On an average, I read for two to three hours in a day and I have been doing this for more than a decade. Of all the things I have read/studied, cricket is closest to my heart. I am studying cricket even when I am watching it on TV. This spot-fixing chapter is one chapter that I wish did not exist.
To me, Mohammad Aamir is a child prodigy. He bends the ball in, moves it away has a smooth run-up..a run up to the crease that ensures longevity. He is to pace bowling what Sachin Tendulkar was to batting on the Perth track back in 1991. One should have seen the way Tendulkar was driving pace bowling down the track. On the up, of the front foot and back foot...every movement of his was economical, measured with head in perfect balance. This at a time when the more illustrious top order in the Indian batting line-up faced chin music and was sitting in the pavilion. Till he overstepped, the way Mohammad Aamir bowls on a lively pitch is a cricket fans dream come true. And to know that he is just eighteen years of age, I can't help but be shocked and awed in equal measure.
Moot question - What did Tendulkar have in 1991 that Mohammad Aamir does not have in 2010?
Answer: Two things
1) Mentor/Role model. Someone to tell him, his goal is 500+ test wickets by the time he finishes his career
2) In 1991, India was opening up as a country. In 2010, pretty much everything is imploding in Pakistan
Tendulkar idolised Vivian Richards and Sunil Gavaskar. He was spotted early by Sunil Gavaskar and to this day they enjoy very close relationship.
Why didn't a Wasim Akram or Imran Khan mentor this prodigy and tell him he needs to translate his promise into performance?
