Nirgunan Tiruchelvam

Give Arjuna One Last Chance by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam    (Island, November 8th 2008) Arjuna, the hero of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was so focused on his target that he was blind to everything but the eye of the bird that he was aiming at. Our own hero Arjuna   Ranatunga , is similarly transfixed on his own glory,  that he cannot tolerate any view but his own.   The awkward standoff with the  BCCI   and the players is by no means   Ranatunga's   fault. In fact, this World Cup winner is perfectly correct in insisting in the sanctity of test cricket.     But, his 'bull in the China shop' approach has alienated both the players and the Indian board. He should have consulted them, before taking the plunge. Sadly,  the board  has now fallen between two stools with neither the England tour nor the Indian bailout package in prospect.   Shortly before he retired to the sound of bugles playing at t...

DS may not last long by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam (Sunday Island 21st March 2009)   The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been dismissed by his critics as a puppet. The opposition claim that he is a powerless figurehead, who is controlled by the Congress Leader Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. As Dr. Manmohan Singh faces elections, a puppet may have been made the head of Sri Lanka Cricket. DS de Silva was appointed as the Chairman this month. He will lead yet another interim committee. Some people fear that DS may be a proxy for others.   The cricket administration resembles that of a Latin American country in the 70s.There are frequent coups. This has ensured that every administration will be short-lived. Even if an election is held, it is unlikely that it will last more than a year.   That DS was briefly Sri Lanka’s captain and a superb leg-spinner is not widely remembered. DS de Silva is a long forgotten cricketer. Having retired in 1985, no member of the present team has watched ...

  Why Sanga is ruining the team? by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam (Sunday Island, 20th December 2010)   Many records were broken in the recent run feast in India. One record went unnoticed. Sri Lanka became the first Test squad to contain as many as 4 wicketkeepers - Prasanna Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, TM Dilshan and Kaushal Silva. Actually, there was a 5th wicketkeeper. At 47, the manager Brendon Kuruppu is still trim.  As the oldest member of the army of wicketkeepers, Kuruppu must have been disappointed that he was not called up.   Ironically, the first choice Prasanna Jayawardene kept poorly. He either dropped catches or obstructed the slips. Virender Sehwag, who is second only to Viv Richards as a merciless hitter, made merry. In Kanpur and Mumbai, maiden overs were rare. Even dot balls were hard to come by.     In the ODIs, Sangakkara has been even worse than Jayawardene. On Friday, two easy chances were put down off the rampant Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the...

  5 May 2011 Sunday Leader Duleep Mendis Rides Again   by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam When Duleep Mendis was a boy in Moratuwa, his family employed a servant boy. The servant boy’s duties were not restricted to serving the drinks. He used to bowl to the   podi mahaththaya   (little master) Duleep Mendis.             The servant boy was a fearsome fast bowler. He was known as the Andy Roberts of Moratuwa. Mendis’s reflexes were sharpened at a young age. Some years later, Duleep Mendis blasted 32 against Australia at the Oval in the 1975 World Cup. Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lillle were bowling at the speed of light. But, the tiny Mendis batted with just a cloth cap and pads. He hooked and cut with astonishing power. Much of his skill was mastered in the many hours of practice in his garden. He never forgot his sarong-clad domestic worker. The Andy Roberts of Moratuwa is now unheard of. Even Mendis’s heroic deeds on the pitch are a faint memory. No...