Tamaacha Tamaasha!

Seeing Sreesanth's face filled with tears on all the national tabloids, i became nostalgic. I remembered those scenes when i would beg my father "appa, appa, innondu ice creamu!" - Dad, Dad, one more ice cream. My Dad would say "Saaku, seetha aagutte!" - Enough, you will catch cold. And the look on my face would resemble that of Sreesanth. Or those instances when i would ask for more chocolates, toy guns, toy cars etc.


Sreesanth, when he is bowling, never misses a chance to stare or say some nice stuffs to the batsmen. Now, when he is hit, he starts crying like a child. Everybody has a soft side, no?

To be very fair to Sreesanth, the guy has been controlling all his emotions in the recent matches. Remember his antics after hitting Andre Nel for a Six in South Africa? The guy had been trying his best to remain calm and composed on the cricket field and trying to stay away from the controversies. Now this incident happened. Bhajji slapped him, and all his emotions poured out like the monsoon rains. Poor guy! However this is a festive event for all the media people. They have been happily running around poking mikes at everyone's faces for comments!

One can see on the Television, Cricket Commentators, Politicians and even the common man near the road side Paan-Beeda stall, seriously answering questions like:
"Do you think Bhajji hit him hard?"
"Was it the right cheek or the left?"
"Did Sree call Bhajji a 'monkey'?"

I really feel sorry for the guy. However, for all his antics on the field, if at all there is a guy who is well deserving to receive this kind of treatment, then it is Sreesanth. And there is no better guy in Intl Cricket than Bhajji to meet out this treatment! This type of incident, involving these two guys, was bound to happen and it is BCCI's duty now to discipline these two guys!

IPL Coverage

IPL has been underway for almost a week now. And going by the opinions of the fellow bloggers, it has been fairly successful. I can imagine Lalit Modi and Sharad Pawar smiling in glee with their mouthlines extending from one ear to another and dancing on their toes when in private, even though they present a sober figure when they are under a public gaze!

Lalit Modi had been hell bent on not providing the rights to the media for publishing the images shot during the matches. Only the print media were allowed and even they had to pay hefty sums and also need to provide a copy of the images to the BCCI. Check out how pissed the media were - http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/10/stories/2008041055681000.htm . There are a lot more such opinions of the pissed-off variety and threats of total media pull out from the event.

However, one just needs to search the youtube for the amount of IPL videos available on it. Media boycott or not, one can watch all the highlights on youtube. Three cheers to the free world and the open-source and open-market protogonists!. Even the Live coverage is available through the peer-to-peer broadcasting. One just needs to install Sopcast and search for the available channels. And Lo, you have soo many sopcast channels broadcasting the IPL matches from CBN and Set-Max. Sitting here in Korea, i do not miss any action!

Even though i got high quality videos of IPL from sopcast, i am really pissed off about the cricket coverage from Set Max. Reasons are a plenty:
a) 5 ball overs are a norm for Set Max. Either you lose the first ball of the over or the last ball and it is entirely Set Max’s prerogative!
b) Immediately after a ball is bowled, the screen becomes L shaped to accomodate an embedded advertisement. And the worst of all is that the audio of the advertisement is not muted. So, you miss out on the comments of the, supposed to be expert, commentators.
c) Ajay Jadeja. He seems to be more intent on chasing the Cheer Leaders than catching up the action on the actual cricket field.
d) Where the hell is the dumb noodle-straps Bedi? The import of the redskins from Washington may have had her running for covers!

There is an online petition here - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/savecric/ . If you are also a pissed off viewer like me, please sign it. I have already signed it.

Bring me ESPN or Star Sports anyday. Their coverage is so polished and professional. A team of Harsha Bhogle, Ian Chappel, Tony Greig, Geoffrey Boycott and Ravi Shastri is anybody’s dream.

Test Cricket needs a change!

I have been following the happenings in the current test series between India and South Africa. The first test could have gone upto 8 days and the chances of getting a result even at the end of 8 days were grim. The second test lasted for a mere 3 days. The second test though had been a exciting one for the South Africans and the India baiters. The first one was stale. Barring Sehwag’s audacious stroke play, the first test was a real dud. The India-Pakistan Series in Dec 2007 also did produce a couple of most boring test matches.

After all, why do two teams compete for over a period of 5 days. For nothing? They strive for a win and if there is no assistance for the bowlers, how can one expect a result. For that reason, i do believe that a green top or a square turner is a better test wicket than a flat track. Whenever there is something in the wicket for the bowlers, the matches turn out to be interesting and on most occasions do produce a result. Howover, when the players realise that getting a result within the 5 days is not possible, they play out for a draw, they play for records, they conserve energy, the effort level and the commitment is of a lesser degree. This is not what one, as a spectator, wants to see.

So, how about making test cricket more interesting, more alive, especially when playing on flat tracks?
Here are a couple of suggestions:

Each test spans for around 450 overs, considering that 90 overs are bowled on each day. Each team is entitled to bat for a maximum of 225 overs. The batting team can decide on the number of overs they want to bat on each innings (e.g. 125/100 or 150/75 etc) . They can declare whenever the going gets tough, or when they had enough runs, keeping in mind that they can get to play the remaining overs in the second innings.

The second suggestion is restricting the maximum number of overs a batting team consumes during an innings to around 150. This can be implemented to only the first innings as the dynamics change during the second innings and the parameters like the Lead, etc do come into picture. The second innings can then be a lmited overs affair, based on the amount of time left in the test match.

These changes would definitely make test cricket more interesting and the players more involved and committed to the cause.

I am a fan of test cricket, but i hate boring draws!

Purists definitely are gonna oppose changes to the older format. But the authorities have to decide whether they want to cater to just the purists or they want test cricket to be more interesting and more appealing to a common man. Boring draws and 20-20 are taking the spectators away from test cricket. Test cricket does really need some drastic changes. Sooner than later.

The Real Test

Here is a classic one from Ramachandra Guha
“In my opinion, Test cricket may be compared to the finest Scotch, 50-overs a side to Indian Made Foreign Liquor, and 20-20 to the local hooch. The addict who cannot have the first or the second will make do with the last. The pleasures of the shortest game are intense but also wholly ephemeral. There is no time to savour delights offered in such a rushed and heady fashion. The medium form allows one to take in the booze more leisurely. Here, a batsman can bat long enough to develop an innings, to play strokes other than the hoick over midwicket or mid on.

But proper cricket can only be Test cricket. Spread out over five days, the game unfolds as in an epic drama. No restrictions are placed on anyone. As with the finest Scotch, one savours every sip; and yet, as with the finest Scotch, the whole is infinitely greater than the parts.”

Check out the complete article at: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080329/jsp/opinion/story_9055430.jsp

I have often been involved in coffee table discussions wherein the debate is over Test or One-day or 20-20, which one is going to be more popular, exciting and interesting. The above liner is a clincher. I will remember that!

No doubt, that 20-20 cricket will be a crowd puller, an instant hit. The IPL has left no stone unturned by roping in popular film stars into the fray. Moreever, ShahRukh and Preity Zinta are owning cricket teams and Cricket is becoming more of a tamasha or a mega bollywood bash. This will no doubt increase the TRPs, but where will all these lead cricket to. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the gentlemans game?

20-20 cricket is more a show of brawn over brains, strength over strategies. Be ready to see more of the upper cuts and the hoicks over the mid wicket.

The BCCI seems to be hell bent on spoiling the test cricket in the country, by preparing some of the flattest wickets ever seen for the test matches. The match at Chepauk was a dud. Sehwag provided the much needed spark, but overall, the match was a hugely forgettable one.

It was very heartening to see Dravid crossing the 10,000 runs mark at Chepauk. It is a very coveted milestone and i for one, do feel that there is no more a deserving candidate than Dravid. Javagal Srinath pours his heart out in this interview and flowers a lot many accolades (all deserving!) on dravid - http://cricketnext.com/news/dravid-an-icon-of-test-cricket-srinath/30643-14.html.

Dravid has been the No.1. batsmen for India in test cricket during the period from 2002 to 2007. There were a lot many centuries and double centuries towards a winning cause. Tendulkar was more of a dud during this period and there were occassional brilliances from him and Laxman. Ganguly, with a suspect defence, has never laid claims of being a Test great.

2007 has been an off-year for Dravid, which included the world-cup debacle and some low scores in tests. His work ethics and attitude are of the first grade and he is a role model for any youngster in any profession. I just hope that he survives at least the next 2-3 years of test cricket and scores tons of runs.

Dravid Dropped!

The Indian team’s selection for the Pakistan tour has evoked a lot of strong opinions. A lot of them are due to the dropping of Dravid from the team. I think that this was a right decision taken by the selectors. Start grooming the youngsters and gradually phase out the oldies.

Its great to see that the fans have not resorted to effigy burnings and protest marches. Tells a lot about the civilised behaviour of the Bangaloreans! There are a lot of other issues of national importance which require such acts. Neways, if either Ganguly and tendulkar were to be dropped, then there sure would have been a lot of profits for the effigy makers!
And coming back to the team, there are 6 openers, 5 bowlers, 1 wicket keeper and 3 middle order batsmen. Now the headache is to pick 2 openers from 6 and somehow get 4 middle order batsmen from the 3 chosen. A task only the Indian selectors can do! Dhoni, am sure, will miss Dravid against a tough opposition like Pakistan. And am sure that Pakistan will be happy to hear this news.

And coming back to the openers dilemma, Sachin will not bat anywhere else (his feelings are of paramount interest to the team management and the selectors than the results ) and Saurav cannot bat anywhere else. So, the other openers picked would probably be warming the benches on all the 5 matches.

Let the action begin. The build up to this series is quite encouraging for the Indians. They have done well in England, won the Twenty20 World Cup and performed up to their expextations against the tough aussies. Hope the better team wins! And that obviously is India on current form!

We are the World Champs ;) !

Finally we watched the culmination of the World Twenty20 Cricket Championship. And it could not have been better scripted for an Indian Cricket fan. The final match was worthy of the occassion. Any match between India and Pakistan is bound to attract a lot of attention. The fact that the two teams conspired to meet each other in the finals made the final match a lot more spicier. The final was a humdinger of a match and am sure that quite a few finger nails have been chewed all over the world.

Shoib Malik’s statements during the presentation ceremony have sparked off a lot of controversy. Those sort of comments were definitely not on during such an important occassion. Sports and religion are miles apart and mixing them will definitely produce sour results. Read this nice article about the Final match and the controversy - http://blogs.cricinfo.com/meninwhite/archives/2007/09/scenes_from_a_final.php

There were a lot things to remember from this World Cup. A few that come to mind are follows:

1) Australia losing their first match to Zimbabwe
2) India winning the Bowl out 3-0 against Pakistan
3) SriLanka slamming a record 260 against hapless kenya
4) Yuvraj’s six sixers

There are a lot of positives to take home for the Indian team. The youngsters took the oppurtunities and made them count. The future of Indian cricket does look a lot brighter now. Dhoni’s captaincy was of first grade. He has a nice, cool and a calm head on his shoulders and leads the team with a mixture of maturity and aggression. The series against the Aussies is definitely bound to challenge his leadership skills. The Big 3 are gonna figure in the scheme of things once again. Whether their inclusion is gonna help Dhoni or prove to be a hindrance in his execution of his plans is anybody’s guess.

Yuvraj's Sixers

Twenty20 Worldcup: I thoroughly enjoyed watching each of the six sixers that Yuvraj belted off Chris Broad. I enjoyed it partly because it came right after that verbal spat with Flintoff
And Broad is a pretty decent bowler and we saw that during the 7-one dayers Natwest Series in England. He was pretty much beating the bat every alternate deliveries in those helpful conditions. Those sixers sealed the fate of that match.
And the fresh news is that India defeated South Africe by a pretty good margin. Three cheers to the men in Blue.

But, my advice to the knowledgeable Indian cricket fans is not to go overboard and start jumping up and down. We know our cricket teams knack of snatching defeats from the jaws of victory ;( . Lets just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best!

Dhoni as Captain

The latest news making the rounds among the Indian cricket fans is that of Dhoni being elevated to the captaincy. I personally feel that it is a brave decision and one that augurs well for the future. Dhoni seems to have right attitide and the aptitude that the job demands.

The job of Indian captaincy has always been a bed of roses. Dhoni though will have the luxury of seeking advices from the mentors like the Big 3. The big three Sachin, Rahul and Sourav have served the Indian cricket well for all these years. It is a pity that all three will be retiring almost at the same time in coming one or two years.

There is also a lot of speculation about the reasons behind Dravid’s unexpected resignation. Many do feel that this could have been postponed for a few more months or he could have given some indicators to the selectors that he wants to quit after another series or so. I also do fall in that category. Dravid’s decision though is understandably comforting to himself, is not in the right interests of Indian cricket. If he had given any indicators about his plan, the selectors could have groomed a new captain.

Although the entire Indian public was worried, for over a year now, about grooming the youngsters for the leadership positions, the BCCI was least worried. Their unprofessionalism was glaringly evident in the way they handled the selection of Graham Ford as the coach. And who do they appoint next as the manager of the Indian team - The 72 year old, young Chacha Chandu Borde. And, just keep in mind that we still do not have a coach!

Although assigning captaincy to Dhoni is like treading in unchartered waters, it is the right decision. For the first time i do feel that the BCCI and the selectors (or the bunch of jokers as Jimmy Amarnath calls them~) have taken the right decision. All the credits be given to BCCI for this - We need to give credits where it is due . Atlast, there seems to be a spark of light at the end of the tunnel. Hope it is not of the incoming train!