Cricket Zindagi

FB Wall: Football World Cup fever reaches India as celebrities come calling

2014-07-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

A letter to Sachin by 90's borns

2013-10-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

It was 1997 and I was just a 8 year old Kid who had already taken cricket as his passion. At that time, there was a myth, when an Indian batsman goes out to bat, people switched on their television sets and switch off their lives and when he was out, people switched off their television sets. His wicket was equivalent to be India’s lose even opposing player used to feel that his dismissal meant they could win the game. Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga once said,” You get him out and half the battle is won”. But as I grew up, I realized that why this myth has been created. How many times, he drove the Indian team on a winning note singly handed. I am not talking about “Sachin Ramesh Tendulakar”. I am talking about “God of cricket”.

No indivual is bigger than the game, But in the case of Sachin, one could definitely say that he is bigger than game. It is right that the glory of his name exists because of cricket. But in some cases he has defined cricket. Most of the Indian initiated to follow cricket due to Sachin. For the people living in Indian subcontinent country’s like Nepal, Bhutan and China, Cricket is a game which is played by Sachin Tendulkar . On one occasion, President of the most powerful nation, Barack Obama said,” I don’t know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play. Not because I love his play it’s because I want to know the reason why my country production goes down by 5 percent when he’s batting”.

Some of the greatest cricketing legends praise the Sachin in one way or other…

Brian Lara - Sachin Tendulkar is a genius. I’m a mere mortal.

Mark Taylor – We didn’t lose to a team called India …… we lost to a man called Sachin.

Andy Flower – There are two kinds of batsmen in the world. One Sachin. Two all the others.

Waqar Younis – He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also.

Daniel Vettori -”He has been in form longer than some of our guys have been alive.

Anil Kumble – I am very privileged to have played with him and seen most of the runs that he has scored. I am also extremely happy to have shared the same dressing room.

Rudy Kortzen – I never get tired during umpiring whenever Sachin is on crease.

Harsha Bhogle – There is no better sight on cricket field than watch Tendulkar bat.

Australian Fan – Do your crime when Sachin is batting, because even god is busy watching his batting.

Tendulkar is not just a name its like a habit to Indian people. I still remember, how my grandfather used to ask those two questions during India’s Match- First India ka score kya hai (what is India’s score)? Second Tendulkar kitna banaya (how much runs did Tendulkar score), without even confirming that whether Sachin is in India’s squad or not. Still all non cricketing fans are in the practice of asking these two questions. For more than two decades now, People have been debating with their friends and fellows for him, have sticked to their television and radio sets as long as he was out in the field with his willow, students bunked the classes, people skipped there important meetings just to see him play, there are people who wish that India should be 2 down as soon as possible in test match so that the little genius could walk out to play and if he was out without putting up a good show, they wished India’s 2nd innings should came as early as possible even at the cost of a few less runs for the team in the first innings. Sachin was the reason why the apparently innocent power supply staff had to experience the ugliest possible abusive languages from us and our friends for his guilt of power-cut in our area during his batting. If by chance, after the power supply resumed, one more wicket down then we wished that fall wicket was not of Sachin.

One good cover drive or a late cut made their day. A vintage video from youtube could bring us back to our childhood. The more we see him, the more we want to see him. He made us do so many stupid things and we enjoyed doing us because Sachin was such an obession of everyone. We didn’t want him to quit because it would mean our childhood was over. There is a saying that “21 days are enough to change a habit”. But how can we change this habit which is a part of our life for the last 24 years. From kids to old folks, from teenager to senior citizen, from followers to co-players, it has been a hard thing to imagine an India team without Tendulkar. Also it couldn’t have been easy for Sachin Tendulkar to bid an adieu to the game since cricket has been his life, his dream his solitary love outside the family. But he leaves behind an aspect of cricket that he defined. It’s going to be an emotional time for the whole of India.

His deeds on the field are folklore, but it was the way he carried himself off the field that sets him apart. Despite all the adulation and love which can be stifling at times, he was the perfect role model for youngster, and that is why parents want their kids to be like Sachin. He has been an ambassador of cricket around the world. For past 24 years he is the lightning rod for our emotions; a Tendulkar century could lift spirits on the gloomiest of days, a failure could plunge the country into deep despair. No other single Indian has had the ability to make the entire country smile. Definitely, Sachin retirement’s day would be a gloomy day not only for Indian cricket, but as well as for world cricket also. In the honor of the Master Blaster, BCCI should retire India jersey number 10 and preserve it forever. After 200^th test, Sachin will retire from cricket, but he lives in the memory of all who saw his batting wizardry. Cricketers like Sachin come once in a lifetime and we have privileged he played in our time and literally, we are feeling blessed.

Definitely, it is worth to saying that who knows even GOD has just sent him to play this beautiful game on his behalf as he might himself wanted to play Cricket.

THE BATTLE FOR NO.1......

2012-11-09T12:17:00.001-08:00

The highly anticipated test series between Australia and South Africa has started on the 9th of November. The reality is that this series is comprised of only three Tests but it could have the intensity of a longer contest as South Africa are involved in their fourth battle for being the No. 1 test team since 2010. This time, South Africa are the title-holders and their opposition the challengers. This is the South Africa’s tenth tour in Australia. The Proteas once won a test series in Australia. On the Down Under tour, South Africa are looking favourites to win. It could be the last tour of great all-rounder Kallis in the land of the kangaroos. So he would certainly want to leave it on a high note. Both teams have met in 88 test matches, out of which, SA won 19 and lost 50 matches. Whereas, out of the 35 played in Australia, SA was able to win 7 and lost 20 matches.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure. Success and failure are never final. Australian cricket is being criticized all around the world. After the retirement of the some legends, undoubtedly, Australian Cricket is going through a rebuilding phase and will want to seek further proof of their rejuvenation. It is just a cricketing cycle where a country has some of the greatest players in the world and they keep winning, so their team appears to be the best. When the team is doing well, it doesn’t matter, but when the results are not on your side, things begin to look ugly.

The Proteas proved that teams don’t grow strong without a struggle. Under the coaching of Gary Kirsten, SA got the No.1 rank in the longest format. One of the best bowlers of all time and the Proteas’ bowling coach, Allan Donald called his country’s current pace attack the best he has seen. Most of the cricketing stalwarts’ and followers’ attention has centred on the quality of the South African pace attack, spearheaded by Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, and how Australia’s rookie top order will deal with them. AB de Villiers will be eager to prove that as wicket-keeper, he can still make the kinds of scores that marked him as one of the world’s best and most dangerous batsmen. Hashim Amla is looking impregnable. Graeme Smith’s side is settled and well-groomed. Star-studded South Africa looks formidable, like the Australians of the last decade.

Amid a sea of new faces in Oz squad, James Pattinson can be the danger man for Proteas’s experienced batsmen. A young bowler with aggression and raw pace might just surprise the South African batsmen. Inexperienced top order batsmen and Shane Watson’s injury are the main niggles of host side. Rob “Bobby” Quiney will be making his debut as baggy green cap’s holder 429. Surely, Rob will be wanting to grab this opportunity with both hands and cement his place in the side. Experience always comes in handy in the long run and Ponting and Hussey have proved that in last India Down Under tour.

This series is the contenst between the former and current World No.1 test teams. South Africa will retain the top spot on the ICC Test rankings with a drawn series. Australia will claim the top spot from them with a series win. Finally, the battle for No.1 in test cricket will be over in the first week of December. The team that will remain ahead in the close contests between bat and bowl will win this trophy. But remember, fielding skills play such an important role in the game and often prove to be the difference between winning and losing. For claiming the No.1 tag, both teams’ players will sledge and still want to kill each other on the field but have a beer and chat about hair off the field. This series will show the clash of two great teams with sportsmanship.

After all, some of the best batsmen of modern era – Ricky Ponting (13,348) and Jacques Kallis (12,641) will all be playing in this series. Kallis is fourth on the all-time run-scoring list and the only all-rounder to have scored over 11,000 runs and taken more than 250 wickets. It will be interesting to see whether Ponting surpasses Kallis’s record for the second highest number of test centuries, and inches closer to the little master’s milestone of 51 test centuries. For cricket fans, it is a great pleasure to see the two batting maestros on a single turf.

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS .....

2012-08-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

The grand exhibition of sports was over. From 27 July’12 to 12 Aug’12, this carnival delighted almost all the people all around the world. This sports jamboree also obtained the tag of greenest Olympics ever. For the first time, women’s boxing was included in the programme. Women made their mark on the Olympics like never before in London, the first Games ever to feature women in all 204 national teams and all 26 sports. Three of the five biggest delegations, the United States, China and Russia, brought more women athletes than the men, and the women came through in a big way. US women won 29 of America’s medal-table-leading 46 golds, while female competitors accounted for 20 of China’s 38. This statistics shows that women are no lesser mortals, when it comes to the world of sports. They have edged out men in academics, research, politics and now the Olympics of 2012 is the latest addition in their already decorated mantelpiece.

After 16 full days of competition, 302 Olympics titles were handed out and 46 world records were broken. More than seven million fans came out to watch Olympics event. Among 10820 athletes, some of them went home with the label of legend; Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps are popular among them. The duo proved that champions are always champions. Like force, champs also follow the Newton’s 3^rd law. At the setback comes in their life, they react strongly and come out with flying colours. Lightning Bolt was the first sprinter to defend both the 100m and 200 m titles and was also part of the amazing team that broke the world record in 4x100m relay by beating the clock in 36.84 seconds. By winning 4 gold and 2 silver medals, Phelps concluded the 2012 Olympics as the most successful swimmer of the meet for the third Olympics in a row. Flying Fish is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals (18gold, 2silver and 2bronze). It is true that champions are not supernatural; they just fight one more second when everyone else quits; sometimes that one second of effort gives you the victory.

Winning a gold medal in the Olympics is one of the biggest achievements for any sportsperson. But the most important thing is not to win but to take part. Amid a sea of athletes, Oscar Pistorius, Natalia Partyka and Im Dong-Hyun were in the limelight and admiration for different reasons. Respect for this treble, who had their disabilities, but refused to use it as an excuse. Oscar Pistorius became the first amputee runner to compete at an Olympic Games. “Blade Runner” participated in 400m and 4x400m relay race in which he qualified for the semi-finals of the 400m and the finals of relay event and finished eighth out of a field of nine. Natalia Partyka, born without a right hand and forearm, reached the last 32 of the London 2012 Olympic women's singles event in Table Tennis. Both won, not the Olympics medals, but our hearts.

Im Dong-Hyun is a legally blind but he set a new world record in individual and team event and scores of 699 and 2087, respectively in the ranking round and captured bronze medal in team events.

Passions helps you enjoy the journey as much as achieving the goal. Passion is the lever that helps lift the mundane to the extraordinary, the mediocre to the excellent. This threesome had passion for their game. Oscar Pistorius said,” My mother used to tell us in the mornings,’ Carl put on your shoes, Oscar you put on your prosthetic legs’… so I grew up not really thinking I had a disability. I grew up thinking I had different shoes”. Hats off to this type of attitude.

This Olympics will create difference in many people’s life. Everybody must take inspiration from them. This trio will definitely boost up the morale of handicap and disable person and become a role model too. Everybody should learn a lesson from them that it is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action. Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off. But if you don't have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.

To represent our country in a big arena is the dream of every athlete. But Liemarvin Bonevacia, Reginald de Windt, Philipine van Aanholt (Curacao formerly Netherlands Antilles) and Guor Marial (South Sudan) are unlucky. After the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands Antilles lost its recognition by the International Olympic Committee and National Olympic Committee of newest 54^th Africa’s country South Sudan had not formed, they competed under the Olympic Flag. Guor Marial said,” I will be wearing the Olympic uniform, but inside I will be holding the South Sudan flag in my heart. These are the people I will be representing at the Olympics.” What a love towards country.

All of us can only but imagine the feelings of medal winning athletes when their national flag is hoisted and the bands play their national anthem for them.

Definitely, this Olympics will give the new dimensions of athlete’s life and also encourage youngsters to choose athletics as a professional.

Adieu London…….. Congratulations Rio’16.

A SMILING ASSASSIN, FIERCE COMPETITOR AND A GENTLEMAN OFF THE FIELD ....

2012-08-03T08:07:00.001-07:00

There were a lot of happy batsmen out there on July 13, 2012. That day, one of the world's most fearsome pace bowlers announced his retirement. Brett lee's retirement from the international cricket was the news which spread like wildfire around the world. Due to a calf injury, Brett lee had to take the hardest decision of his life. On his retirement press conference at SCG, Lee said, “I guess you ask yourself a lot of questions when you've been injured or been through a tough time. In a team environment, you have to be committed 100%, both mentally and physically. Looking at the next two months, I just didn't have that desire any more. It wouldn't be fair on me or the rest of the team if I was to go over there with that attitude - not lack of commitment, but you just get to a point in your life when you decide enough is enough. I knew this was the right day to do it and also the time was right to make way for Australia's young fast bowlers. The great run must end.” There are many younger players around who will be filling the spot vacated by Brett lee in the Australian team. Pat Cummins and James Pattinson are the favourites who will get this trot.

During his notable thirteen years of tenure, Lee achieved numerous cricketing feats. For his sheer pace and regularly clocks 150 km/h and above, he is accredited by the nickname of “The Speedster”. He was not just quick, but he could swing the ball at good pace, that was his hallmark. He played 76 Tests, 221 ODIs and 25 T20s in which he took 310, 380 and 28 wickets and also had a handy batting average of 20.15, 17.81 and 16.83 respectively. He retires one wicket shy of McGrath's Australian record of 381 ODI scalps. He has maintained a stunning strike-rate of 29.4 marginally less than Shane Bond’s strike rate 29.2 in ODIs (upto 100 wickets). He is only player to have picked up hat-tricks in both ODIs and T20s and both hat-tricks came in World Cups against Kenya and Bangladesh respectively. He was also the part of Cricket World Cup 2003 winning team and ended the tourney with 22 wickets of 83.1 overs at an average of 17.90, a wicket behind Sri-Lankan left-arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. He hurled down the second highest bowling speed 99.9 mph (160.8 km/h) at Napier, New Zealand, in 2005 slightly less than Akhtar’s fastest 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h).

Brett Lee was feted as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2006 as well as the Wisden Young Cricketer of the Year and Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2000. He was also included in the ODI Team of the Year at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony held in 2005. In ODIs, he was ranked by the ICC as the No. 1 ODI bowler in January 2006. Year 2008 was the golden year of his life span. In this year, he was a celebrated part of the ICC ODI and Test Team of the Year and also acquired Allan Border Medal, Australian Test player of the year and McGilvray Medal.

When somebody has been trying to bowl over 155km/h for 16 years straight, it takes a lot of wear and tear on the body. Thus, Lee suffered several injuries but his comebacks each time were really inspiring. His team spirit, enthusiasm towards games and never give up attitude make him different from other players. His capacity to play through pain is well known but if anything that enhanced his reputation in this regard was the bowling through the latter stages of the triangular CB Series’12 and the West Indies tour’12 with a broken toe and bowling at an average speed of 145 km/h. The decision to return well before predicted eight-week recuperation time was demonstrated his love towards the game. In World Cup’11 quarterfinal match against India, when he sprinted round the boundary and dived full length in a bid to save the boundary, the ball hit on his face and causing a cut to the side of his right eye but he was soon back on the field with a plaster covering the cut and dodged the set batsman Yuvraj Singh by consecutive three fuller deliveries just inside the wide line. That’s the real spirit of the game.

Lee’s contributions are outstanding in world as well as Australian cricket. In his presence, winning rate of Kangaroo team in Tests and ODIs are 71.05% and 69.23% respectively. Throughout his career, Lee played in an Australian team that triumphed nearly every major tournament. Outstandingly, 297 of Lee's 380 wickets came in wins. The percentage of wickets in wins for Lee (78.16%) is second only to McGrath, who picked up 301 of his 381 wickets in wins (79%). He had raised the bar for pace bowlers of this generation by bowling consistently at extremely fast speed even during days before retiring. He inspired young kids to play cricket and bowl fast. His sledging and wicket celebrating style were phenomenal. He never indulged in any indecent form of sledging and sledged the rival player with a witty smile. Although his international playing career has over, he will continue playing in India's lucrative IPL Twenty20 league and Australia's Big Bash T20 series.

There is an artistic side to Lee too, away from the cricket meadow. He plays bass and acoustic guitar for the rock band “Six and Out” alongside other New South Wales cricketers. And he has become enormously popular in India where he wrote and recorded the song “You're the One For Me” with Indian legend Asha Bhonsle, which reached number two on the Indian charts and led to a role in his first Bollywood movie Victory. In 2007, he initiated Mewsic, a charitable foundation which aims to ensure that music is widely recognised as a powerful tool to heal, empower, educated, and advocate for marginalized children in India. So he considered India as his second home. It won't be surprising if Lee is seen removing the dust of his guitar or holding the mike as a commentator in the second phase of his life.

One of the world's great players of the contemporary era retires but his legacy will live on. Whenever someone says cricket is the game of passion, enthusiasm, spirit and never give up attitude, Brett Lee is the paradigm. Many colts, look up to lee, and want to follow his footsteps. He was a good role model to young troupe in all forms of the game. Brett has been an absolute ornament to the game; a fine player, a fierce and brave competitor, a generous opponent and one who always upheld the highest standards of sportsmanship. His charging run up, leaping celebration and flashing smile will be missed by all cricket fans. Truly, Brett Lee is the great ambassador of the game.

MISS YOU "BINGA"

END OF A GREAT AND CLASSIC BATTING ERA......

2012-03-12T05:41:00.005-07:00

"Finally I would like to thank the Indian cricket fan both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. You represent India and just to represent you has been a privilege and one I have always taken very seriously. My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple, it was about giving everything for the team, it was about playing with dignity and about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness, but also with pride." These are the few elite lines which was said by a great cricketing stalwart Rahul Sharad Dravid on his retirement press conference. It was one of the hardest decision which he has ever had to take. It will be interesting to see who will fill the void of Rahul Dravid. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are likely to get this trot.

During his remarkable sixteen years of stint, Dravid attained many cricketing feat. For his patience and temperament in the game, he is recognized by the such type of nickname “ The Wall” and “Mr. Dependable”. He played 164 Tests and 344 ODI matches in which he scored 13,288 and 10,889 runs respectively. He holds record for maximum runs (10,524) batting at No. 3 position. He became the first player to score centuries in every Test-playing nation. He was involved in two of the largest partnerships in ODIs: a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly, the first pair to combine for a 300-run partnership, and then a 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, which is the present world record. He was also the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs. He has faced the highest number of deliveries and holds the record for maximum catches in Test matches with 31,258 and 210 tally respectively. He has also been involved in 88 century partnerships and has been involved in 20 century partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar – a world record.

Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000. He was also awarded the ICC Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony held in 2004. He became the first non-Australian cricketer to address at the Bradman Oration in Canberra. In the all-time best batsmen list, he accommodate No.30 position. In 1998 and 2004, he was awarded the Arjuna award and Padma Shri respectively, by the Government of India.

In his long career, he played a lot of memorable innings but the match-winning effort of Adelaide Test 2003 was the greatest. It was the first time in last two decade, India prevailed over Australia in Australia. By scoring 233 runs and 72 runs (not out) in 1st and 2nd innings respectively, he negated the effort of Ricky Ponting. Every Indian can’t forget that winning moment when Dravid celebrated the triumph with raising his both hands in the sky.

Each new step, each new adventure, brings new richness. Every new dawn brings a totally new world around you. Every decision perfects when it is taken for a right purpose, at a right place and on a right time. Everything is all right but this is not a right place. It is very sadden moment of Dravid’s fan who really want to give a farewell standing ovation to their legend wearing Indian Jersey in a packed stadium. Perhaps, all good things will have to an end.

Dravid’s contributions are remarkable in Indian Cricket. He didn’t enjoy keep wicket but took it as a challenge, to see how good he could be. Due to this acceptance of challenge, India was the runner-up of 2003 World Cup. Mostly people forget a great contribution of Dravid which give a new height of Indian Cricket after a long time before world. “Any senior player will not play international T-20 cricket”, this decision was taken by Dravid and it was absolutely right. Finally, India lift ICC T-20 World Cup 2007 with a young gun.

Talent without hard work does not carry you far. Dravid combined both. He was a great student of a game. Modern cricket didn’t see a better batsmen who knew which ball to leave. His batting was trade mark, a throwback to the good old days of textbook cricket. He epitomized it perfectly. He was the master at staying patient for long, long periods of time. Truly, Dravid is impregnable for opposition.

He played in an era of many great players but at the time of retirement, he acknowledged as a legend. Whenever somebody says cricket is a gentlemen’s game, Rahul dravid is the perfect example. Rahul Dravid, a man of indomitable will, retires...cricket loses one of its finest batsmen, sportmen, one of its finest gentlemen but his legacy will live on. Dravid’s retirement is the biggest lose of cricket in last two decade. Nobody shall come another man like this. Cricket fans will now miss seeing a player in whites, walking in at one-down and quelling aggressive bowlers. Really, Rahul Dravid is the Roger Federer of Cricket.

MISS YOU JAMMY

WORLD CHAMPIONS DOWN UNDER.........

2011-12-25T15:31:00.001-08:00

The most anticipated test series will kick off on Boxing Day (26 Dec) at 5:00 (IST), when most of the Indians fall asleep. But die hard cricket fans will be waiting for the rising sun. This is the India’s tenth tour in Australia. India never won a test series in Australia and also a Boxing Day test. First time on down under tour, India are looking favourite to win this series. Possibly, it is the last tour of India’s batting treble on Kangaroo’s land. So they would certainly want to leave it on a high note. Both team have meet in 78 test matches, in which, India won 20 and lost 35 matches. Whereas out of 36 played in Australia, India were able to win 5 and lost 22 matches.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure. Success is never ending, failure is never final. Australian cricket is being criticized all around the world. After the retirement of the some legend, undoubtedly, Australian Cricket is going through a rebuilding phase. Always remember, building phase is the most beautiful phase in this universe. It is just a cricketing cycle where a country has some of the greatest players in the world and they keep winning so their team appears to be the best. When the team is doing well, it doesn’t matter, but when the results are not on your side, things begin to look ugly.

World Champions India proved that teams don’t grow strong without a struggle. Fine form of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid can humiliate the vulnerable and inexperienced Aussies pace attack. Visitors triple batting maestro’s average surges at their career averages, in Australian conditions. Sehwag is also looking on career best form. Both Australian openers are rookies southpaw and left handers are the favourite bunny of Zaheer. This left-arm medium-pacer will have to bear the burnt of India’s bowling responsibility throughout the tour. Fitness of Zaheer khan and Ishant Sharma is the main concerns of Indian side. Star-studded team India looks formidable like Australian aura of invincibility.

Amid a sea of new faces in Oz squad, James Pattinson can create a danger to India’s experienced hand. A young bowler with well aggression and raw pace can amaze the Indian batsmen. Brittleness in batting line up and Big Bash tournament are the main niggles of hosting side. Perhaps, this is the last gamble of Australian selectors on two experienced players Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey. Remember experience always comes in handy in the long run. It is the moment of reckoning for Ponting and Hussey. Repetition of Ponting shows that Aussie side have a lack of bunches of adept batsmen. Former captain can take inspiration from Sachin’s and Dravid’s comeback and move one step ahead.

Last tour of India in Australia is famous for Monkeygate scandal and poor umpiring. Innovation is being applied in almost all the sports. But Indian team doesn’t feel comfortable with UDRS. India’s refusal to accept the technology has upset players as well as viewers. In the absence of the UDRS, the on-field umpires will once again be the masters of a cricket field.

This series is the contention between former and current World Champions. Champions are not supernatural, they just fight one more second when everyone else quits; sometimes one second of effort gives you the victory. Finally, the battle for Border-Gavaskar trophy will be over at the end of January. The team that will remain ahead in the closed contests between bat and bowl will win this trophy. But remember, fielding skills play such an important role in the game & often proves the difference between winning and losing.

After all, the top three highest run-getters in tests- Sachin Tendulkar (15,183 ), Rahul Dravid (13,094) and Ricky Ponting (12,656)- will all be playing in this series. For cricket fans, it is a great pleasure to see the three batting heroes on a single turf.

A CUP TO REMEMBER............

2011-04-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

The mega event of 43 days of cricket is over. This time, the tag of world champion was gone to India. After 28 years, finally MS Dhoni sat on the crowned seat which was sat alone by Kapil Dev. By winning World Cup, Team India (Men in Blue) have put billion of smiles across billion of faces. Team unity is the main reason behind this achievement. Many players of team India was playing cricket together for couple of years. Some words for Gary Kirsten.

Gary Kirsten has taken responsibility to coach India when Indian team has demolished by early exit of World Cup 2007. Twice times beating Australia in India, No.1 in test, levelling test series against South Africa in Africa and a World cup triumph are enough to shows his ability in this job. Under his coaching, India play 32 test and 89 ODI matches with 50% and 65.29% winning rate respectively. Due to personal reason, Kirsten say goodbye to India after this World Cup. It was one of the hardest goodbyes which he has ever had to say. It will be interesting to see who will fill up the shoes of Gary Kirsten.

A successful team is one, who knows his strengths but knows his weakness better. India have deep batting line up but bowling was quiet simple. But each bowler known his limitation. Unsung hero Munaf Patel do bowl with good line and length at average speed instead of raising pace. Off-sppiner Harbhajan do bowl for restricting run instead of taking wicket. Great comeback by prodigy prince Yuvraj Singh.This was not the first time Yuvraj have performed for India. But, the timing was perfect. With four man of the match awards, he has joined Aravinda de Silva (1996) and Lance Klusner (1999). For Sachin, winning World Cup is the greatest moment ever.

Coming into this World Cup, the aura of invincibility that Australia had been cloaked in for nearly a decade and a half was not quite there. Australian fielding and their never-say-die attitudes is still very much there, but the class and skills that made them such a dominant team for almost two decades is simply not there. Australia's bullying tactics failed miserably simply because these bullies did not have the intrinsic ability to back their words with skills that the McGraths and Warnes had. The next stage for Australia will, no doubt, be a period of rebuilding.

Super Chokers choked again. South Africa proved that why are they call choker? In World Cup history, South Africa never won a knock out matches. In the league phase, South Africa are only team to have bowled out every opposition. But in quater-final, Kiwis choked Africa . New Zealand performed above the expectation for reaching semifinal in sixth times in World Cup history. New Zealand had a nightmarish series of one-day losses in Bangladesh last year, but they learnt their lesson well.

Sri Lanka are one of the most formidable teams at home and England had the first-hand experience of that in their quaterfinals. England have been the most entertaining team in this World Cup. Their thrilling tie against India, their nail-bitting victories over West Indies, Netherlands and SA and their shocking defeats to underdogs Ireland and Bangladesh have given their supporters a roller-coaster ride.

Main problem faced by many teams in this World Cup was the use of batting powerplay. Basically batting powerplay turned match in the favour of batting team. But, at many ocassions it favoured fielding side. India vs South Africa match is the best example. When players hit big shots in powerplay, they tend to forget that they are playing for the country and not for the crowd. This World Cup will also be remembered for injuries. Many players have injured before starting as well as during World Cup games.

"Only ten test playing nation will be the part of the next two World Cup", said by ICC. Ireland finished the World Cup with two wins having successfully chased down 300 plus totals on both ocasions and will head home with the heads held high. Teams which have the mental strength to chase down 300 plus totals have to be respected. The Irish win was a fitting reply to the assertion that the non-Test-playing teams have no place in the World Cup. For associates team, there is no point to playing cricket if you don't think you can win the game. We cannot ignore the talent of associates team such like as Ryan Ten Doeschate, Peter Borren, Hiral Patel, Ashish Bagai, Collins Obuyo, Kevin O Brien, William Porterfield. Any team don't grow strong without a struggle. Big question arises against ICC decision is that why would you want to take the World out of the World Cup?

Some words for India vs Pakistan match. People of both countries are emotionals and sentimentals so they see the match in such a way that there is a war between them. Cricket is the game of meeting of two brothers. So just enjoy game and accept the result sportingly. Cricket is a passion in both countries and it can be used as a very positive tool to improve relations and remove misunderstandings.

After one and a half month of mouth watering competitions, the best team among the all i.e. Team “INDIA” lifted the World cup trophy.

The Greatest Cricketing Festival...dil se...

2011-02-16T00:40:00.000-08:00

The tenth Cricket World Cup will held in Indian sub-continent (India, Sri lanka & Bangladesh). Whenever World Cup has been organised in Indian sub-continent asian teams have performed well. In World Cup 1987, India & Pakistan reached semifinal stage whereas in WC 96, India & Srilanka reached the semis.Till now, nine World Cups have been held, in which Australia have won four times, West-Indies twice time whereas India, Pakistan & Srilanka have been lucky once. In this World Cup, will a new champion be crowned?

World Cup is also knows as a stage for innovations like in World Cup 1987, Steve Waugh applied slower balls by fast bowlers in slog overs to dodge batsmen. WC 92, New Zealand's captain Martin Crowe gave new ball to the off spinner Deepak Patel. World Cup 1996, Srilankan captain Ranatunga opened their batting by Jayasuriya & kaluwitharana as a pinch-hitters to take advantage of field restrictions in the first fifteen overs. WC 2003, Indian skipper Ganguly used Dravid as a wicket keeper to include extra batsman in the squad. In the final of World Cup 2007, Gilchrist put a small squash ball in gloves to improve his grip. These innovations really gave good results.

In this World Cup, 14 nations are participating which are divided into two groups.

Group A- Australia, Pakistan, Srilanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Canada.

Group B- India, South Africa, England, West-Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.

In the semifinals & final matches, Umpire Decision Referral System (UDRS) will be used. But besides this, we will miss some great players who have played World Cup 2007 like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Glenn Mcgrath, Nathan Bracken, Brian Lara, Shane Bond, Stephen Fleming, Inzamam-ul-haq, Mohmad Yusuf, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Herchells Gibbs, Andrew Flintoff and Marshafe Mortaza.

In cricket nothing is impossible and so all 14 nations are capable of winning this World Cup. But India is the best contender. They will have huge amount of home advantage. The god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar having a career best form will certainly want to accomplish his dream. After filling of no.7 batting slot by Yousuf Pathan, winning chances will be enhanced. For chasing big totals, if more wickets are in hand then India can chase any total in last ten overs. Besides this there are some disadvantages for Indian team, extra pressure of expectations of the home crowd. Injuries are also worries. Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir missed last SA series due to injury. Also Praveen kumar who was strength of Indian bowling has been dropped due to injury. Selection of Piyush Chawla is ridiculous because Yuvraj, Sehwag, Pathan & Raina are doing good spin bowling & giving lot of varieties. The most key players are Sachin, Sehwag, Kohli, Pathan, Harbhajan & Zaheer Khan.

Defending champion Australia is also a big contender. Some advantages for Australian team. They are more experienced team than others. Brett Lee is reckoning in Australian team & also having good touch. Under Ricky Ponting's captaincy Australia have never lost a single match of World Cup. Fighting spirit & ability to bounce back at any time makes them an unbeatable team. Some disadvantages for Australia team are: Injuries, M Hussey and N Hauritz have been dropped from the squad. Lack of quality spinners & poor form of Ponting can also affect the World Cup winning streak. The players to watch out are Watson, Ponting, D Hussey, White, S Smith & Brett Lee.

South Africa also look strong contender for this world cup. They will try to remove the image of Chokers. The advatages for Proteas are: they consist world's best pace attack capable of demolishing any batting line-up. Steyn's aggression, Morkel's bounce & Kallis's all-round performance are sufficient for lifting World Cup trophy. As a skipper it is the last series for Smith so he would certainly want to leave it on a high note. Ignorance of Boucher from the squad can take a toll on African team. He is a good batsman against spin & his exclusion has put extra pressure of wicket keeping on De Villers and its affectig his form. This can be a major disadvantage for them. The key players will be G Smith, Amla, Kallis, Steyn & Morne Morkel.

But don't forget dark horses like Srilanka, Pakistan, England, New Zealand & West-Indies. Srilanka will also enjoy the support of home crowd. This is the last series of Muralitharan so it will be great to leave game with the high of a World Cup triumph. But they will certainly miss the experience of Jayasuriya & Vaas. Batting of Srilanka totally depends on Sangakara & Jayawardene. Most key players are Dilshan, Jayawerdene, Sangakara, Matthews & Muralitharan.

No one can altogether predict Pakistan's chances in the World Cup. They have capability to do well. No other team in the World Cup has genuine batting match winners at No.6, 7 & 8 in Umar Akmal, Afridi & Razzaq. It means no target is too big & no game is over till the last wicket has fallen. But they will miss the services of Yousuf, Asif & Amir. Late declaration of the captain may also have hampered the team unity. The key players for Pakistan will be Misbah, Umar Akmal, Afridi, Razzak, Akhtar & Gul.

New Zealand have the good combination of seniors and young players. The strength of Black Caps lies in the fact that most of the players are all-rounders. Plus point of this team is the support of the most demanded coach John Wright who is competely aware of the sub-continent conditions & the experience of Allan Donald as a bowling coach. But the lack of consistency and the habit to panic easily can demolish their dream of winning first World Cup. McCullum bros, Taylor, Vettori, Franklin, Oram & Southee are certainly key players.

Ashes winning team & T20 champions England would not want to lag behind and aspire to win their second ICC trophy. Losing the last ODI series against Australia & injuries can sag their morale. Strauss, Trott, Pietersen, Morgan, Swann & Broad can play a great role in the road to World Cup.

Under the lights of Gayle, Chandrapaul, Bravo & Pollard West-Indies definitely want to regain the charm of 70's.

Remaining underdogs should not be taken lightly. In World Cup 2003, Kenya amazed everyone by reaching the semis. They can surely be a headache to major teams. Indian & Pakistan defeats by Bangladesh & Ireland respectively in 07 WC can not be forgotten. The beginning of professionalism in Cricket in Ireland, Netherlands & Canada should improve their performance this time. Talents like T Iqbal, S ul Hasan (BAN), B Taylor, E Chigambura (ZIM), Brien bros, B Rankin (IRE), J Davison (CAN), S Tikolo (KEN), RT Doesachte,T Cooper (NET) can't be underestimated.

All cricket fans should be following WC 11 closely. As it might be the last time to see the legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Shoiab Akhtar & Muttiah Muralitharan performing on the biggest cricketing arena. All cricket fans are wishing:-

KHELO DIL SE

IS VIRENDER SEHWAG A BIG MATCH WINNER FOR INDIAN CRICKET?

2010-09-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

In present time, India is no.1 team in ICC test rankings. It has been achieved by team effort. For this achievement, Sehwag plays a very important role. This blog post focusses on Sehwag’s contribution to Indian team. For winning matches, it doesn’t matter how long you spend time on crease but the more important is how long other team bats. Test match is more about taking 20 wickets than scoring lot of runs. More time for bowling side, greater are the chances to take 20 wickets. There are more chances of winning if a team devotes more sessions on bowling than batting. So if a team is looking positively for win rather than a draw it is necessary it provides about eight-nine sessions for the other team to bat. Doing this the team will be left with six–seven sessions to bat for itself. So for scoring a big total in this left over period it is necessary that team scores runs at a rate of 3.50 to 4.00. This means if a side has to win the match it should also give importance to the run rate.

When Virender Sehwag plays well, then run rate soars at about 5.00-5.50. After he leaves the crease the run rate sags. Finally overall run rate is about 3.50-3.80 which is good for making a sufficient total. So it can be concluded that run rate also matters in winning a test match. Sehwag is also known for playing long innings. He has played 79 test matches and scored 7039 runs. Doing this he has hit 21 hundreds and thirteen times he reached the feet of 150. Sehwag has a strike rate of 81.56 with average of 54.14 in test. He has hit two triple hundred in test matches. Sir Don Bradman and Brian Lara have also hit triple hundred twice.

Sehwag can also act as a breakthrough bowler. Till now he has taken 39 wickets with a 5-wicket haul. On Sri Lanka tour 2010, his bowling figures were better than Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha. In test, he has won man of the match award eight times and five times has been awarded man of the series.

Sehwag doesn’t play well in fourth match innings. He has played 52 innings and scored 546 runs at an meagre average of 28.73 with just five 50s. But one inning will always be remembered by every Indian as well as barmy-army. It was first test match of England tour of India 2008, in Chennai. India needed 387 runs to win and four sessions were left. The condition of pitch wasn’t good. In the last session of fourth day Sehwag hit throttling 83 runs of just 68 deliveries with 11 fours and 4 sixes. So on fifth day , India required a modest 256 runs which was easily made by Sachin and Yuvraj.

For a vague idea of who is the biggest match winner for India, we are taking reference of this data(courtesy cricinfo). This data sheet shows few Indian greats with their total matches. It shows how many times has India won , lost or drawn the match when they were in playing eleven. By the study we can observe that losing percent is almost same under every player but the winning percentage is comparatively higher when Sehwag plays. Thus it won’t be tough to say Sehwag is a big match winner for India.

PLAYER	MATCHES	WON	LOST	DRAWN	WIN%	LOSS%
SUNIL GAVASKAR	125	23	34	68*	18.4	27.2
KAPIL DEV	131	24	31	76*	18.32	23.66
SACHIN TENDULKAR	169	57	45	67	33.73	26.62
ANIL KUMBLE	132	43	33	56	32.58	25.00
VIRENDER SEHWAG	79	31	19	29	39.24	24.05

(*) as a superscript above figures show that a match was tie