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The older I get, the better I was goes a familiar saying, referring to the human tendency to embellish the past and exaggerate ones abilities in a now-distant youth. I am often reminded of this when I encounter references to Indias alleged glory days in the 1970s, when, one may be led to believe, the side were world beaters.According to this myth, the quartet of great spinners - Chandra, Bedi, Prasanna and Venkat - backed by sharp close-in fielders and doughty batsmen made India a formidable opponent, especially at home.A nine-year-old who became a fan of the game the moment GR Viswanath hit that debut century against Bill Lawrys visiting Australians in the 1969-70 series, I was a keen witness to the decade that followed, and humbly suggest a fair amount of selective recall has rendered that era a tad more glorious than it really was.It would be churlish to deny that India did well to win in the West Indies and in England in 1971. But what followed thereafter is difficult to describe as great on any comparative yardstick. The MCC team that toured India in 1972-73 had exactly two Test players with any real experience - Derek Underwood and Alan Knott. Regulars like Geoff Boycott, John Snow, Bob Willis, John Edrich, Ray Illingworth, Basil DOliveira and others had either chosen to skip the subcontinent, retired, or been dropped on form.They were led by Tony Lewis, who was yet to play a Test match, and their top order was composed mainly of batsmen who had failed to establish themselves over the years (Dennis Amiss, Keith Fletcher, Mike Denness) or were just a few Tests old (Barry Wood and Tony Greig, for instance). Medium-pacer Geoff Arnold, himself a non-regular in the England team, was joined by Bob Cottam (playing his third Test) and Chris Old (yet to make his debut). Underwood was supported by three other spinners, who were best described as journeymen - Pat Pocock, Norman Gifford and Jack Birkenshaw.Despite the evident weakness of the MCC side, India managed to lose the first Test quite badly. They beat the visitors in Calcutta by 28 runs in a low-scoring thriller, and almost made a meal of chasing a mere 86 to win at Chepauk. The series was effectively over after the third Test since the featherbeds in Kanpur and Bombay spelled draws. While Indias spinners, especially Chandra, took the lions share of the wickets, the 2-1 win was hardly indicative of any greatness on Indias part.When India returned to England in the summer of 1974, they were trounced so badly that it hurts to recall it even now. In the course of three Tests, they lost 60 wickets (well, 59 - an injured Chandra did not bat in the infamous 42 at Lords), while England lost 24 - only two in the third Test - and won the second and third Tests by an innings each. Indias spinners were completely ineffective in the first half of a cold English summer and their batsmen simply unable to play the moving ball. While we proudly recall coming back from 2-0 down to level the home series against Clive Lloyds West Indies in the 1974-75 series (before losing the decider at the Wankhede), we tend to forget how inexperienced Indias opponents were. Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards had yet to play a Test, and Andy Roberts had just made his debut at the time. Only Lloyd, Lance Gibbs and Roy Fredericks had played much Test cricket at all. With their experienced spin quartet ostensibly in their prime, and bowling in home conditions, India were favourites going in, yet lost the series.This was followed by back-to-back tours to New Zealand and the West Indies. India tied 1-1 with New Zealand in a three-Test series, and lost 1-2 against West Indies, the lone win of that tour being the record chase of 403 in Trinidad. That West Indian team had just been hammered 5-1 by the Australians, and two of Indias four Tests were played in Port-of-Spain, where the wicket was known to be both slow and ideal for spinners.When Greig led an England team to India later in 1976, once again the hosts began as firm favourites but proceeded to lose the first three Tests. England showed that patience and occupation of the crease were the secrets to succeeding on the slow tracks, and their tight bowling lines directed away from the strengths of Indias batsmen ensured a steady supply of wickets for their largely faceless bowling attack. Another home series lost.Perhaps the definitive indicator of the real worth of the Indian team back then was the tour to Australia in 1977-78. The Australians were severely depleted by the desertion of all their main cricketers, barring Jeff Thomson, to Packers World Series Cricket, and were effectively fielding a 2nd or even 3rd XI, led by Bob Simpson, who had come back after retiring from Test cricket a decade prior. Six Australians made their debuts in the first Test. Indias bowling attack included Chandra, Bedi and Prasanna, yet they lost by 16 runs. They also proceeded to lose the second (with Venkat replacing Prasanna), where nightwatchman Tony Mann, playing the second Test of his career, made a century to help Australia chase down 339. India did well to come back to level the series but eventually lost 3-2 - against a team that was, to put things in perspective, beaten 5-1 at home the next season by England.In October-November 1978, India lost 2-0 in a series in Pakistan that effectively finished tje spin quartet (even if some of them played on for a few more Tests). Later that season India prevailed 1-0 in a six-Test home series against Alvin Kallicharrans Packer-depleted West Indians. The sole victory amid five boring draws came at Chepauk, where India lost seven wickets on the way to chasing down 125.It is not my intention to query the skills of those players, or to deny that India had their moments of individual and team glory. Its rather to put those accomplishments back then in a comparative perspective in assessing their true worth. Most importantly, its to guard against that all-too-human tendency to view the past through rose-tinted lenses. Fausse Yeezy Pas Cher .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Yeezy 350 v2 Non Reflective Pas Cher . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. http://www.pascheryeezy350v2.fr/fausse-yeezy-350-v2-true-form.html . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Site De Fausse Yeezy . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Off White Yeezy 350 V2 Pas Cher . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Since 2009, John Calipari has assembled ESPN.coms top recruiting class five times. Kentuckys incoming class for the 2016-17 season is ranked No. 1 by ESPN.But hes not content. Calipari recently said he wants to enhance the allure of an institution that has dominated the recruiting ranks in the one-and-done era.Calipari said his staff will rethink the evaluation process going forward.When the season ended, I asked each member of my staff to come up with three good ideas about how we can improve our recruiting, as well as three ideas on how we develop and train, Calipari wrote on his blog Saturday. Im not afraid to try new stuff, to change or overhaul everything -- even if were having success.Duke is the only school to challenge Kentuckys reign on the recruiting front in recent years. In May, five-star recruit Marques Bolden picked Duke over Kentucky to complete an impressive 2016 class for the?Blue DevilsEarlier this summer, Hamidou Diallo (No. 12 in the 2017 ESPN 100 rankings) compared the pitches made by both schools in a conversatioon with the Louisville Courier-Journal.dddddddddddd.Kentuckys pitch was just the NBA thing, Diallo told the publication. Dukes pitch was, If you come to Duke, youre going to be set for life. Its more than just basketball. [John Caliparis] pitch was, He gets guys ready for the next level. Look at the numbers: It shows. Its the best place for you if you want to make it to the NBA.Calipari appeared to respond in an earlier blog post, although he subsequently denied as much when he said he would not tell prospects youll be taken care of for the rest of your life.In the blog post, Calipari said he is exploring new ways to develop and attract recruits because the program ultimately wants it all.We now are looking at different approaches to home visits, evaluations, and exactly what the characteristics are that were looking for, Calipari wrote. Our recruiting has been pretty solid. Well, lets make it even better. ' ' '