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By:

Waleed Hussain

4 March 2025 at 8:04:30 pm

Masters of the Three-Hour Party

Congratulations, West Indies. You’ve done it again. You’ve reminded the world that when the music is loud, the boundaries are short, and nobody has to bat longer than it takes to finish a Red Stripe, you remain an absolute force of nature. Chasing 250 against India in Ranchi with Shai Hope smashing an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford going berserk for 84 off 37? Pure Caribbean swagger. Second-highest successful chase in T20 history. Cue the fireworks, the Instagram reels, and...

Masters of the Three-Hour Party

Congratulations, West Indies. You’ve done it again. You’ve reminded the world that when the music is loud, the boundaries are short, and nobody has to bat longer than it takes to finish a Red Stripe, you remain an absolute force of nature. Chasing 250 against India in Ranchi with Shai Hope smashing an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford going berserk for 84 off 37? Pure Caribbean swagger. Second-highest successful chase in T20 history. Cue the fireworks, the Instagram reels, and the inevitable “West Indies are back!” headlines from people who only watch cricket when it fits between dinner and bedtime. It’s almost touching how reliably the Windies can summon this brand of chaos. Give them 20 overs, a flat pitch, and the promise of franchise contracts, and they turn into a travelling carnival of six-hitting. Rutherford swings like he’s still in a Caribbean Premier League final. For three hours, they are irresistible, making you believe the old magic never left. And then the sun comes up, the pitch starts offering a bit of bounce or turn, and the same team suddenly looks like it has collectively forgotten how to hold a bat for more than 40 minutes. Test cricket continues to treat the West Indies like a particularly cruel practical joke. Bowled out for 27 by Australia in Jamaica. Regular sub-200 totals that barely last until the drinks break. A collective batting average since 2020 that makes you wonder if some of these players have ever seen a red ball outside of a museum. The once-feared pace attack is now a polite suggestion. The batting line-up, once stocked with men who could dominate for sessions, now collapses with the consistency of a poorly built sandcastle at high tide. In T20, they are the cool kids at the party - loud, flashy, impossible to ignore. In Tests, they are the ones who showed up without doing the homework and are now staring at the floor while the teacher asks questions. None of this is entirely the players’ fault. The system that produced the greatest teams in cricket history has spent the last two decades slowly dismantling itself with the efficiency of a controlled demolition. Domestic structures that produce short-form specialists rather than long-form craftsmen. Pitches that encourage hitting rather than grafting. A calendar so dominated by franchise leagues that a five-day match feels like an unpaid internship. Why spend six hours a day in the middle grinding out a fifty when you can smash three sixes in an over, collect a cheque, and be home in time for dinner? The board’s financial struggles only accelerate the exodus. Yet the sarcasm writes itself when people still talk about a “resurgence.” A resurgence in T20 is like being the best dancer at a wedding after three drinks—impressive in the moment, completely irrelevant the next morning. The West Indies have been “resurging” in white-ball cricket for years now. They win a T20 World Cup, look dangerous for a series or two, then quietly disappear when the format requires anyone to stay at the crease past the powerplay. Meanwhile, Test cricket, the format that once defined Caribbean identity, that produced Holding, Roberts, Ambrose, Lara, and Richards - continues its dignified funeral. The occasional win against Sri Lanka or a competitive draw is treated like a renaissance. Every time Hope or Rutherford clears the ropes, someone inevitably starts waxing lyrical about the “Caribbean way,” as if the Caribbean way was invented in 2008 when T20 became profitable. The old West Indies didn’t just entertain for three hours. They dominated for five days. They made opposing batsmen question their life choices. They produced sessions of sustained hostility that felt like weather systems. That version of the team is not “adapting to the modern game.” It is being actively replaced by a product better suited to highlight reels and franchise auctions. So yes, celebrate the record chase. Enjoy the sixes. Applaud Hope for looking like a proper leader under lights. Just don’t insult anyone’s intelligence by calling this a balanced resurgence. The West Indies are currently world-class at the version of cricket that requires the least amount of sustained concentration and the most amount of Instagram potential. In the version that still separates the serious from the spectacular, they remain a cautionary tale wrapped in maroon. (The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal)

From Exam Ire to Political Tussle

Writer: Rajendra Pandharpure
Rajendra Pandharpure
4 hours ago
3 min read

The agitation by MPSC aspirants against examination irregularities has drawn Pune’s rival political camps into the fray.

Pune: The student agitation demanding an inquiry into alleged irregularities in Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examinations has increasingly acquired a political dimension. A campaign for accountability and end to examination-related malpractices has now snowballed into a political contest with competing narratives.


The turning point came when the city’s BJP leaders took to the streets to counter the agitation, while NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar assumed a prominent role in leading the students. His intervention brought the protest greater political visibility, but also invited allegations that an issue rooted in students’ grievances was being turned into a political confrontation.


The students, however, have appeared unwilling to accept the suggestion that the agitation had been appropriated by politicians. Many stood by Rohit Pawar, with some arguing that his presence had helped protect them from police harassment. Their response underscored a central tension in student movements: political support can amplify a cause, but it can also shift attention from the demands that brought protesters to the streets in the first place.


Public Discontent

The Pune agitation comes amid a series of protests across Maharashtra and elsewhere, reflecting a broader willingness among sections of the public to take grievances directly to the streets. These include tribal students’ demands for better hostel facilities, agitations by the Maratha community, a campaign in Mumbai seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and a movement against noise pollution in Pune.


The political context has also been shaped by student-led mobilisations elsewhere, most notably the protest launched by Abhijit Dipke and his Cockroach Janata Party against the NEET exam leak that ultimately led to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.


In Maharashtra, Dipke’s presence at the Pune protest added another layer to the unfolding political contest. Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, MP Praniti Shinde, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, Aaditya Thackeray, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil and Sujat Ambedkar were among those who visited the protest site.


The gathering of leaders from different political formations highlighted the breadth of support for the students’ cause, while demonstrating how quickly an agitation over an administrative issue becomes a platform for parties seeking to challenge the government on questions of employment and public accountability.


Citywide Shutdown

Rohit Pawar’s warning that he would call for a Pune bandh marked a significant escalation in the rhetoric surrounding the protest. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar reacted sharply, accusing him of attempting to create unrest in the city. Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure convened a meeting to criticise the proposed shutdown, bringing the dispute further into the political arena.


MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s intervention has added a different perspective. He observed that no government could provide jobs to all candidates preparing for MPSC examinations. The BJP seized on the remark, presenting it as an implicit rebuttal of Rohit Pawar’s approach. Reports of apparent differences between the two leaders’ positions and observations about their body language following Thackeray’s speech has in turn fuelled speculation about a rift within the broader political support surrounding the protest.


That said, the larger issue remains distinct from the political exchanges. The limited availability of government jobs is one challenge; ensuring fair, transparent and credible recruitment processes is another. Even if the state cannot provide employment to every aspirant, students can reasonably expect examinations to be conducted without irregularities and complaints to be addressed through credible mechanisms.


The agitation has also encountered a legal challenge, with a petition filed in the High Court over roads being blocked by the protest. The court reprimanded the state government, observing that it was not taking the students’ demands seriously, and suggested that the protesters call off their agitation and concentrate on their studies. The students, however, are continuing with their protest, while insisting on concrete action from the government.

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