Blog Posts by Skandan Sampath

Sheldon Jackson“Debu Mitra sir has played the biggest role in my career.  He has worked really hard on my game. Even, after the match, he asks me to shadow practice. Tells me ki yeh karna hai. My mindset has changed a lot”.

This quote is from Saurashtra batsman Sheldon Jackson, who struck 107 against Punjab in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy semi-final in Rajkot.

Jackson is brown eyed, is shy and reserved, and needed prodding to open up to Yahoo! Cricket on his journey so far as a cricketer. The 26-year old from Bhavnagar bats within himself,  and has his size 9 boots firmly on the ground, as he basks in the glory of his third first class hundred in front of a crowd that also had chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil in attendance.

“I am happy for getting a ton. One doesn’t get hundreds everyday. Hope it will help the team”. But life wasn’t easy.

Jackson lost his father when he was 10. Off the three tattoos that he sports, the one on his left is dedicated to his father Philip and mother Sederene. Like most

Sheldon JacksonRajkot: Harbhajan Singh opened the bowling for Punjab on a cold morning, and Siddharth Kaul operated from the press box end. Sheldon Jackson took off from where he left on day one, making full use of the deliveries pitched on driving length. The 26-year old went on to play a nice-looking cut shot to get to his third First Class century. His helmet came off, and onto the left hand, bat in the other, eyes fixed on the dressing room. A celebration that was duly acknowledged by his mates in the dressing room, amidst the cheers of the schoolchildren below the pavilion.

Jackson’s joy was shortlived as bete noire Siddharth Kaul sent one swinging in, and with the feet stuck at the crease, the ball had no trouble saying hello to the stumps. It was an act of redemption for Kaul, for he had the right-hander caught off a no-ball towards the end on Day 1. Non-striker Kamlesh Makvana, whose batting elegance can be mistaken for that belonging to Wasim Jaffer, got his eye in, bringing up his fifty with

Harbhajan had the lone wicket of Saurashtra stonewaller Kotak. Rajkot: The Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium looks like a home after a wedding. Ladies still cleaning up the stands, five days after it hosted the first India-England ODI, as the five-day semi-final between Saurashtra and Punjab got underway with the eerie echo of ‘Come on boys!’ hitting the concrete in the stands. To not see a spectator at an Indian cricket stadium is a sad spectacle. A first-class reality yet to be ‘tested’. But life goes on, as Jaydev Shah won the toss, and asked his batsmen to pad up along with Punjab wicketkeeper Uday Kaul.

The bell rang, announcing the start of play, and umpires Chettihody Shamshuddin and Robert Bailey, the only Men-in-Black pants, made their way to the ground. Punjab’s field was set just as trains whizzed past like whistling caterpillars in the background. Sandeep Sharma who was seen measuring his line up with tape before the game, took the new ball. Openers Sagar Jogiyani and Shitanshu Kotak were keen to stay at the crease, but Siddharth

Rajkot:  Saurashtra batsman Sheldon Jackson had his heart in his mouth when he was caught by Harbhajan Singh off Siddharth Kaul with just minutes to go for stumps in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy semi-final between Saurashtra and Punjab. Albeit off a no-ball.

Speaking to Yahoo! Cricket after the match Jackson said, “I felt lucky when I was caught off a no-ball, this is happening for the third time. I am looking to take my team to safety tomorrow”.

Punjab coach Arun Sharma concurred saying, “We missed out on that wicket. We gave away 30-40 runs extra. Should get them out within 350 on day two. Confident that the batsmen will do well, since it is a good wicket to bat on”.

Saurashtra finished day one on 274/5.

Michael Hussey: Hips don't lieOne left-hander put his head down, bat and pad together, for a forward defensive stroke, only to watch the ball go past the silly point fielder.  He hesitates as his partner decides to take the run, knowing very well that the padded jog to the other end, would mean the start of the end.  Not for him, but for his 37-year old partner. In Sydney, Mitchell Johnson struck the winning run against Sri Lanka, but Michael Hussey took it, sacrificing the opportunity to take a final bow in front of an audience that wanted the script to end like a fairy tale. Team before self.

But isn’t a debut at 30 a fable on grit by itself?

To watch David Hussey’s elder brother at the crease would mean watching a focussed human being at work, unaffected by the attention around him. With the sunscreen across the left cheek, running across the bridge of his nose, a white streak under the eyes and on the lips. Symbolic of a warrior, but in place to keep the sun at bay, as he ran out to play. The quiet and

"One day, Sachin Tendulkar decided to retire"
So one day, that too on a Sunday, Sachin Tendulkar decides to retire, giving up on the only lucrative blue collar career in the world and opting to stick to cricket’s white collar day job. Sadly, his fans will not get to see him again on the field in coloured clothing, and those who watched him bat against Pakistan in Mirpur, will be thanking their stars for making it to the day/night match. From now on, India’s favourite batsman will not be seen at a World Cup, and there won’t be a number on his back.

That cricket has multiple formats, thankfully ensures that modern-day cricketers have the option of enjoying final hurrahs. By not choosing a day for a farewell game, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has ensured that he played his first and last ODI game for India against Pakistan.  There is more than enough that happened in between, and it wouldn’t be wrong for a cricket fan to make memory cards out of the frames that No.10 used, to force fielders to run after the cricket ball.

A lot should

Ricky Ponting knew how to pull it offIf Eminem walked into a dressing room, and walked out like Keats, well that would be Ricky Ponting.  Now that the 37-year old has decided to retire, who should we judge- Ponting the human being, or Punter the cricketer? It is a little difficult to draw the line and demarcate, unlike Clarke Kent and Superman, or Peter Parker and Spiderman. Hancock probably comes close, if we do have to settle on a parallel.

The man knew how to start a chat on a cricket field, and he didn't use words that one finds on a greeting card. But Punter was always a safe bet with the cricket bat, and could give anybody a run for their money. To watch him walk out with those hairy forearms, leading a hustler’s gait, was to register the presence of a human being who came out to play with only one purpose- victory.

Guard taken, marked with the aggression of a dog scratching the floor, field assessed, with a gaze that could give a hawk a complex. It may be tough to love a cricketer with such an attitude, but once