CSK wins final

Nice contest, cleanly fought until Sachin refused to walk after edging one to Dhoni. There was a bit of luck for Raina but the way he rocketed to 50 after getting to 13 off as many deliveries, really set it up for the Super Kings. In the end, Dhoni's masterstroke in Pollard's dismissal and Tendulkar's mistake in keeping Pollard in the dugout till 18th over was the real difference. I was a little disappointed to see Raina missing out on the Golden Player award. He deserved it better than Tendulkar for his allround performance with the bat, ball and in the field. (or for that matter Kallis!)

I feel bad for Lalit Modi who read out his own eulogy at the presentation podium with quotes from "The Bhagavat Gita". The man may be corrupt but he sure can put together a great show. The way he moved the tournament to South Africa last year or the Bangalore game to Mumbai before the semifinals speaks volumes of his abilities. It also demonstrates how efficient an oligarchy can be if the oligarch is efficient. I personally think Lalit Modi should outgrow cricket and consider taking up Homeland Security job in India. I am convinced that he is best suited for running that office as evident from IPL provided his loyalty still rests with India.

As for cricket, see you guys in Champions Trophy. Oh wait! there is the T20 WC before that.

M & M Test Series

The second test is underway. The good thing is, India is batting first. Atleast the defeat will be narrower than the innings and 239.

Mendis and Murali should return wicketless otherwise India should go forward with Sethu Samuthram Project and kill Srilanka's economy. I can't think of any other counter-attack. Can you?

Dinesh Karthik must be replaced by Parthiv Patel. We should try and save a life where we can.

Short games but long tournament.

Greed on the steering wheel and stupidity as a co-passenger are driving the IPL into a new journey. What started as a pleasant trip is turning into a never-ending journey. A tournament that began with a flourish, completely overshadowing the rival ICL in every way, captivated entire India and much of the cricket following western world. Everyone associated himself with the team of closest proximity to where they hailed from. Not an exception, I was backing Chennai Super Kings, never minding that it was led by MS DHONI and opened with Hayden and Parthiv Patel. For the first times since the radio days, I was supporting the Aussies. It was refreshingly new. Huge totals were put in the first few games, making one feel for the bowlers, do they deserve such a treatment. Nevertheless, it was thorough-bred entertainment from start to finish. Each game was anticipated and followed very closely.

As the tournament progressed and as the Aussies and NZealanders disappeared to show up for their country against WI and England respectively, as the pitch started deteriorating and as bowlers began to understand their role better, totals were falling. The pressure to perform might have been a factor. With a few exceptions, great names with huge price tag looked very ordinary and very inconsistent. It was always beyond me why people pay huge sums for a piece of art only because the artist was popular. It was foolish to me. Now they are not alone.


Rajasthan seems to have a magic formula to T20 cricket. Other teams went with the direction of the wind, winning a few and losing the rest. . Maybe because Chennai is losing, but I am getting tired of the length of a tournament. It is afterall a shortened version of the game to keep up with the fast pace of modern man. It seems never-ending. Low totals and some ordinary cricket have blown away the initial charm. Now I can't wait for the semi finals and the finals to get over. And why are the semis and finals, all, scheduled in Mumbai? I hope Mumbai doesn't make it to the semis. This will hurt the greedy organizers. Chennai is hopeless. Yet, I am rooting for MS Dhoni' Super Kings. Bring Back Hayden! Bring home the Ugly Cup.

Back a star. The star is back

There have been very few occassions in life when you support someone with full conviction inspite of all odds and that pays off more than you expected. I am not talking about Oprah's support for Obama here. That, we will have to wait to know.
The way Saurav has forced himself back in to the team really gives joy and a rare sense of victory. Imagine! every get-together that I attended during his exile, was a huge battlefield for me; to defend my support for Dada with almost everyone else lining up with GC. I am grateful for this innings albeit against a depleted bowling attack. Considering the situation when he walked in, 61-4, his chanceless innings that possessed immense concentration and sheer determination was a treat to watch. Yuvraj was the spearhead in his partnership with Ganguly, however Ganguly's contribution in Yuvi's comeback innings needs mention. The support and encouragement that Dada provided during partnership proved why he was the most loved captain during his prime.

Now it becomes difficult for Kumble, Vengsarkar and co. to feature the best playing eleven for tests. They can't afford to leave out Dhoni, Laxman, Jaffer, Dravid, Saurav, Sachin or Yuvraj. This means either Sachin or Laxman have to make a sacrifice and move to the top of the order. The pedestrial series for Karthik has dooms written all over his future with Parthiv Patel knocking hard.

I don't see an alternative unless the seniors want to play on rotation. Yuvi is indispensable.

For he has nothing more to prove, Ganguly can retire on a high, resting assured that his legacy is intact in the annuls of Indian Cricket

Fans not statisticians

Dravid's this statement

"Cricket is special in India, I'm sure they'll be celebrating back home in India as well,"

certainly does not reflect my sentiments. First of all, Dravid's decision not to enforce the follow-on was not in the best interest of cricket. Alright, Zaheer pulled an hamstring and his other bowlers were tired on a new day. But to allow England off the hook inspite of a three hundred run lead is inexplicable. Yet Dravid went on to say that he wants to win the series and not particularly the game to defend his strategy at the end of the third day. To my mind India lost there. Let us go back to the first test where India were given a relatively modest total of three hundred and eighty. Given the conditions, India faultered to humility only to be saved by Varuna Bhagavan.

Okay, even if we accept Rahul's "defensive strategy", it is hard to explain the defensive batting that he displayed when the need of the hour was a rapid thirty from all the batsmen. But for Saurav's brilliance India was on the verge of a collapse that would have embarassed a billion fans in front of the monarchy. Imagine a score of 115 all out in the second innings that would have reduced the target to a gettable 435 with an hour for England. How on the world was it a defensive move to bat third when you had the chance of getting England out with an innings to spare or if necessary, score the remainder going in last? I am disappointed, to say the least

Dilemma

Silly as it may sound, I stopped using the alarm clock after reading a Deepak Chopra book. Ever since, my wife has been donning the role of Vishwamitra Munivar, singing Uthishto Uthishta Govinda Uthishta...(I still don't know why he should use Govinda Uthishta albeit the same God in a different Yugam) to wake me up. Nothing is under my control, certainly not the time I rise in the mornings. Tomorrow I want to get up at 4:30ish to watch Tendulkar score a big hundred at Trent-Bridge. The signs are ominous. Yet I may miss out unless I go back to the alarm. What if he misses out? I don't want to watch the master go like how Karthik did today - first ball after tea.

In the evening, Ayaz called to ask if I was available to play for the Tornados, tomorrow. I replied in the negative sighting my allergies. He asked me if I knew anyone and followed up with "I just need a body". Now I realize how insulting it must be for Saurav and Sachin. "No nerves in the Tongue" doesn't mean you can't control it.

Next Indian Coach ?

As the quest for the next Indian Idol gains momentum in Sony TV, an even bigger quest is on for the Indian cricket fans. Who will be the next Indian coach. It all began with the great Sir IVA. Richards offering unsolicited advice to the Indian team soon after their shameless exit from the World Cup. Then Chappell was rumoured to continue as coach or atleast head the NCA for a new term. Chappell managed to run away with his life.

Ravi Shastri was convinced to shoulder the mantle temporarily for the Bangladesh tour. The funny thing was that a bowling and fielding coach were announced for this all important tour. India crossed the eastern border with three coaches for three departments. One would only expect that Venatesh Prasad or Robin would be named the coach at the end of the tour. That was not to happen. BCCI is like Rajastan State Bumper lottery. The odds of luck overweighs any logic.

A casual talk by the BCCI raised Dave Whatmore's hopes to Himalayan heights only to ruin his current stint with the Bongs. Afterall India had to avenge for their WC defeat. They took it on him, poor Aussie.

Kapil Dev, a patriot that he is, intervened to question the selection of a foreign coach. "Whatmore? Who is he?", he exclaimed. Even Sunil Gavaskar was quoted to prefer a Desi coach albeit Arjuna Ranatunga from the island nation. One day or the other India has to invade that country for the atrocities they commit against our Tamil brethren.

Suddenly, a new name popped up. Graham Ford quickly topped Google search list for no one in India knew about him. He happened to be the Coaching Director at Kent. Remember, that is where they picked up John Wright. Thanks to Dravid's recommendation.

Finally Graham Ford was selected over John Emburey after a one-hour presentation at Park Sheraton. It seems Sharad Pawar and team were gobbling up their dinner during Emburey's presentation. They just didn't pay attention to whatever he said.

Graham Ford like any IT guy attended the interview for fun. He decided not to risk his life for limelight. He probably remembered his successor, Bob Woolmer.

The search is still on. The voice of Swadesi's louder than ever. Who will BCCI name as the next Indian Coach? Will it be the Chinese guy who is likely to become the Indian Idol.


If I were them, I would choose a respected Desi with proven track record. Sandeep Patil comes to mind immediately. If he is not available, my next choice is Bharath Reddy. Although he has played only a handful of matches for India, Barath Reddy enjoys a good relationship with several youngsters in the current Indian team. Bharath Reddy was the Sports Director for Chemplast's Jolly Rovers team which had big names playing in the local divisions. Current national players including Dinesh Kartick, Harbajan Singh and Dinesh Mongia regard him as a great coach. Hemang Badani, L. Balaji and Harvinder Singh have spoken highly of him. Sanmar Group chairman N. Sankar praises him for finding new talent for his club. Several Tamilnadu players including Jesuraj Rajamani (my favourite for this season) and S. Badrinath (who was almost there) attribute a lot of their success to him. More than that Bharat Reddy and Abdul Jabber successfully ran cricket camps in Madras following Brijesh Patel. He is also a close friend of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Rahul Dravid,having played a lot of cricket himself in Chennai for India Cements, will surely have a lot of respect for Bharath reddy. He has also served the BCCI as the South Zone talent resources development officer in 2002-03. He will be able to identify new talent that Vengsarkar claims not to exist.

The most important reason is he is Shriya Reddy's father and also my relative of sorts.

The Master and the Master Blaster.

India will approach John Wright to come back. Tom Moody will be in great demand from world over. With Pawar & Vengsarkar at the helm and Sachin in the midst of controversy, I will not be surprised if a Mumbaikar like Chandrakanth Pandit or even Sunny (if he has the time) take over.

As Kiran More rightly asked, where is the performance?.
After putting in 17 years, if you need a coach to get the scoreboard moving, what can we say?.
If you had problems with the coach, what were you doing so long?.
If you want people to spare a thought for your emotions now, where were your thoughts when you expected the government to pay for the excise duty to import your Ferrari? You were elevated to a special status in India, deservedly. But there is an amount of responsibility that comes along, which you have failed to fulfill. If you had stayed silent, we would have liked you for your humility and modesty, inspite of the failure. You spoke and the timing, here too, is bad.

Finally a few words of wisdom - It is easy to be graceful in success, people elevate you to higher levels praising your modesty. But it is hard to be graceful during failure and that seperates you from the greatness that you are equated with.

Sa(chin), Ra(hul) and Greg

I think Greg's tenure has already been extended secretly - Sorry Sir Viv.The announcement will be public pending the tamasha of World Cup post-mortem report/meeting. On several occasions Greg has stopped short of asking Tendulkar to quit, fearing the public rage - Remember his comment "Sachin's best days are over"?. Sacking Ganguly was one thing but Greg was quick to realize that Sachin is at a different level in India. He quietly "moota kattified" his idea of dropping Sachin and started asking him to be a mentor for the youngsters. Now he has sought his brother's help to achieve what he couldn't dare attempt. Ian has advised Sacin to retire. It is strange that he chose to advise Sachin through cricinfo or whoever, instead of talking to Sachin as a wellwisher. I smell something fishy. If Rahul is not dropped as captain or if Greg's contract is renewed, India will be pushed to a level that would require them to qualify for the next World Cup competition.

Having said that, I request you Mr. Tendulkar to resign gracefully. Have Kumble share his retirement letter, if you need a template. Also pass it on to Ganguly, if he needs help. This is the best time. I would have called you and requested this personally. But unlike Ian, I don't have your cell number.

I also think that we need a foreign coach. I don't think any former Indian cricketer can command respect from the current generation of cricketers. Imagine Nayan Mongia or Venkatesh Prasad trying to dictate to Sehwag or Yuvraj or Harbajan. Only a guy who can intimidate them with his English can control them .

My new Indian team XX comprises:
--------------------------------
Gaurav Dhiman
Cheteshwar Pujara
Robin Uthappa
Shikar Dhawan (three out of first four must play)
Virendra Sehwag
Yuvraj Singh
Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Mohammed Kaif (c)
Rahul Dravid (should leave way in 2 yrs)
Suresh Raina
Mahendra Dhoni (Wk)
Irfan Pathan
Munaf Patel
Zaheer Khan
Piyush Chawla
Murali Karthick (may be long shot)
Sreesanth
Romesh Powar
Jesuraj Rajamani
Harbajan Singh


PS: Vengsarkar - I can take over, if you need some rest. Afterall you have tried to do it all by yourself in the last one year.

Good luck India

Srilanka showed no signs of hangover after their loss to NZ (thanks Ajay) in the warm-up game.
They came back well to dominate their first two games. Whereas India were buoyed by the warm-up victory and suffered a concentration lapse just enough for the Bongs to capitalize on. Whatever happened has happened. Now it is time for Indians to get their act together and prove that their are real heroes and not just reel heroes.

India should consider Harbajan in the place of Kumble but must replace Agarkar with Sreesanth or even Irfan or play two spinners at his expense. Leaving out Agarkar can make the difference between victory and defeat. I also think India must put Srilanka into bat, if toss favours Rahul. Getting Jayasurya and Sangakara early is key. I am not too concerned about Mahela but Silva can be a little dangerous too. Also in the chase, India should look to attack Vaas from the go. Victory is must and in the horizon. If India bat first Muralidharan will be the major threat after the initial spell of Malinga. India sould look for 240-270 minimum considering that there has been a lot of rain. Arial shots will help. Dhoni should be given a chance to come up. Whether Rahul will experiment has to be seen. Uthappa, Sachin, Sehwag, Dhoni and Yuvi can win it for us by clearing the stadium and rotating strikes. Ganguly will be a liability for this game considering the law of averages. Maybe he will get to bowl.

In the match against Bermuda, the banner read "Go to Barbados or stay back in Trinidad". I say every player should bear that in mind.

Finally like Pakistan did, pull one for Bob and our own Greg, who have gone through a lot these two years in the sub-continent. With Pakistan out of the tournament, I hope they will be rooting for us. On a Friday their prayers get answered, right guys!
For my part, I will recite Bhagya Suktam in the morning.

Out of context - Brings fame - Spoils humor

Omar has given a link to my blog that will result in adding a few extra eyeballs to the million patrons that already follow my writing. Alright!

However, to be quoted out of context is sadenning or rather frightening in this case. The extract does not portray the subtle humor (also attempted in the post scriptum - that few fellow Tamil patrons alone can get). This has resulted in me claiming that the Prez had ordered an assasination of some sort. Come on, a guy who took over an entire country in a bloodless coup would never do that. Atleast, a sane me would not seriously claim that.

It will be the biggest international cover up - next only to the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi, when not even a single prominent partyworker died - if this goes without investigation in the name of the World Cup.

Also the above statement has been partially taken somewhat making my claim serious.

Omar, thanks for the two-minute fame that you brought me. I, only, wish that you had taken the time to understand my fallible English and not gotten me into (this Presidential) trouble. I pray that not as many read your articles too :-) (atleast in this case).

Ajay, thanks for letting me know about this article. I will be scared to death for the rest of my life.

Announcement: I am not the suicide type. Nor am I suffering from any ailments. So, unlike Woolmer's case, you will be left only with two options for me.

Woolmer killed?

I am not being insensitive or anything. I am just not willing to wait for people to finish mourning before this doubt surfaces.

Who killed Woolmer?
1. A Paki cricket fan
2. A Paki cricketer
3. A Paki president order
4. The Paki coach himself

I think Woolmer, with all his experience would not have commited suicide. He is also known to be cool and sensible. So it cannot be a cardiac arrest. I have not known anyone to vomit during a cardiac arrest.

He was a pioneer. He introduced technology to cricket coaching. His innovative practise sessions were well received by players and his analyses were next to none. Inspite of all this, he made a big mistake, choosing to coach Pakistan. That proved costly and his family paid dear. These words will be echoing in the minds of his immediate family. It will be the biggest international cover up - next only to the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi, when not even a single prominent partyworker died - if this goes without investigation in the name of the World Cup. My heart goes out to his close family and friends. God give them the courage through this ordeal.

To me, his biggest achievement is sticking to his religion, despite coaching (in)Pakistan - where Yo Yo failed.

PS: Indian cricketing fans are no different. I prescribe two Tamilnadu constables(next only to Scotland Yard per Captain Vijayakanth) and sorbitol for Greg Chappell.

What's the point!

Anand Vasu has totally ignored the chances of the Bongs beating SL. Given their back to back wins over NZ and India, the possibility is equally high. That will not eliminate the need for India to win both her matches. However it will ease the need to up the NRR to qualify to the Super Eights even if it means that India will go with two points less. If SL manages to beat the Bongs, yes NRR will apply and if India manages to pull it through, it will carry two points to the Super 8 - ideal for India

Let us analyse the Super 8 with that assumption that India qualifies with the Bongs without the two pioints.
Assuming Aussies and SA will win all their games and qualify to the semis as the top two teams. Then India has to win all the remaining games beating NZ, WI, Eng, Ireland. This will give us a chance to qualify as the third or fourth team. If Bangladesh manages to surprise one of the above teams, it is even better for us. From the semis, it is anyone's game

But if we continue to lose, then what is the point? We don't want an India losing its way to the final, do we?

I also propose to replace Rahul with Sachin or Saurav as the captain from the very next game. There is nothing wrong in being proactive to win the WC. Otherwise it will be another four-year wait. And this proposal has nothing to do with the ongoing Cauvery row.
The reasons are
. Chosing to bat after winning the toss against the bongs
. Not being creative on the field.
. Not using the power plays to good effect.
. Bringing Sehwag late.

Day of Bengal?

With Pakistan out of focus, let us zoom in to how we can get India qualified for a berth to the second round.
India must beat both Bermuda and Srilanka.

With that given, there are two ways India can qualify.
External factor:
All Indians should take a day off and pray for Bangladesh to continue their impressive run and beat Srilanka and Bermuda also.

Bermuda upsetting Bangladesh or SL is a factor that I don't wan't to consider at this point

In India's control:
India should look to beat both Srilanka and Bermuda and in the process up their net run-rate. That will decide who qualifies for the next round in the event of a three way tie.

India should also try not to disqualify SL because we do not want B'desh in the second round. That will result in India carrying 0 points with them. Ideally still a SL, India qualification is possible with India carrying 2 points to the second round. If it fails to happen, Rahul should resign and die a natural death from cricket, for choosing to bat after winning the toss.

Elsewhere Ireland is almost sure of its second round berth unless Pak loses to Zimbabwe and and creates confusion during exit.

Patriotic (read disappointed) Indians will blame the tournament format, but I insist this format is the best possible that ICC can ever come up with.

England too should be wary of Kenya. In all I see the Aussies and the SAns enjoying every bit of this drama.

I think only Group A is certain of both the MAXO's qualifying.Group B and C still might see both Maxo's scraping through. One minnow has re

Sunrise will see Rahul's effigy being burnt alongside Sachin's allover India. Kaif and Laxman are happy men inside. Saurav, despite his slow fifty, saved his face on this day of Bengals!

Sachin - The difference.

I recently came across this magnum opus on Sachin. Must see for all Indian Cricket fans. Please watch all three parts.

Soothsayer from UTOPIA

My prediction for the first round. I think South Africa will top Group A. The second round will see a resurgent India beat Australia in a totally one-sided game in their first game. India will continue its run beating West Indies, New Zealand and England before being checked by South Africa. India will start afresh beating Pakistan in their last game. finishing second behind South Africa in the overall table.

Group A

South Africa
Australia

Group B

India
Srilanka

Group C

England
New Zealand

Group D

Pakistan
West Indies

Second Round

South Africa
India
Srilanka
Australia

Semi Final

India vs Srilanka -------------> India
SA vs Australia -------------> Australia

Final

India vs Australia

Rahul Dravid lifts the cup.

India will beat Srilanka in a bitterly fought semifinal. Australia will trounce SA in the other semi setting up a 2003 encore - but this time only to go down to the Men In Blue.

Sehwag will prove vital with both bat and ball throughout the tourney. Yuvraj will give way to Dinesh Karthik as his lack of preparation will show in the early games. India must use Sreesanth only to rest Zaheer or Munaf for the initial games.

Keep off Azhar now

Looks like Nagpur police were fearing layoffs. The city was so crime-free that they found a prey in the young West Indian, Marlon Samuels. "South Indian nahin, North Indian nahin, East Indian nahin, West Indian hai woh. Harey yaar woh toh Mumbaikar hi hai."

Now every other cricket writer will suddenly remember Hansie Cronje or Azhar. Let me tell them something. Keep off Azhar. He might not have been the best to play for India - coming after Sunny and followed soon by Sachin, Saurav and Rahul, but he certainly was vital during the gap. His exploits in domestic cricket and his three consecutive test tons on debut for India, are testimony enough. He was the first Indian to dive for stopping a cricket ball, in an era where the rest of our heroes were happy to escort it to the ropes. Fitness and agility were his trademark. He led India through some bad times and emerged as the most successful Indian captain before Saurav surpassed him. For him to be denied his well deserved ten thousand one day runs and hundredth test cap is severe punishment.

Whether match-fixing is real or not, whether he was involved or not, there can be no debate that he was a great cricketer. And if he had let out some information regarding the playing eleven or the toss and his batting or bowling line-up , that I don't consider match-fixing. Match-fixing is an allegation which would fit only someone who influences the result of a game by making obvious choices to turn the game. You and I would be equally gullible, if we were to get the kind of offers from the Sheikhs of Dubai for tipping on who will start or not.

Now leave him alone. And dear police officers, please try to solve the Noida killing case that has put the entire nation in shock, rather than chasing budding cricketers in the hotel rooms from city to city.

Let Ajju and Bijju live happily hereafter.

My World Cup Team

Saurav Ganguly
Robin Uthappa
Virendra Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar (vc)
Rahul Dravid (c)
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Ajit Agarkar
Irfan Pathan
Harbajan
Zaheer Khan
Dinesh Karthik (12th man)
Munaf Patel
Anil Kumble
Mohammed Kaif.

I would have given more chances to Joginder Sharma which could have given us a viable alternative to Irfan Pathan's indifference with the ball.

Mohammed Kaif's place can go to anyone from Suresh Raina to VVS Laxman to Romesh Pawar depending on who Vengsarkar, Chappell and Dravid want. I think Mohammed Kaif will be the best option considering his three half centuries during the Carribean tour. He might never pad up if Yuvraj finds his touch.