Well, as the title goes, this cup is no longer India's now. So, what went wrong that India could not hold on to its cup?
There are many reasons given by purists,self- proclaimed experts,players and Dhoni himself. Right from Fatigue to tactics to over-confidence and what nots! But for me, the reason more than all that is "South Africa". Forget patriotism and nationalism, I support India, no doubt... M a die hard fan but m a bigger fan of "CRICKET", the game itself.
Cricket requires a new "Champion". And that can well be provided by South Africa. Australia, West Indies,India, Pakistan have all had their glory, but now, its time for the so called "Chokers" to rise, to shed their chokers tag and win it from here. Its really a perfect settin for South Africa to lift the trophy at the "Home Of Cricket" this Sunday and stamp their arrival, now for sure, as the International Sporting Giants!!
South Africa is turnin out to be a perfect "Sportin Host" Nation! IPL, followed by the on-going Confederations Cup and finally the FIFA WORLD CUP next year!! It speaks volumes of the country's growth and how far it has come as compared to the fellow African nations who are still reelin under poverty. South Africa itself is not a very prosperous country with the high number of cases of AIDS/HIV and racism still going on even in late 90's. But it shows that they are workin towards development and makin it a better place to live in.
Back to Cricket now, for cricket to become a "Global" sport, it needs a new winner. South Africa have been in the fray way back since the '92 World Cup but have always had something or the other going wrong for them at crucial junctures. Right from the weird mathematics of the "rain-interrupted" matches in '92 to Steve Waugh in '99 and back to miscalculations in '03, it has never gone their way. South Africans almost hired a mathematician strategist after the miscalculations!! (fictional and hyperbole). But this time, we may well see them at the "Lords Balcony", (the place I dream of visitin some day)!!
So, guys and gals (in case any of them is readin), South Africa seems to be the best bet right now and deservedly so. The Rainbow Nation surely needs to come off age this time and prove a point. The onus is on them to do well in the rest of the tournament now and ensure that nothing goes wrong this time.
P.S.:- Indians need to support South Africa with the way they managed to stage the "IPL" at such a short notice! (Personal View)!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Nerves of steel required urgently!!!
Lasith Malinga runs and Shane Warne keeps his cool to throw it to the non-strikers' end and runs malinga out, and with that mumbai is nearly shown the door for the second consecutive time in the IPL..... Guys, arent you reminded of the '99 World Cup semi-final between Aussies and the Proteas, where a bizzare goof up between Lance Klusener and Allan Donald meant curtains for the Proteas which looked like their best chance of winnin the world cup that year..... Shane Warne was victorious then, and even now.
So, what has actually gone wrong for Mumbai in the last 2 years??.... In a startling announcement by Bhajji, he admitted that he still does not know of his role in the team..... I mean with that statement, who is he blamin??, the captain,the coach or himself??....
Surely, Pollock has missed a trick or two this season.... The mumbai think tank has gone awry, there's no doubt about that... In a must-win crunch game, Yogesh Takawale gets promoted to open the innings, fair enough, but what amuses me more is that he's promoted for the first time in the tournament in such a vital game..... I mean what was Pollock upto??... Or for that matter the coachin staff and the senior pros like Sachin,Bhajji and Sanath??...
Isnt it Cricket's most basic rule that your best batsman should play the maximum no. of overs, be it any form of cricket???.. True, they wanted to strengthen the middle order so that a late onslaught is possible, but isnt that a negative mindset??... They should have been more positive in their approach and let Sanath and Sachin open and maybe they would have taken the game away in the first 6 overs itself as 140 odd runs is no big a total to chase....True, Sanath is not in the best of his form, but everybody knows he flourishes only when the field is up, he's a veteran when it comes to powerplay hittin and probably the best person in the "field up" situations....
And ya maybe the strategy went wrong, but after Abhishek Nayar's heroics, panic button was again pressed and it just slipped out of mumbai's hands... It was the same case last year when in a crunch match, they could not keep their nerves against punjab and lost the semi-final spot by a whisker.... These guys need "mind trainin" rather than physical or cricketin trainin..... It also shows keepin cool is not in their blood, they ve messed up big time, this season too....
Nevertheless, We arent still out mathematically... 2 more games, Against the table toppers, Delhi and Chennai, and a win against both of em, and probably a bit of luck if rajasthan and bangalore lose their games, we still have a chance for that elusive semis spot... Its tough, probably unrealistic, but there's still HOPE...2 more tough games to go, jus hope mumbai does not mess up once again and keep their nerves and pull it thro....
GO MUMBAI INDIANS, its your last chance now.........
A true MI fan.
P.S.- No criticism was directed towards Yogesh Takawale.
So, what has actually gone wrong for Mumbai in the last 2 years??.... In a startling announcement by Bhajji, he admitted that he still does not know of his role in the team..... I mean with that statement, who is he blamin??, the captain,the coach or himself??....
Surely, Pollock has missed a trick or two this season.... The mumbai think tank has gone awry, there's no doubt about that... In a must-win crunch game, Yogesh Takawale gets promoted to open the innings, fair enough, but what amuses me more is that he's promoted for the first time in the tournament in such a vital game..... I mean what was Pollock upto??... Or for that matter the coachin staff and the senior pros like Sachin,Bhajji and Sanath??...
Isnt it Cricket's most basic rule that your best batsman should play the maximum no. of overs, be it any form of cricket???.. True, they wanted to strengthen the middle order so that a late onslaught is possible, but isnt that a negative mindset??... They should have been more positive in their approach and let Sanath and Sachin open and maybe they would have taken the game away in the first 6 overs itself as 140 odd runs is no big a total to chase....True, Sanath is not in the best of his form, but everybody knows he flourishes only when the field is up, he's a veteran when it comes to powerplay hittin and probably the best person in the "field up" situations....
And ya maybe the strategy went wrong, but after Abhishek Nayar's heroics, panic button was again pressed and it just slipped out of mumbai's hands... It was the same case last year when in a crunch match, they could not keep their nerves against punjab and lost the semi-final spot by a whisker.... These guys need "mind trainin" rather than physical or cricketin trainin..... It also shows keepin cool is not in their blood, they ve messed up big time, this season too....
Nevertheless, We arent still out mathematically... 2 more games, Against the table toppers, Delhi and Chennai, and a win against both of em, and probably a bit of luck if rajasthan and bangalore lose their games, we still have a chance for that elusive semis spot... Its tough, probably unrealistic, but there's still HOPE...2 more tough games to go, jus hope mumbai does not mess up once again and keep their nerves and pull it thro....
GO MUMBAI INDIANS, its your last chance now.........
A true MI fan.
P.S.- No criticism was directed towards Yogesh Takawale.
Mandate and Stability!!!
Guys, if u ve been followin Politics for the past 3 days, the two words "Stability" and "Mandate" won be alien to you, surely..... How many times ve we heard Prannoy Roy or Arnab or Rajdeep utter this word???.... Almost countless!!!...
With 262 seats for the UPA, surely its a clear "MANDATE", India has spoken and spoken in one voice...
Surely,we are headin for a "Stable" Govt which was actually the need of the hour. There was no doubt that India was the Largest Democracy but what these results also show is that it is also the Most Mature Democracy now. Dr. Singh will be sworn in again and he ll continue his term for 5 more years... The Stocks responded to the Results positively.... BSE had to actually stop tradin in less than 2 mins!!!....Phew!!!.... Even after reopenin it hit the upper circuit twice and then tradin had to be halted for the entire day......
India Inc is goin gaga about this result, no doubt.... But what it also shows that there is a lot of expectations from this govt. now. With indications of younger ministers to be kept in the cabinet, it surely is a one-step forward for Indian Politics. Congress or should i say "Indian Politics" has come of age, literally.
Assignin portfolios to the younger candidates ll surely be a welcomed decision by one and all and could well prove to be a wise decision even politically. But what ll please the Indian Public most ll be exclusion of people like "Arjun Singh" from the cabinet. I really wish "Rahul Gandhi" replaces him, as HRD ministry is a very important ministry for a developin country like us.
With Left stayin out this time, it surely is a big blow for em and i seriously feel that this was on the cards. The way they had been a thorn in every matter, last term, for the UPA, Congress ll surely be breathin a sigh of relief that they do not need their support anymore. Hopefully, Trinamool and DMK do not play spoilsport this time.
True, people are talkin about fast-paced growth with no speed-breakers(read: LEFT), but what worries me most is "Internal security". UPA don ve a handsome marksheet to show off when it comes to security, and this time around also i think that ll be their biggest challenge. They ve to seriously think about this and take adequate steps or else it may spell trouble for them. I jus hope that they do somethin concrete about the security thing as they have failed, time and again, on this front,last term. Hope the Home Minister(read: Chidambaram) is listenin.
As the dialogue from Spiderman goes,"WITH POWER, COMES RESPONSIBILITY". UPA surely has the power now for 5 years atleast, what remains to be seen is if they can rise and be responsible enough, to guide the World's largest Democracy.
With 262 seats for the UPA, surely its a clear "MANDATE", India has spoken and spoken in one voice...
Surely,we are headin for a "Stable" Govt which was actually the need of the hour. There was no doubt that India was the Largest Democracy but what these results also show is that it is also the Most Mature Democracy now. Dr. Singh will be sworn in again and he ll continue his term for 5 more years... The Stocks responded to the Results positively.... BSE had to actually stop tradin in less than 2 mins!!!....Phew!!!.... Even after reopenin it hit the upper circuit twice and then tradin had to be halted for the entire day......
India Inc is goin gaga about this result, no doubt.... But what it also shows that there is a lot of expectations from this govt. now. With indications of younger ministers to be kept in the cabinet, it surely is a one-step forward for Indian Politics. Congress or should i say "Indian Politics" has come of age, literally.
Assignin portfolios to the younger candidates ll surely be a welcomed decision by one and all and could well prove to be a wise decision even politically. But what ll please the Indian Public most ll be exclusion of people like "Arjun Singh" from the cabinet. I really wish "Rahul Gandhi" replaces him, as HRD ministry is a very important ministry for a developin country like us.
With Left stayin out this time, it surely is a big blow for em and i seriously feel that this was on the cards. The way they had been a thorn in every matter, last term, for the UPA, Congress ll surely be breathin a sigh of relief that they do not need their support anymore. Hopefully, Trinamool and DMK do not play spoilsport this time.
True, people are talkin about fast-paced growth with no speed-breakers(read: LEFT), but what worries me most is "Internal security". UPA don ve a handsome marksheet to show off when it comes to security, and this time around also i think that ll be their biggest challenge. They ve to seriously think about this and take adequate steps or else it may spell trouble for them. I jus hope that they do somethin concrete about the security thing as they have failed, time and again, on this front,last term. Hope the Home Minister(read: Chidambaram) is listenin.
As the dialogue from Spiderman goes,"WITH POWER, COMES RESPONSIBILITY". UPA surely has the power now for 5 years atleast, what remains to be seen is if they can rise and be responsible enough, to guide the World's largest Democracy.
The Worsts' of IPL '09!
Guys, u can check out the top 11 guys of IPL on any site or newspaper..... But what about those who failed miserably??... They need recognition too.... Here's ,me, bringin them into the limelight.... I' m sure, when the transfer window or the auction thin is done again, these guys ll be sought after to be thrown away from the team and eager to send to other teams so that they can spoil the opposite teams' party too!!!
Here are the 11 and the reasons why:
1. ROBIN UTTHAPA(wk): I guess there is somethin in the name "ROBIN"( with reference to robin ramsinghani) which jus refuses to do well. He was a total failure in this year's IPL and Dr. Mallya's biggest mistake for swappin Utthapa for Zaheer Khan. Even if he had won the finals for RCB yesterday, he would ve featured in my list. Right from pathetic battin to school-boy stuff catchin(read: droppin), he was not at all upto the mark and deserves to be in this list.
2.SOURAV GANGULY: Don raise your eyebrows, guys, he's been a total failure this season.... I jus remember his 1 innings against the royals, where he hit a quickfire 40 odd but yet dint see his team thro' and the match ended in a superover with the royals winnin. His fieldin as always has been atrocious and dint play well at all, considerin him bein an ICON player. "DADA", its better if you bid adieu to the cricket field now. You may be the "GOD in OFF-SIDE" but when it comes to short-pitched stuff, atleast keep your eyes open while playin the ball....
3. SWAPNIL ASNODKAR: IPL 08 was a grand success for this young lad but IPL 09 proved to be equally bad for this man. Truly, Cricket is a great leveller. But it also exposed his weakness that he's not a technically correct player. He can jus clear the in-field as he used to do in the power plays in 08. But,here the pitches bein more bouncy and fast, he jus could not get his eye in and always ended up givin away his wicket. My advice to him, Get your basics right,plz.
4.VVS LAXMAN: Another icon player features in the list. The "Very very special" turned out to be a total failure and actually had to be dropped from the team. He jus could not acclimatize to this format and to add to it his fieldin was even more pathetic. Laxman, this is not your form of the game, plz stop mintin money and concentrate on the longer format of the game where truly you are a "GEM".
5. LUKE POMERSBACH: I have been a bit unfair in includin this guy in the list but bein an "Australian", he needs to live up to that reputation which obviously he dint. He did get run out in a couple of innings and hence could not capitalise on his starts but bein a "foreign" player and only 4 allowed in the team, all of them need to stand up and be counted. Hopin for a better performance from him in the next season.
6. KEVIN PIETERSEN: He played only 6 matches but could not click in any of them. With the kind of player he is and the exorbitant sum that he was brought for, he could not provide the goods for his team and went away leavin the team in a disarray and it was only because of the inspirational "KUMBLE", that RCB managed to reach this far. Waitin for some fireworks from you next year or even in the champions league.
7. JACOB ORAM: He was surely not the "ORAM", i knew of this season. Could not fire with the bat and neither with the ball. Makhaya Ntini had to stay out of the team because of him with MSD preferin all-rounders. But, he was a total failure and dint stand up to his reputation and played just 1 good innings. His bowling,too, was not upto the mark and was taken for runs all around the park. May we get to see a rejuvenated Oram next season.
8.AJIT AGARKAR: Only 6 balls bowled by him in the 19th over against DC were worth watchin in the whole tournament. Still, DC managed to win eventually and his good work was undone by Rohit's heroics. He was awful in his bowlin, sprayin balls without any direction and mixin it up predictably. He bowled short,wide and asked to hit the batsmen and in this form of the game, the batsman gleefully obliged. KKR need to get rid off him as early as possible. He aint addin any value to the team even though bein a senior pro and havin vast experience at the international level.
9. ASHOK DINDA: Another player who impressed last year but could not do well this season. He dint even take 5 wkts in the whole tournament and also gave away runs at will. He could not get his line and length right and was poor right thro' the tournament.
10. JESSE RYDER: Since i could not get a single spinner who played badly this season, i ve decided to go for an extra all-rounder. With all the hype and hoopla of him bein bought by RCB, he was totally out of sorts and dint look the ryder who tore apart India's bowlin attack not more than 10 days ago. He dint click at all and also got involved in some supposedly "drinkin" problem which he is quite famous for. Surely, let himself down.
11. DHAWAL KULKARNI: When Zaheer got injured, he was entrusted of the job to partner Malinga, but he succeeded only in bits and pieces and went for a lot of runs. He was jus not upto the mark and proved to be Mumbai's weak link though their middle-order was more pathetic. Bein a star in the domestic tournaments, a lot was expected of him.
Coach: JOHN BUCHANAN: His tactics failed from day 0, even before the tournament started. Multiple captain theory was not at all required and dint bear any fruit. He may ve guided Australia to World Cup wins but he surely could not repeat it for KKR, who finished at rock-bottom of the table. Waitin for some changes from him for next season, ie if he is not sacked.
P.S.:- This is my personal opinion and players who ve played 5 or more than 5 games only ve been taken into account. If possible, plz suggest a spinner who bowled badly, i could not figure out any. Performance wise, Delhi was the best team as none of its players feature in this list.
Here are the 11 and the reasons why:
1. ROBIN UTTHAPA(wk): I guess there is somethin in the name "ROBIN"( with reference to robin ramsinghani) which jus refuses to do well. He was a total failure in this year's IPL and Dr. Mallya's biggest mistake for swappin Utthapa for Zaheer Khan. Even if he had won the finals for RCB yesterday, he would ve featured in my list. Right from pathetic battin to school-boy stuff catchin(read: droppin), he was not at all upto the mark and deserves to be in this list.
2.SOURAV GANGULY: Don raise your eyebrows, guys, he's been a total failure this season.... I jus remember his 1 innings against the royals, where he hit a quickfire 40 odd but yet dint see his team thro' and the match ended in a superover with the royals winnin. His fieldin as always has been atrocious and dint play well at all, considerin him bein an ICON player. "DADA", its better if you bid adieu to the cricket field now. You may be the "GOD in OFF-SIDE" but when it comes to short-pitched stuff, atleast keep your eyes open while playin the ball....
3. SWAPNIL ASNODKAR: IPL 08 was a grand success for this young lad but IPL 09 proved to be equally bad for this man. Truly, Cricket is a great leveller. But it also exposed his weakness that he's not a technically correct player. He can jus clear the in-field as he used to do in the power plays in 08. But,here the pitches bein more bouncy and fast, he jus could not get his eye in and always ended up givin away his wicket. My advice to him, Get your basics right,plz.
4.VVS LAXMAN: Another icon player features in the list. The "Very very special" turned out to be a total failure and actually had to be dropped from the team. He jus could not acclimatize to this format and to add to it his fieldin was even more pathetic. Laxman, this is not your form of the game, plz stop mintin money and concentrate on the longer format of the game where truly you are a "GEM".
5. LUKE POMERSBACH: I have been a bit unfair in includin this guy in the list but bein an "Australian", he needs to live up to that reputation which obviously he dint. He did get run out in a couple of innings and hence could not capitalise on his starts but bein a "foreign" player and only 4 allowed in the team, all of them need to stand up and be counted. Hopin for a better performance from him in the next season.
6. KEVIN PIETERSEN: He played only 6 matches but could not click in any of them. With the kind of player he is and the exorbitant sum that he was brought for, he could not provide the goods for his team and went away leavin the team in a disarray and it was only because of the inspirational "KUMBLE", that RCB managed to reach this far. Waitin for some fireworks from you next year or even in the champions league.
7. JACOB ORAM: He was surely not the "ORAM", i knew of this season. Could not fire with the bat and neither with the ball. Makhaya Ntini had to stay out of the team because of him with MSD preferin all-rounders. But, he was a total failure and dint stand up to his reputation and played just 1 good innings. His bowling,too, was not upto the mark and was taken for runs all around the park. May we get to see a rejuvenated Oram next season.
8.AJIT AGARKAR: Only 6 balls bowled by him in the 19th over against DC were worth watchin in the whole tournament. Still, DC managed to win eventually and his good work was undone by Rohit's heroics. He was awful in his bowlin, sprayin balls without any direction and mixin it up predictably. He bowled short,wide and asked to hit the batsmen and in this form of the game, the batsman gleefully obliged. KKR need to get rid off him as early as possible. He aint addin any value to the team even though bein a senior pro and havin vast experience at the international level.
9. ASHOK DINDA: Another player who impressed last year but could not do well this season. He dint even take 5 wkts in the whole tournament and also gave away runs at will. He could not get his line and length right and was poor right thro' the tournament.
10. JESSE RYDER: Since i could not get a single spinner who played badly this season, i ve decided to go for an extra all-rounder. With all the hype and hoopla of him bein bought by RCB, he was totally out of sorts and dint look the ryder who tore apart India's bowlin attack not more than 10 days ago. He dint click at all and also got involved in some supposedly "drinkin" problem which he is quite famous for. Surely, let himself down.
11. DHAWAL KULKARNI: When Zaheer got injured, he was entrusted of the job to partner Malinga, but he succeeded only in bits and pieces and went for a lot of runs. He was jus not upto the mark and proved to be Mumbai's weak link though their middle-order was more pathetic. Bein a star in the domestic tournaments, a lot was expected of him.
Coach: JOHN BUCHANAN: His tactics failed from day 0, even before the tournament started. Multiple captain theory was not at all required and dint bear any fruit. He may ve guided Australia to World Cup wins but he surely could not repeat it for KKR, who finished at rock-bottom of the table. Waitin for some changes from him for next season, ie if he is not sacked.
P.S.:- This is my personal opinion and players who ve played 5 or more than 5 games only ve been taken into account. If possible, plz suggest a spinner who bowled badly, i could not figure out any. Performance wise, Delhi was the best team as none of its players feature in this list.
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