to highlight some instances where England lost the plot in the fourth Test allowing India to go 2-1 up in the series:

 1. .On a very placid, flat deck  in overcast conditions on Day One, Joe Root put India in to bat & had the visitors reeling at 127-7. Rather than trying to stick to their basics, they spread the field when ‘Lord’ Shardul Thakur unleashed some fabulous shots on his way to a scintillating 31 ball fifty.

Instead of attacking the other tail-enders and ensuring the total stays below 150 or so, England lost the plot tactically as they allowed easy singles for the others and Thakur carried on his majestic manner. He was allowed to largely as fields set were extremely defensive and the bowlers all of a sudden looked flat and tired.

 2. After you bowl out India for 191(maybe 30-40 more than what they should have scored), it’s imperative for you to put up a score in excess of 300 to shut the door on the opposition. Yet again England gave away some soft dismissals and their middle order couldn’t support someone like Ollie Pope who was looking extremely fluent and confident.

The middle & lower order should have ensured India stay on the park longer, tire their bowlers and fielders in the process.

But with everyone getting cute 20s & 30s and then throwing it away, we had a lead of only 99 runs which was not going to play in India’s mind. What followed from the likes of Rohit Sharma, Pujara, Virat Kohli and again Shardul Thakur was fantastic!

 3. And finally, with them being on 88-0 overnight requiring 291 runs on Day Five with all ten wickets intact, England just didn’t show enough urgency to go for the chase. India’s bowlers were quick to understand that a first session where England don’t score much is exactly what could help them capitalize on later.

And thats what happened. The scoreboard didn’t move much in the first session of Day Five; the pressure of not pushing the scoring as expected was visible in the manner in which their openers went about the chase, especially Haseeb Hameed  who gobbled up way too many deliveries on such a benign surface.

It’s going to be extremely tough for England to bounce back in this series

 

 A lot of what happens in the middle in Test Cricket is in the mind. The mental side of things have left England scarred after a very familiar batting collapse on Day Five masterfully executed by Jasprit Bumrah & Shardul Thakur.

Yes, on hindsight it could be little naive to proclaim that getting the openers would mean India would go on to win the game. But I strongly felt if India could get the openers out, the kind of pressure they were able to constantly induce; it was about time before the likes of Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moen Ali, Ollie Pope and even Joe Root.

It became even more clear after that truly special spell from ‘Boom Boom’ Bumrah where he castled the stumps of Pope and Bairstrow. England looked rattled, listless after that spell, such was the impact. They gave up trying to go for an achievable chase way too early.

The quality of this team under Kohli’s captaincy is these players keep coming at you, hard. After Bumrah did the damage, Thakur chipped with couple of wickets including the crucial scalp of Joe Root and Umesh Yadav also later came to the party.

So, yes England can & will make personnel changes by getting in Jos Buttler and Mark Wood into this side. I wont be surprised if they pick Jack Leach in this team to throw a new challenge to this Indian batting lineup whose fragility hasn’t come down too much, it’s just that as a team they functioned better than England to go 2-1 up.

The most important question to be asked from this English side is can they shrug off a disappointing game at the Kia Oval and start afresh?  If they need extra motivation to put one good foot forward, then it would be that if they do well as an unit in the fifth Test they can square the series 2-2 and retain or hold the Pataudi trophy. 

With lot of tired legs, familiar problems plaguing their Test team its going to take a lot to come back into this series. But they can take some solace from the fact that India's middle order is far from settled, there are lot of questions on Ajinkya Rahane's spot in the side, to the overall batting weighing or depending far too much on the top three batters. 

Certainly it's going to be an exciting & thrilling end to this Test series post which T20s take center stage; resumption of IPL 2021 & then the big tournament: ICC World T20!

Are Virat Kohli’s aggressive men falling prey to their own mistakes & ‘templates’?

Cricket, Test cricket to be specific is the best leveller in this beautiful game. After a thunderous win at the home of Cricket; Lord’s where a dominant and aggressive India bundled out a hapless English batting line up under fifty overs. 

Head to the next Test at Leeds and everything falls apart. India’s batting lineup just collapsed and the end result doesn’t make for great reading: Lost by an innings and 78 runs. What needs to be analyzed and discussed more is was the drubbing at the Adelaide Oval(36 all out) and now at Leeds(78 all out) just freak incidents or is it self induced in a way? 

Fragility of India’s middle-order has been an ongoing issue

                                        India's middle order really need to step up

Ever since the ICC World Test Championship started in 2019, India’s batting has been their biggest concern. Couple of reasons why it hasn’t been highlighted as much it should have is the fact that despite some huge collapses, the team has fought back and won the series magnificently: 

The win Down Under & the home series win against England is a classic example. And one classic parameter to judge if a batting line up is doing well or not is too look at the statistics. And the numbers actually look good for this current Indian batting lineup since 2019. Rohit Sharma averages 60.77, Virat Kohli( 42.45), Ajinkya Rahane( 42.22), Cheteshwar Pujara(28.03) is an exception to a large extent as his value as someone who can dent an opposition with rigid defense may not reflect in averages & runs alone. 

So the Indian team management could be well in their right to back these players. As they have since 2019 had some shocking performances but as a batting unit have somehow managed to come back stronger. Since this ongoing series hangs in the balance, India’s top five batsmen need to fire as an unit; something that’s not happened in a while(even though overall win % wont give that picture). 

  Virat Kohli’s template: Is it proving to be detrimental for India?

One of Virat Kohli’s most admirable qualities as a skipper is the fact that he is extremely aggressive on the field which rubs on the other players. The rise of Mohammed Siraj who was getting copped for leaking runs at will for RCB in the IPL to what he has become off late is an amazing story! 

Also, Virat doesn’t try to hide away from his team’s mistakes. He openly admitted in the post match conference post the third Test that the middle order just couldn’t capitalize on the fantastic start provided by the openers( India capitulated from 217-2 to 278 all out). 

While its admirable that a captain or leader owns up to his team’s follies, the question one needs to be asked is are these mistakes something which could have been avoided? Yes, on a given day the opposition could just be too good, and one must appreciate that and move on. 

But Kohli’s template as a skipper in recent times especially in Test Cricket to constantly question Pujara’s intent, a strong backing of Rahane & Pant despite both of them producing in recent time, one good innings a series and the most recent addition to his template ; dropping the best off-spinner going around the world R Ashwin in order to boost the batting as Ravindra Jadeja brings in a better package overall along with the four bowlers. 

  Can common sense prevail, finally?

Cricket Analysts, fans, experts all have one question in their minds: Why would you drop the world’s best spinner going around to bolster the fast bowling stocks? R Ashwin is easily in his best bowling form off late. 

His purple patch’s best example would be how he strategically worked out Steven Smith’s weakness to the ball that cramps him up so magnificently! That troubled Smith a lot and other bowlers capitalized on that aspect well. So not only are India missing out on R Ashiwn’s astute thinking & leadership skills, they are missing out on not utilizing a bowler at the peak of his prowess. 

And incase there is a doubt that Ashwin cant offer too much with the bat, it sadly means India is so doubtful of their current batting lineup that they are depending on a #8 to bail them out. That certainly doesn't make sense. 

If the only parameter to leave out R Ashwin in the first Three Tests was an overall package; Ravindra Jadeja offers more is something I cant personally accept. On conditions that don’t do a lot for spin, with England having 4-5 left handers in their team, it’s common sense to play your front-line off spinner and make the spinner a wicket taking force, rather than just hold an end up & leave it to the fast bowlers to do all the work of getting the wickets. 

The simple point is we are heading into the flattest surfaces next; The Oval & Old Trafford, Manchester. And considering the ball won’t move around or wobble too much, can common sense prevail finally and could we have three pacers: Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah & Mohammed Siraj supported by the spinners; R Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja?

India have bounced back from such situations earlier; which is good & bad

As I had mentioned earlier in this article, coming back from a thumping defeat is nothing new to this fiery, confident team under Virat’s captaincy. So the afterglow of such a result usually pumps up this team, they almost function and play well when the chips are down. Thats an amazing quality for any team to have especially when you tour overseas. 

But the concern still lies with the fact that #3 to #7 aren't doing enough and it has been the case for a long time, barring the occasional hundred by Ajinkya Rahane at the MCG or Rishabh Pant’s brilliance at the Gabba. Plus with the skipper who is one run away from crossing 23,000 runs milestone in International Cricket going through a torrid run since 2020 where he averages 23.15 it only compounds matters. 

Kohli likes to back his men and I don’t see a Rahane or a Pant getting dropped from the Oval Test although their batting numbers may suggest so. In all probability, despite knowing that the pitch could get better and offer more for the batsmen we could see Shardul Thakur replacing a jaded Ishant Sharma for the fourth Test. 

As that goes in complete sync with the ‘template’ of playing four seamers plus this team management has clearly forgotten R Ashwin’s brilliant match winning century in the second Test at the Chepauk on a rank turner where most of the batsmen on both sides looked completely out of sorts. 

So to consider Thakur a better batsman than Ashwin just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. To wrap this up, for the next game, for all you know we could even see the same playing X1 for India. Or finally, what many people want could happen; which is to see R Ashiwn get his rightful spot in this team as a bowling all-rounder. 

England would be on cloud nine after their exploits at Leeds and India are searching for lot of answers. It certainly is a mouth-watering prospect to see how well this Indian team known for strong fight-backs can comeback into this series; with or without R Ashwin in the playing X1.