Hail The Emperor...Tiger Nawab Of Pataudi No More

India's greatest captain Nawab of Pataudi (at least in independent India) passed away. What the best of fast bowling could not do, a lung infection did him in. He was courage personified, be it with the bat, fielding or leading the team.

It is never easy being the son of an illustrious father as the Senior Pataudi had played for England in the thirties and had captained India in the forties. But Tiger Mansur Ali Khan of Pataudi was never one to be shackled by history.

Numbers do not do justice to this great son of India. His attacking style resulted in the spin quartet of India (Chandrashekar, Bedi, Prasanna, Venkatraghavan) dominating visiting teams. His six centuries and great knocks in England and Australia are a testimony to his batting prowess. When a legend like Sunil Gavaskar ranks Pataudi's batting in the genius category, there is nothing more to add.

Pataudi has left so many wonderful moments to cherish, all one can say...Long Live the King...he was Cricket's Emperor.

2011 Tour --- England Dominates ... India Dismal

Never has India been dominated so comprehensively in a tour in the recent past. Tours to South Africa and Australia from 2006 on wards clearly indicated an upward swing in India's fortunes. India was able shake off the label of poor travelers, by winning key Test matches, and competing very well in all forms of the game. But this tour of England displayed the ugly or incompetent side of India, which was typical in earlier days.

In the Test series, during the first two Tests India were mildly competitive and were able to make England bend at times, but could never close the door and take control of the matches. The third and fourth Test matches were completely one sided and were effectively no contests.

In the ODI Series, India had a better showing by being competitive in all matches. India's lack of bowling strength was thoroughly exposed and England was able to chase the revised D/L targets with ease and win the series 3-0.

No series loss or tour disaster has to be permanent. Learning the right lessons is important for India. Lack of preparation, and fitness at all levels appear to be the main reasons for the lack of results.

But more important let everyone credit England for a highly professional display. They played as a unit, wanting to win every game. It's been a long time since England had this killer instinct.