Far away from the hustle and bustle of the IPL, one cricketer is on the verge of achieving immortality. Although Mark Ramprakash is of Indian origin, he has all the characteristics of an English batsman. He is technically brilliant and when he does play his strokes, he is classically correct. Above all he has been a run producing machine and his hunger for runs even at the age of 38 is humongous. Ramprakash is on the verge of perhaps becoming the last first class batsman to score a hundred first class hundreds. The British press has been showering all kinds of accolades on him calling him among other things a batting legend and a modern Bradman.

To score a hundred first class hundreds is a monumental achievement and Ramprakash deserves immense credit for the same. However a closer look at Rampraksh’s record will reveal a true story. Only two of his 98 first class hundreds have come on the test field. Unfortunately for his fan’s (and that includes me) Ramprakash has never done justice to his immense ability on the International arena. Statistics will tell you that he hasn’t played test cricket since 2001 and hardly played any test cricket between 1993 and 1997. By being away from the test scene, Ramprakash has had an extended opportunity to display his batting skills at a slightly lesser stage. That he has done an amazing job on this stage is a credit to his skills and his ability.

One wonders how many first class hundreds the likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Dravid and the rest would have scored had they played the amount of first class cricket that the likes of Ramprakash or for that matter Graeme Hick has played.. For instance VVS Laksman scored 13 hundreds in 15 innings before being selected for being recalled to the Indian team in 2001.If he had carried on playing first class cricket he well would have been beyond the 100 mark by now.

The point that I am trying to make is that Rampraksh’s achievement, all though significant should be placed in proper perspective for it has been achieved at a lesser stage. Surely achievements at the test match level will always rank higher than any achievement at the first class level.

Ramprakash is a damn good player but he is no Bradman. Bradman is Bradman because he averaged 99 at the test level.

IPL and all that.

The DLF Indian Premier League (to use its full name) is in its third week. I must admit that inspite of not enjoying 20-20 too much, I have enjoyed watching the IPL. I thought I would outline certain points with respect to the IPL which are as follows:

1) I must say that the idea of going home after work and watching a full game of cricket and yet hitting the sack at a reasonable hour is very good. That’s why T20 is a very good product and is going to improve cricketing audiences all over the world.

2) I have enjoyed watching some of the young Indian players perform. Dhaval Kulkarni bowled two outstanding overs at the death against Kolkotta and Delhi, Pragyan Ohjha continues to impress and Shikar Dhavan and Karan Goel look good batting prospects. Debratt Das went in to bat in front of 75,000 people after his team had lost two wickets in the first over and smashed Ashish Nehra for a six over midwicket- indication that the guy has amazing temperament, and Abhishek Nayar and Ravindra Jadeja have been brilliant in the end overs. The future of Indian cricket is in safe hands.

3) Everybody is telling me that VVS Laksman and Rahul Dravid are poor 20-20 players. The last time I saw them play, Dravid smashed two sixes in the final over which ultimately helped his side win a close game and Laksman scored a 50 in 32 balls. Either I am following a different game or there are certain players who are bound to be criticized in spite of what they do. Unfortunately, the latter seems the case.

4) All though 20-20 is a batsman’s game you need bowlers who can give you control. Step in Glenn Mcgrath and Mohd Asif….. That’s why Delhi has been so successful.

5) I am bored to talk about Sreesanth and Harbhajan. Enough has been said about their behaviour in the last six months or so. I don’t care who slapped who and why.

The true test for the premier league however starts now. People have been watching the league continuously for the last 20 days and if the league manages to sustain interest till June 1st, then the IPL will truly be a mega hit. Many people are predicting that the interest levels will go down and only time will tell whether this ‘Manjoranjan Ka Bapp’ is as loved in its final stages.