(Inspired from my earlier post on 10 reasons to support the English football Team)
So the IPL madness is on once again. Fans of Shahrukh khan, Shilpa Shetty, Deepika Padukone, Preity zinta and even Shashi Tharoor have joined the cricket crazy people in the frenzy. In this chaos, I am sure the Delhi owners might have felt really left out in the first 3 seasons. Poor souls are not celebrities nor they have political contacts, neither they have “talented” sons with famous gf’s. The team was also a mid table team - neither brilliant nor controversial to attract any attention. In such a scenario, GMR Group was clearly the most unknown of the owners. So this year they decided to do something so daft, that everyone would jump up and ask – “Who the hell are the owners of this team???”
Anyways, I still feel supporting Delhi Daredevils is still the best bet for anybody thinking of enjoying the next two months. Here are my reasons -
1. When you look at Irfan Pathan you realize that no matter if the majority of the people in the world feel you are completely useless, there is always someone somewhere who values you at a price of Rs 4.5 crore. Life is always about finding such “special someone” :D
2. You can always put up super funny facebook status messages about any DD player. You are bound to get 1000 likes from all DD fans because all of them are busy surfing facebook instead of watching the match
3. Such things help you emphatize better with Bangladeshi cricket fans. Imagine they have been going through the same emotions for the past 10 years. Hence, supporting Delhi will make you a better person. (Delhi people, most of all need to develop such emotions)
4. A loser team always helps you appreciate the other team’s performance better. Infact, even amateur players like Maneria will start looking good when they play against your team. So if you are DD fan, you will feel future of Indian cricket is in secure hands.
5. No Market Risk - If somehow tomorrow all cricket boards decide to call back all international players to their countries, other franchisees will run for cover while DD will be completely unaffected. Afterall, they have only 1 international in the entire squad
6. The match might get so boring that you will switch channels to Star Cricket and watch India winning the WC 2011 100th time. Since every Indian is bound to watch it a million times in the future, DD fans are getting a solid head start.
7. Suddenly Mithun Minhas, Manoj Tiwari and Amit Mishra have started performing. It is a clear learning to all Delhi fans that respect all things you have in your life. Coz you will understand their true value only once they are gone.
8. Warrant Buffet, Who??? GMR people are the biggest corporate philanthropists in the world. They have spent so much on forgotten talent of Indian cricket – Agarkar, pathan, V Rao with the hope that they will rise to the occasion and prove themselves.
9. After two years, everybody will remember the winner but nobody will remember the losing finalists. So for 8 other teams, this year would be as meaningless as for DD. Their fans will have to needlessly suffer from the agony of finishing 5th or losing a close final match. DD fans can thoroughly enjoy the dancing cheer girls, Page 3 celebs of other teams without worrying about their team's performance.
10. Most importantly, DD fans can now concentrate on their hobbies, interests that are not related to cricket. For example, in my case this blog was not updated since the WC started. I had no intentions of posting anything till the end of the IPL, but my team’s performance forced me to. So In case you have a gf or a wife, its time you concentrate on her and forget cricket for a while because immediately after the IPL it’s the England tour then the WI tour followed by the Australian tour.
PS: Delhi could be well on their way towards creating history. And we as DD fans should be proud about what we are about to endure over the next three years. It will help us become stronger persons :D
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Friday, August 20, 2010
ICC to conduct entrance exam for all international players
Dubai: Irritated by the constant flouting of its rules the ICC has decided to conduct a compulsory entrance exam for all international players. All players, young and old must qualify by clearing this test and only then, will they be made eligible for play in international matches. There have been numerous instances in the past two months were international players have been commissioned to the refree’s room. The recent incident occurred yesterday when Kyle Mills who breached the warm up rule (Rule 17.1)and was suspended for half an hour from bowling. Mills later reported that he was not aware of the rule. Shocked by this, the ICC has decided to start this entrance test. A top ranking ICC official talked to the media - “We want all players to know all the rules and sections by heart so that they maintain discipline and spirit of the game. The test will be a simple way to ensure that no players blame the lawmakers after breaching it later”. The course curriculum for the exam will consist of the following sections –
1. All laws, sections, subsections and the punishments enforced in the ICC rulebook.
2. Abuses in all basic international cricketing languages – English, Australian, Hindi, Urdu, Swahili and Zulu
3. Basic corporate and media etiquettes
4. Guide to the spirit of cricket and integrity – A book written by an ICC panel
The boards of all cricketing nations have reacted differently to ICC’s decision. ACB was happy saying that all their players were already adept at point No 2 and hence it is unlikely that they will face any problem coping with the new law. The PCB is however enraged at the new development and claimed it to be a conspiracy of the west. PCB chief Izaz Butt told fakingnews “We have a different schooling system in Pakistan. At the age of 5, parents of the students decide if they want their sons to become a bureaucrat, terrorist or a cricketer. Only the future bureaucrats are sent to a proper school, terrorists are sent to the JeT academy in PoK and the cricketers are thrown on the streets. How will these cricketers face an exam? They have never been trained to face one. It is clear that the world is threatened by Pakistan’s brilliant performance in the third test. They want to kill our cricket.”
In India , Raj Thackery has threatened the ICC that if such an entrance exam is started, Marathi abuses should also be a taught because most of the Indian cricketers are Maharastrians. Mayawati has already demanded a different cut off for SC and OBC’s in the exam. Freeriding sid contacted Shashank Manohar who was relaxed about the whole issue “The BCCI has already made a committee that will raise our issues with the ICC. I am sure they will either be ready to incorporate these demands or decide to cancel the idea altogether. Because if they don’t we will threaten to sever all ties with the ICC. I am sure they don’t want to get into such a soup.”
It is also being reported that some Indian parents have already started sending their children to various coaching centers who have started claiming that they are well equipped to teach students how to crack this exam too. “We have already employed a few ex umpires, cricketers and commentators in our faculty. Indians would not be facing a problem i.e only if they join our coaching center” said an excited CL Pillai, head of a reputed CAT Coaching center.
Blame it on the laws not randiv
Wrote it for sportskeeda.com and publised on 20 August 2010
Had Suraj Randiv balled that ball in street cricket, we would have called him street smart. Unfortunately for him he was playing international cricket and that too against a team which is to cricket what USA is to the world – a big fat bully. It is indeed ironical that the Indian media is chastising Randiv for doing something at which they are experts themselves - Manipulating the law without technically breaking it. I am not trying to play devil’s advocate by rationalizing Randiv’s actions, but I think the blame for his actions should go somewhere else. The laws of the game were created to please the MCC pensioners and are too archaic for the modern world. The very definition of what is acceptable or ethical behavior has changed. The stakes and emotions are much higher than what used to be and modern players have to keep those in mind before thinking about the spirit of the game. Would you call a batsman walking at a crucial stage of the World Cup final moral and honest? I would say he is cheating his team mates and countrymen by depriving them a chance of winning the greatest honor. If you compare our modern day cricketers to diving footballers, corrupt CWG officials, sensationalizing media they would come across as saints. Even today, cricketers generally display the best of behaviors and spirit of cricket. All of them have silly moments and incidences like Randiv’s are just a one off. I have even seen the Wall, The great Rahul Dravid take a catch on one bounce. He did not claim it but the umpire gave the batsman out as it is and he walked. Technically, Dravid never broke a law. The match was at a crucial stage and I am sure Dravid felt winning a test match for India is more important than his own supreme image. What is cheating for some is patriotic for others. It is responsibility of the law makers to design laws that are easy to understand and commonsensical and let cricketers play cricket without worrying about other things. Some of the laws which I find totally unacceptable are
1.Abolishing the mankeded law –A runner to move out of his crease before the ball is bowled is clearly cheating. Then why was it expected for the bowler not to manked him without warning. I am amazed that we had so few instances of bowler’s mankeding batsmen when it was allowed. Even then, for some reason ICC abolished it giving a license to the batsmen to cheat. We are not far away from a day when batsmen would steal a bye on the last ball of the innings of an ODI with the runner having run half way out even before the ball was bowled.
2.Penalty for running on the pitch –If I was the team’s coach of a side batting first, I will order all my batsmen to run on the pitch and damage it for our bowlers to exploit because never will an umpire dare to penalize 5 runs. All umpires give 2-3 warnings and only threaten the players about the penalty. I have never seen it enforced. A foreign umpire doing it against a sub continental team is even less likely because it will definitely lead to a huge backlash. Shouldn’t the batsman be penalized the way bowlers are, by sending them back to the pavilion.
3.The funniest rule is the one which Suraj Randiv just exploited and is related to the ending of the match. Firstly, the law is very difficult to interpret. According to it, if a team needs only one run to win and if the last ball goes for a four but the batsmen have crossed it will be counted as one run. The assertion here is faulty. When the batsmen crossed, there was still a possibility of the ball being stopped and the batsmen being run out. Hence, “technically” the match should end only when the ball crosses the boundary line and thus the batsman should get 4 runs. Please go and explain it to the ICC
Similarly, what would have happened if Randiv’s ball would have bounced thrice before reaching Sehwag. It would have become a dead ball right. And a dead ball cannot be a no ball, therefore the match should only finish once the ball reaches the batsman. Isn’t it? I neither have the inclination or the time to find out. In case you have, please explain it to me.
Had Suraj Randiv balled that ball in street cricket, we would have called him street smart. Unfortunately for him he was playing international cricket and that too against a team which is to cricket what USA is to the world – a big fat bully. It is indeed ironical that the Indian media is chastising Randiv for doing something at which they are experts themselves - Manipulating the law without technically breaking it. I am not trying to play devil’s advocate by rationalizing Randiv’s actions, but I think the blame for his actions should go somewhere else. The laws of the game were created to please the MCC pensioners and are too archaic for the modern world. The very definition of what is acceptable or ethical behavior has changed. The stakes and emotions are much higher than what used to be and modern players have to keep those in mind before thinking about the spirit of the game. Would you call a batsman walking at a crucial stage of the World Cup final moral and honest? I would say he is cheating his team mates and countrymen by depriving them a chance of winning the greatest honor. If you compare our modern day cricketers to diving footballers, corrupt CWG officials, sensationalizing media they would come across as saints. Even today, cricketers generally display the best of behaviors and spirit of cricket. All of them have silly moments and incidences like Randiv’s are just a one off. I have even seen the Wall, The great Rahul Dravid take a catch on one bounce. He did not claim it but the umpire gave the batsman out as it is and he walked. Technically, Dravid never broke a law. The match was at a crucial stage and I am sure Dravid felt winning a test match for India is more important than his own supreme image. What is cheating for some is patriotic for others. It is responsibility of the law makers to design laws that are easy to understand and commonsensical and let cricketers play cricket without worrying about other things. Some of the laws which I find totally unacceptable are
1.Abolishing the mankeded law –A runner to move out of his crease before the ball is bowled is clearly cheating. Then why was it expected for the bowler not to manked him without warning. I am amazed that we had so few instances of bowler’s mankeding batsmen when it was allowed. Even then, for some reason ICC abolished it giving a license to the batsmen to cheat. We are not far away from a day when batsmen would steal a bye on the last ball of the innings of an ODI with the runner having run half way out even before the ball was bowled.
2.Penalty for running on the pitch –If I was the team’s coach of a side batting first, I will order all my batsmen to run on the pitch and damage it for our bowlers to exploit because never will an umpire dare to penalize 5 runs. All umpires give 2-3 warnings and only threaten the players about the penalty. I have never seen it enforced. A foreign umpire doing it against a sub continental team is even less likely because it will definitely lead to a huge backlash. Shouldn’t the batsman be penalized the way bowlers are, by sending them back to the pavilion.
3.The funniest rule is the one which Suraj Randiv just exploited and is related to the ending of the match. Firstly, the law is very difficult to interpret. According to it, if a team needs only one run to win and if the last ball goes for a four but the batsmen have crossed it will be counted as one run. The assertion here is faulty. When the batsmen crossed, there was still a possibility of the ball being stopped and the batsmen being run out. Hence, “technically” the match should end only when the ball crosses the boundary line and thus the batsman should get 4 runs. Please go and explain it to the ICC
Similarly, what would have happened if Randiv’s ball would have bounced thrice before reaching Sehwag. It would have become a dead ball right. And a dead ball cannot be a no ball, therefore the match should only finish once the ball reaches the batsman. Isn’t it? I neither have the inclination or the time to find out. In case you have, please explain it to me.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Why I love the IPL!!!!
After writing a few posts on MBA and student life, I am back to writing about the topic I love most – Cricket. I have read a large number of cartoons and blogs belittling the IPL and its overboard spending. Although sometimes even I feel that I am watching very little cricket in between all the adds but yet I love the IPL for various reasons that I wish to present here. You are entitled to your own opinion, but as I always say this is my space and I can write whatever I want to –
1 Purists say it will kill Test Cricket. I feel it is akin to makers of Rolls Royce being worried about Tata Nano’s launch. As any marketing student would tell you, Nike is never worried about counterfeits because a person buying a counterfeit will never buy an original. Similarly, a person who just loves the slam bam and glamour of TT cricket would never appreciate Rahul Dravid’s defense. Infact, TT would help in separating the masses from the classes. I personally absolutely hate watching cricket with ignorant experts who feel that chasing 400 in a test match on a last day is a walk in the park because you require only 4 RPO. Its great for the game if such people stay away from Test cricket. The biggest success of the IPL is that it has brought new viewers to the game. Thus it is only increasing the reach of the game we all love. Test cricket will stay, supported only by those who really understand the game and want to see a battle between bat and ball and not just boom boom afridi.
2. I love the IPL for the sake of the Rajat Bhatia’s & Mithun Manhas’s of the world. These are players who have toiled for years in the Indian domestic circuit playing in spite of empty stands, immense heat and dirty politics in return of no recognition and very little money. Probably, its only the love of the game, passion and a hope that drives them. Hope of recognition and success. Some people would argue that these players are unsuccessful and hence do not deserve this recognition. Considering that every young boy born in India after 1983 has atleast once in his life dreamt of becoming a cricket player and only a handful of them are lucky enough to play in the domestic circuit, these players are super successful. If cricket was like a CAT exam, they would be in the high 99.9 percentile zone. They surely deserved more credit than they used to get. For the sake of those players who have given it all in the domestic scene but are not able to make it to the international level because of luck or little lack of talent I love the IPL.
3. The earliest memory I have of cricket is England’s Tour of India in 1993 famous for a double hundred scored by a certain Vinod Kambli. The English wicketkeeper on that tour was some guy called blackey, because the main wicket keeper Alec Stewart simply refused to tour India. It was a norm during those days. Loads of English players had refused earlier tours either feigning injuries or citing personal reasons. These were the pre terrorism days and security was not an issue. Its amazing to think that the same country’s team decided to continue with the tour after one of the worst terrorist attacks in the world hit India. Quite obviously it was in the name of “WORLD PEACE”
And its not only the English. Australia’s great ambassador of peace who wants to resolve the racist attacks in Australia, ordered specially made food from Australia as late as the 98 tour. A well known joke running during those times was that Australians suffer from food poisoning just after hearing that the food that they were served was washed in tap water.
I am sure the same process is still followed. But suddenly, India is the place to play cricket. It is the center of the world. They say its because of the passion and the crowd support. Its baloney!! Indian crowds were as passionate in 80’s or the 90’s. Only one thing has changed and we all know what it is and i love the IPL for bringing out the splurge in the open and attracting the materialistic foreigners to my country.
4. Richie Benaud in an interview quoted a young Australian batsman whose ultimate dream was to play in the IPL. He did not mention the baggie green. He wanted to play the IPL. Sign of the future perhaps!!
Because it sells million dollar dreams to many young cricketers around the world and particularly in India, I love the IPL.
5. Some boards feel that it will destroy the game in other countries because the boards don’t have enough money to keep their players and they would go into retirement to play in the IPL. Why should India be worried about the same. All the other Indian sports have suffered because of the exact same reason, and it is not India’s prerogative to look after other boards and their concerns. We are a nation that is large enough and strong enough to run our own sport, even if others suddenly stop playing. If baseball can have a world series played in a single country, cricket can also have an all powerful league.
India has ruled the game of cricket for the past ten years and IPL is just a show of strength. Unfortunately, our team has not been the best in the world and hence we needed another kind of reminder to the world that it is India who rules the game. I know the views are slightly strong but I just love the IPL – not necessarily for the cricket (because I am a purist :-)) but for what it represents.
1 Purists say it will kill Test Cricket. I feel it is akin to makers of Rolls Royce being worried about Tata Nano’s launch. As any marketing student would tell you, Nike is never worried about counterfeits because a person buying a counterfeit will never buy an original. Similarly, a person who just loves the slam bam and glamour of TT cricket would never appreciate Rahul Dravid’s defense. Infact, TT would help in separating the masses from the classes. I personally absolutely hate watching cricket with ignorant experts who feel that chasing 400 in a test match on a last day is a walk in the park because you require only 4 RPO. Its great for the game if such people stay away from Test cricket. The biggest success of the IPL is that it has brought new viewers to the game. Thus it is only increasing the reach of the game we all love. Test cricket will stay, supported only by those who really understand the game and want to see a battle between bat and ball and not just boom boom afridi.
2. I love the IPL for the sake of the Rajat Bhatia’s & Mithun Manhas’s of the world. These are players who have toiled for years in the Indian domestic circuit playing in spite of empty stands, immense heat and dirty politics in return of no recognition and very little money. Probably, its only the love of the game, passion and a hope that drives them. Hope of recognition and success. Some people would argue that these players are unsuccessful and hence do not deserve this recognition. Considering that every young boy born in India after 1983 has atleast once in his life dreamt of becoming a cricket player and only a handful of them are lucky enough to play in the domestic circuit, these players are super successful. If cricket was like a CAT exam, they would be in the high 99.9 percentile zone. They surely deserved more credit than they used to get. For the sake of those players who have given it all in the domestic scene but are not able to make it to the international level because of luck or little lack of talent I love the IPL.
3. The earliest memory I have of cricket is England’s Tour of India in 1993 famous for a double hundred scored by a certain Vinod Kambli. The English wicketkeeper on that tour was some guy called blackey, because the main wicket keeper Alec Stewart simply refused to tour India. It was a norm during those days. Loads of English players had refused earlier tours either feigning injuries or citing personal reasons. These were the pre terrorism days and security was not an issue. Its amazing to think that the same country’s team decided to continue with the tour after one of the worst terrorist attacks in the world hit India. Quite obviously it was in the name of “WORLD PEACE”
And its not only the English. Australia’s great ambassador of peace who wants to resolve the racist attacks in Australia, ordered specially made food from Australia as late as the 98 tour. A well known joke running during those times was that Australians suffer from food poisoning just after hearing that the food that they were served was washed in tap water.
I am sure the same process is still followed. But suddenly, India is the place to play cricket. It is the center of the world. They say its because of the passion and the crowd support. Its baloney!! Indian crowds were as passionate in 80’s or the 90’s. Only one thing has changed and we all know what it is and i love the IPL for bringing out the splurge in the open and attracting the materialistic foreigners to my country.
4. Richie Benaud in an interview quoted a young Australian batsman whose ultimate dream was to play in the IPL. He did not mention the baggie green. He wanted to play the IPL. Sign of the future perhaps!!
Because it sells million dollar dreams to many young cricketers around the world and particularly in India, I love the IPL.
5. Some boards feel that it will destroy the game in other countries because the boards don’t have enough money to keep their players and they would go into retirement to play in the IPL. Why should India be worried about the same. All the other Indian sports have suffered because of the exact same reason, and it is not India’s prerogative to look after other boards and their concerns. We are a nation that is large enough and strong enough to run our own sport, even if others suddenly stop playing. If baseball can have a world series played in a single country, cricket can also have an all powerful league.
India has ruled the game of cricket for the past ten years and IPL is just a show of strength. Unfortunately, our team has not been the best in the world and hence we needed another kind of reminder to the world that it is India who rules the game. I know the views are slightly strong but I just love the IPL – not necessarily for the cricket (because I am a purist :-)) but for what it represents.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Afridi pledges to take revenge on Sachin
Ok, This one is inspired by fakingnews. My dedication to the great
Pakistan's dashing all rounder Shahid Afridi has pledged that he will take revenge from Sachin Tendulkar. Afridi believes that Sachin's record breaking 200 not out was an insult to Pakistan because it broke Saeed anwar's long standing record and its a matter of pride for the nation. Afridi believes that it is no big deal to score a double hundred in one dayers and he can do it in double quick time. He was supported by Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan coach - " Afridi once scored a 100 in 37 balls. (After doing some tuff mental calculations)So he needs a mere 64 deliveries to complete 200. Its only a small matter of him surviving that long" Afridi, who has been 26 years of age for the past 6 years definitely has age on his side. Rashid Latif, another former Pakistan captain reasoned " The boy has atleast 20 years of cricket left in him, he can surely break the record". Last heard the Pakistani defence minister has issued a warning to all Pakistani players that they should break the record within the next year otherwise their salaries will be cut. Yasir Arafat, a young cricketer said "Thats great news, that atleast means we will be getting our salaries"
Tony Grieg, disagreeing to the above comments has said that it will be a Sri Lankan who will break the record. Geoffery Boycott, who had once famously commented that it would be impossible for anybody to get 100 in one day cricket was not available for any comment. However, his Facebook status message read "Missing the days of West Indian fast bowlers"
Ricky Ponting congratulated Sachin on his achievement but was quick to comment that an australian will never score a double hundred in a ODI because they always put the team first. Ricky debated that if a player scores such records it makes the other players in the team jealous and hence hampers the unity of the team. Infact, he has issued a diktat to all aussies to retire hurt after scoring 180. He says that only the captain deserves the right to create records because his integrity cannot be questioned and he is a man of principles.
Also reported, Zimbabwe board was trying to call Afghanistan, Kenya and Bermuda teams for a tour in a feeble attempt to restore the only record held by a zimbabwean. "Chris Coventry is a great player who is extremely underrated. We want to prove that he is as good as Brian Lara and we would go all lengths to ensure that like Lara, Coventry also regains the record which he richly deserves" ZCU president Lualua said in press conference.
Pakistan's dashing all rounder Shahid Afridi has pledged that he will take revenge from Sachin Tendulkar. Afridi believes that Sachin's record breaking 200 not out was an insult to Pakistan because it broke Saeed anwar's long standing record and its a matter of pride for the nation. Afridi believes that it is no big deal to score a double hundred in one dayers and he can do it in double quick time. He was supported by Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan coach - " Afridi once scored a 100 in 37 balls. (After doing some tuff mental calculations)So he needs a mere 64 deliveries to complete 200. Its only a small matter of him surviving that long" Afridi, who has been 26 years of age for the past 6 years definitely has age on his side. Rashid Latif, another former Pakistan captain reasoned " The boy has atleast 20 years of cricket left in him, he can surely break the record". Last heard the Pakistani defence minister has issued a warning to all Pakistani players that they should break the record within the next year otherwise their salaries will be cut. Yasir Arafat, a young cricketer said "Thats great news, that atleast means we will be getting our salaries"
Tony Grieg, disagreeing to the above comments has said that it will be a Sri Lankan who will break the record. Geoffery Boycott, who had once famously commented that it would be impossible for anybody to get 100 in one day cricket was not available for any comment. However, his Facebook status message read "Missing the days of West Indian fast bowlers"
Ricky Ponting congratulated Sachin on his achievement but was quick to comment that an australian will never score a double hundred in a ODI because they always put the team first. Ricky debated that if a player scores such records it makes the other players in the team jealous and hence hampers the unity of the team. Infact, he has issued a diktat to all aussies to retire hurt after scoring 180. He says that only the captain deserves the right to create records because his integrity cannot be questioned and he is a man of principles.
Also reported, Zimbabwe board was trying to call Afghanistan, Kenya and Bermuda teams for a tour in a feeble attempt to restore the only record held by a zimbabwean. "Chris Coventry is a great player who is extremely underrated. We want to prove that he is as good as Brian Lara and we would go all lengths to ensure that like Lara, Coventry also regains the record which he richly deserves" ZCU president Lualua said in press conference.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The most boring cricketing stadium in the world
After watching India lose at Colombo once again i thought it was time to update the blog.
Some Stats: India's win against NZ yesterday was only the first time a team batting second won at colombo in 18 matches. The best chase at Premadasa is 271 in the year 2002. All the top 5 highest chases at the stadium happened before 2004. This, in times when scores in excess of 325 are not considered safe.
It was almost a feeling of deja vu when India came out to bat and struggled throughout the innings. Any average Indian cricket fan would have seen such a thing umpteen number of times at Colombo. Leave alone 300, i am sure India would not have chased even 220. The most disappointing thing was Tony grieg showering praises on to the Sri Lankan team, when the only thing they had done correct was winning the toss.Personally, i really hate watching matches in Lanka. They are slow, uninspiring, without any spice and added to it is the constant ranting of Mr Tony Grieg in ridiculous english accent. I have no clue why is he so biased towards the Lankan team. Had those been the stats of any Indian ground he would have ripped the ground authorities apart. I distinctly remember his comments on DDCA during a test match at Kotla. Kotla might still be one of the worst grounds in terms of facilities but atleast the teams have a fair and equal chance while playing.
In a time when the future of ODI cricket is being discussed at lengths in the ICC channels it is really disappointing to see such a run of events. If we continue to have such highly one sided matches where the toss will decide the result, we can surely bid farewell to the ODI game, a game on which our generation has grown up.
Some Stats: India's win against NZ yesterday was only the first time a team batting second won at colombo in 18 matches. The best chase at Premadasa is 271 in the year 2002. All the top 5 highest chases at the stadium happened before 2004. This, in times when scores in excess of 325 are not considered safe.
It was almost a feeling of deja vu when India came out to bat and struggled throughout the innings. Any average Indian cricket fan would have seen such a thing umpteen number of times at Colombo. Leave alone 300, i am sure India would not have chased even 220. The most disappointing thing was Tony grieg showering praises on to the Sri Lankan team, when the only thing they had done correct was winning the toss.Personally, i really hate watching matches in Lanka. They are slow, uninspiring, without any spice and added to it is the constant ranting of Mr Tony Grieg in ridiculous english accent. I have no clue why is he so biased towards the Lankan team. Had those been the stats of any Indian ground he would have ripped the ground authorities apart. I distinctly remember his comments on DDCA during a test match at Kotla. Kotla might still be one of the worst grounds in terms of facilities but atleast the teams have a fair and equal chance while playing.
In a time when the future of ODI cricket is being discussed at lengths in the ICC channels it is really disappointing to see such a run of events. If we continue to have such highly one sided matches where the toss will decide the result, we can surely bid farewell to the ODI game, a game on which our generation has grown up.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
T 20 cricket - a not so serious business
Pakis won the second edition of the T20 world cup. This happened at a time when pakistan cricket was at its lowest ebb. The tournament started with their captain commenting that they did not take T20 cricket seriously and it would not matter if they went out in the first round itself. This comment was not taken to very kindly by the authorities in Pakistan and Younis recieved a a strong reprimand. On the other hand, the million dollar babies and everybody's favorite Indian team was probably thankful that they were traveling straight to West Indies and did not have to face the wrath of the fickle Indian Supporter at the airport.
So was this world cup really a victory of David Vs Goliath or following a pattern that TT cricket has always followed - Victory for the underdog, or rather victory for the team which hasnt seriously thought of winning.
Compare this edition to the inaugural world cup. An average Indian cricket fan, who generally suffers from amnesia, will not remember the circumstances under which India went to South Africa for the 07 world cup. The blame game from the shameful exit of World Cup 07 was still on. The 3 big stalwarts had decided that the latest slam bang form of cricket was not for them. Probably they thought it was not serious enough to warrant there presence. India had only played one international T20 and it was the only country which still did not have a domestic T20 tournament. The warlords of the BCCI who now want a separate window for IPL in the ICC calender used to look at T20 with disdain and thought it was only for those countries were cricket is not popular. To make matters worse, Rahul Dravid decided to step down as the captain of the one day and test team on the opening day of the world cup. Obviously, he too thought it is not an important tournament and would not matter if it effected the team in South Africa. So overall this Indian team were huge outsiders with problems on and off the field. It was a team of youngsters who had probably just gone there to enjoy a foriegn country. The team did not have a full time coach which must have meant no complex strategies and analysis.
Now compare it to the IPL 1. No body gave the frugal Rajasthan Royals a chance. People obviously thought that it would be the big money spenders who will rule the roost. In IPL 2, the team at the bottom of the last IPL came up trumps.
So is it safe to conclude, that the best way to win a T20 tournament is to not be serious about it. Is it the game which requires no strategy and practice. A team which is uncorrupted by modern ideas on coaching and captaincy will be the one that ultimately rules the roost.
Doesnt it make T20 a stupid form of cricket akin to gully cricket where kids just come out decide on the rules and start playing. I am sure WG Grace would have turned in his grave when the first ball of T20 cricket was balled in the land where Test match was discovered.
So was this world cup really a victory of David Vs Goliath or following a pattern that TT cricket has always followed - Victory for the underdog, or rather victory for the team which hasnt seriously thought of winning.
Compare this edition to the inaugural world cup. An average Indian cricket fan, who generally suffers from amnesia, will not remember the circumstances under which India went to South Africa for the 07 world cup. The blame game from the shameful exit of World Cup 07 was still on. The 3 big stalwarts had decided that the latest slam bang form of cricket was not for them. Probably they thought it was not serious enough to warrant there presence. India had only played one international T20 and it was the only country which still did not have a domestic T20 tournament. The warlords of the BCCI who now want a separate window for IPL in the ICC calender used to look at T20 with disdain and thought it was only for those countries were cricket is not popular. To make matters worse, Rahul Dravid decided to step down as the captain of the one day and test team on the opening day of the world cup. Obviously, he too thought it is not an important tournament and would not matter if it effected the team in South Africa. So overall this Indian team were huge outsiders with problems on and off the field. It was a team of youngsters who had probably just gone there to enjoy a foriegn country. The team did not have a full time coach which must have meant no complex strategies and analysis.
Now compare it to the IPL 1. No body gave the frugal Rajasthan Royals a chance. People obviously thought that it would be the big money spenders who will rule the roost. In IPL 2, the team at the bottom of the last IPL came up trumps.
So is it safe to conclude, that the best way to win a T20 tournament is to not be serious about it. Is it the game which requires no strategy and practice. A team which is uncorrupted by modern ideas on coaching and captaincy will be the one that ultimately rules the roost.
Doesnt it make T20 a stupid form of cricket akin to gully cricket where kids just come out decide on the rules and start playing. I am sure WG Grace would have turned in his grave when the first ball of T20 cricket was balled in the land where Test match was discovered.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Wall
Rahul Dravid for me is not just a cricketer. For me he has been more than an idol. Whatver he signifies on the field is probably the way i have led my life, atleast before DCE changed me. Rahul dravid scored 95 in his debut match. Some Sourav Ganguly had choosen the same match to score a century on debut. The fate was sealed the same day. Rahul Dravid, the proverbial nice guy would continue to be the quite follower for the next 10 years. For young boys of the 90's, it was imperative to be fan of one and yes only one amongst the two. You can either be a die hard Ganguly or Dravid fan. The reason perhaps was they were so different in nature. I was by nature one of those good boys who tend to follow all the rules parents set for them. May be we are afraid to do something else. May be we feel obliged to follow all instructions. The jury is out on this issue. You are free to make up your own mind. Anyways, so i was a Rahul Dravid fan. As rahul was establshing himself as criketing icons, i remember the numerous fights i picked up in school with my class fellows over who was better. Infact, i met one of them a month back and the issue we fought on was same. Who is better Rahul or Sourav!!!! This is how all kids of my age spend there childhood. I quickly realized, and i think rahul too that we were not the most talented in the field we choose for ourselves. For Rahul there was Sachin and for me there were many guys in class who were much more intelligent than me. But by 1999, Rahul started to emerge as the most reliable batsman. It was surprisingly the same time, i finally started scoring well in school. Afterall, like Rahul's straight bat, i had decided that if i have to succeed i will need to work hard, really hard and boy for the next four years i did. I feel that even in the rigours of my MBA education i have never worked as hard as i did in those years of my school life. I just secured 85 percent in 10th. Normally, it would be considered a good score. But not for me, for me life meant more. Like my idol had once said after falling on 92 in West Indies " When i retire, i do not want to be considered as a good player who played for India, I want to be remembered as one of the greatest batsmen ever to play for India". Probably these were the kind of words that inspired me. Like almost all middle class boys my dream was IIT, Rahul Dravid's was to become the greatest batsman in the world. The years 2001 to 2003 were really great years for dravid where people finally started recognising his true potential. At the same time my performance was improving by the day, and i was winning over the respect of my classmates. The same classmates who initially thought of me as an average student, suddenly started thinking of me as someone who is truly talented. A rank was 3474 in IIT was not exactly the kind of result i was expecting. It was time for a reality check and i got through Delhi College Of Engineering. The parallels end here. Because DCE was going to change my life forever. Rahul Dravid's best year was 2003. It was the same for me. Thereafter, i changed the way i led my life and thankfully dravid continued on his own way.
The nice guy that was Rahul Dravid was finally handed over the captaincy, and some smart person decided to write an autobiography on his life - The nice guy who finished first. I thought to myself, Great finally rahul is going to get what he truly deserves. I think in life there are certain people who have to struggle throught there life. Probably the same thing happened to dravid. He had his worst failure in the 2007 world cup. The tearful exit from the world cup probably ended the debate once and for all - Nice Guys indeed, never finish first. Sourav had the perfect ending to his career, beating Australia in his final match. Even the most die hard fan that i am, i feel that Dravid's time is shortly going to come to an end. Will he get a proper retirement or will his career finish the way it had started......I hope, i sincerely hope it has a happy ending.
Dedicated to my whole generation that grew up with dravid and ganguly's career and for whom imagining a cricket team without the names of dravid, ganguly and sachin are very difficult to imagine.
The nice guy that was Rahul Dravid was finally handed over the captaincy, and some smart person decided to write an autobiography on his life - The nice guy who finished first. I thought to myself, Great finally rahul is going to get what he truly deserves. I think in life there are certain people who have to struggle throught there life. Probably the same thing happened to dravid. He had his worst failure in the 2007 world cup. The tearful exit from the world cup probably ended the debate once and for all - Nice Guys indeed, never finish first. Sourav had the perfect ending to his career, beating Australia in his final match. Even the most die hard fan that i am, i feel that Dravid's time is shortly going to come to an end. Will he get a proper retirement or will his career finish the way it had started......I hope, i sincerely hope it has a happy ending.
Dedicated to my whole generation that grew up with dravid and ganguly's career and for whom imagining a cricket team without the names of dravid, ganguly and sachin are very difficult to imagine.
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