Ind vs SA, WC-2011, Qualifiying round

In another tantalizingly close finish, South Africa beat India with just 3 balls to spare.  It was a thoroughly professional show by the Proteas and they richly deserved the win. As opposed to the Indians, who thoroughly deserved to lose last night’s game.

One may argue in the merits of choosing Nehra over Bhajji in that last over. It might have made a difference… we will never know. But, to me, the game was not won/lost there. Dhoni’s captaincy was good generally. He shuffled his bowlers well, was aggressive, and always ahead of things. SA batted very sensibly and everyone who came out to bat made a contribution. I think AB’s little innings was special in that it created the momentum for them to carry on. AB, by the way, is probably my favorite international cricketer now. No, the game was lost elsewhere. The Indians lost the plot while they were batting.

You cannot lose 9 wickets for 29 runs in an ODI! Not unless you are an ‘associate’ team playing against the big boys (or you are B’ldesh!).  Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir had set the match beautifully for the Indians, only for the others to throw it all away. It was shameful. Among all the super-stars, there was not one sane head to raise his hand to be counted. No one could keep cool and work the way through the end. There is a word in English for this kind of performance- pathetic!

So who’s to blame for the batting debacle? The top 3 did their job splendidly, and are therefore out of contention for this dubious distinction. Virat Kohli is young, and has performed well in the previous games. We can excuse him for the one-off game. Yuvi similarly can be discounted on past performances in this tournament. Mr Pathan knows only one way hit the cricket ball and that is to hit it hard. There are limits to what that sort of belligerence will deliver. So that leaves only our captain dearest- Mr MSD!

Coming to think of it… when was the last time MSD finished a match for us? I can’t recollect even one from recent memory. I can’t remember a decent batting contribution from him, in all forms of the game, for a long time.  So is Mr MSD in a form slump? It appears so… and it’s badly affecting Team India’s batting.

Dhoni is the calm and serene head in the middle of the order. He handles pressure well and can be depended on to hold anchor when the storm arrives. He’s done this job with distinction but it’s been some time now since he’s delivered. India should not slump like it did that day with Dhoni around. He’s the guy who gets us out of those dreadful periods of play. But, he failed!

It’s been reported that he’s very unhappy with the batting performance from the last game. I hope he said that in a very expansive tone- to include himself. Mr. MSD needs to remove his sword from its sheath and get going.

So what’s to say of India’s bowling? The less said the better! Yes, I know I blamed India’s batting for the loss… but that’s because I have very little confidence, if at all, in India’s bowling to believe that it has the goods to win us a game by itself. Yes ZAK and Bhajji can be brilliant in periods… but Nehra and Munaf… really?

Among the top teams, India has probably the weakest bowling line up. So how do we correct it? It might be worth to give Sreesanth a try. I’m not saying that he’s better than Nehra or Munaf. But there’s a small chance that he might be in some sort of form. The other two are obviously doing nothing.

And I might be tempted to bring the extra spinner. Play only 6 batsmen even. I’m not very clear on this though… I’m just shooting off my head here.

India doesn’t look like a world cup winning squad at the moment. It’s lacking that killer instinct. It needs to deliver that knockout punch when it gets the chance. Pray that they find it soon!

IPL 3

The 'Grand Tamasha' is finally over. And what a 'Tamasha' it was...IPL 3 has come to an end with my home team- 'Chennai Super Kings' lifting the trophy. Personally I couldn't have asked for more.

Unfortunately a bit of sheen of the victory has been lost thanks to scandals surrounding the game. Even Chennai's own Hindu newspaper decided that the IPL drama merited front page news over the victory. Such is the state of affairs right now.

I don't want to get in to the whole IPL fiasco right now. I'd like to savour the moment and highlight some of the good things of IPL 3.

The best thing of IPL 3 is that we won (pretty obvious that one). Chennai's been the most consistent team through all seasons of IPL. It was a last minute entry in to the semi-finals, but I think the team managed to win the crucial moments and that's what's made the difference.

Dhoni has been the stand-out. His whirlwind innings against Punjab, that saw Chennai enter the semis, created momentum and from then on the team dominated everyone that came it's way. A captain's knock can do that a team, and Dhoni delivered when it mattered. Even in the finals- it was Dhoni's one handed six that set the tempo for Chennai's flourish towards the end of it's batting. He's an astute leader, reads the game brilliantly and uses his resources very wisely. Opening with Ashwin has been one of his successes in the tournament and the rookie offie responded brilliantly to the challenge.

No analysis of Chennai will be complete without mentioning Suresh Raina. He has been the stand-out player of the IPL. He's matured and plays according to the situation. Most importantly he backs himself and that's what's brought him his success. He's just 24 years of age and already the leading scorer of IPL. I have no doubt that he will go down as one of the legends in IPL history.

Murali Vijay looks like the next big thing to happen to Indian cricket. His clean hitting has attracted everyone. And if he uses the opporunity that he's got he will look back at IPL 3 as the defining moment of his career. Dougie Bollinger bowled brilliantly when it mattered. His pace brought more fire-power to the bowling unit. My favourite Chennai player for this IPL has been R. Ashwin. I hated him for losing that match against Punjab. But what a turn-around he brought to his game since that. Bowling within the first 6 overs- his accurate bowling proved decisive more than once. Even in the finals- he set the tempo for Chennai in the second innings by bowling a maiden in the very first over. For me, Ashwin and Ojha are the bowlers to watch-out for in the future. They will most likely be the main-stay of our bowling attack in the years to come.

Badrinath had a good tournament, though he still doesn't look very comfortable in this format. Muralitharan bowled well in patches. I think age is finally catching up with the old wizard. Jakati provided good support in the middle, though his lack of variations made him predictable and thus a target for the sloggers. Albie Morkel has been Chennai's war-horse. He's there to bowl, bat, field and do anything and everything. He had a very good tournament and that's been a big reason for Chennai's success.

Mathai Hayden didn't have a very good tournament. His name still evokes fear in the opposition and that may have been good enough reason to play him. But he's definitely not looked like the Hayden of yore. Barring that one whirl-wind knock against Delhi there's nothing much to write home about for Hayden. It was strange to see Hayden being over-shadowed by a relative new-comer Murali Vijay. It might well turn-out to be Hayden's last IPL. He's been great for Chennai- just not in this IPL.

Chennai's Indian pace attack looked completely out-of-sorts and got hammered in most games. Balaji looks totally low on confidence. Sudip Tyagi and Gony need to work on bowling better. The other players played their bit- parts too. Hussey didn't get too much of a chance to play. I'm sure he'll be slotted in during the Champions League. Thilan Thusharra looks a genuine prospect. It was unfortunate that he couldn't play more despite peforming in the limited chances that he got.  Makhaya Ntini was wasted. I don't know why he didn't play at all- he should have been given a game atleast. Parthiv Patel, poor chap, initially he played as an opener though Dhoni was already there to keep. But with Vijay coming in to his own, the guy had to make way. Aniruddha Srikanth's cameos in the semis and finals were very important, though the performances themselves were too small to judge the guy by.

I was watching the finals with a few friends of mine and we went absolutely over-the-top when Chennai won. It was just fantastic. We are not the most flamboyant city in India. We don't have the history of Delhi or Hyderabad, nor the madness of Mumbai, nor the character of Kolkatta, nor the brazeness of Bangalore. Quite often our city is given the skip when people talk about important cities in India. It is like Chennai is the city that almost is but isn't- and it's always been so.

Last Sunday's victory was special. It was our time under the sun. Chennai now has something that everyone else had been dreaming about- Chennai is the IPL 2010 Champions! Take that everyone! : )


 

India vs Australia

Last night I re-discovered the Sachin that made me believe anything is possible. He was supreme last night. But, alas, like many times in his career... he couldn't finish it off for his team.

Sachin is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Yet, he doesn't have any big trophy to his name. Like the World Cup, or a test series win in Australia or SA. All great players have one or more trophies to their name. Tendulkar hasn't been able to use his game changing qualities to bring any big cup home. Maybe that's what spurs him on, after 21 long years in international cricket.

Coming back to his innings last night- I feel honoured that I watched it. I will take the memories with me to my grave. It was marvellous. His team-mates must be feeling real ashamed that they couldn't complete the job after Sachin had done so much. They owed it to him to finish it off. That wasn't to be.

Australia are clearly one step ahead of India in every dept. No where is this more visible than in Aus's fielding. For an eg I will recollect the last wicket that fell. There was clearly a lot of tension and Praveen Kumar was trying to run 2. But Haurtiz's rocket throw was perfect, right near the wickets and that made it end game. The ability to keep calm under pressure, to execute perfectly, to be ruthless... all these qualities are highlighted in this one little instance. All these qualities are the hall-mark of the Aussies and you'll find them repeated many times in every game. That's what makes them a champion side.

For too long now we've been depending on raw talent. We should be proud of a system that's able to generate a Sehwag, a Dhoni, or a Bhaji. But not all 11 players can be like that. We need to chip away at the edges of the ordinary cricketers and make them polished so that they shine on the international stage. Ravindra Jadeja was clearly too excited...and that cost him his wicket. Nehra played an irresponsible shot. And why wasn't Praveen Kumar diving in full body for that last run? That could have easily made the difference. These small things make a big difference in the end.

We lack finishers. We lack that finishing quality within us. Even Sachin is not a finisher. Dhoni is & Raina also to a certain degree. We need more of that calibre. It is a real tough job. But the guys should be trained for it. Even in bowling I've noticed that we lack that killer punch. How many times have we let the last wicket just drag the match on? We should be ruthless and finish it off at the earliest.

2 times now in the same series that India has lost matches chasing that it should have won comfortably. Not good at all. Means we haven't learnt our lessons from the first time. This is where Indian cricket needs to improve. This chalta hai attitude will not be accepted. We will need to be machine like in our pursuit of being the number one team. The Aussies are not going to surrender that spot easily.

Australia are still a depleted side. With 2 games to go, I'm still not willing to make any bets. Let's hope India gets it finishing act together for the next games.

Confessions of a Cricket fan!

Namaskar. Is karyakram mein aapka swaagat hai!

Late last night I'd met up with a few friends in Coffee Day. As usual I was the early bird and I had to wait a good 45 min before I got some company.

Anyways... I was there. I prefer sitting outside to indoors. So I found myself a chair and sat down.
Well I was the only non- looove matter person there outside. Every other place was occupied by a couple. In fact it had to be that way. I'll tell you why- because of the god-damn mosquitoes!
I couldn't sit outside for 10 min and had to go running inside. You had to be in love to not realize the god-damn mosquitoes! God bless them couples...

So I went inside and here the crowd was a more even spread. You had groups of guys and girls sitting around. I was the only loner. I didn't mind. There was a hot-chick sitting with her-gal friends and I found myself a nice place where I could get a nice 'view'. :)

I found that I had to look at the TV too. So I did. Ah...What is this? A cricket match! That too India playing... against Sri Lanka... how come I didn't know! How come none of my friends told me about it! What the hell?

So as a true gentleman I pretended to focus on the match on TV while my attentions were actually else where.

As I was watching Dravid got bowled. Nice... Then Yuvraj was trying his best to edge behind to the keeper. He finally got lucky and did just that. Then Raina came in and showed Yuvraj exactly how easy it is and that he shouldn't have wasted 6 balls trying it. Raina did it in his first one!

K... screw the match... where is the babe? Yes... she was there... and yes she caught me looking at her... girls always know... and she gave me one of those 'i know you are looking' stares, and she got with her friends and giggled... i knew she didn't mind being 'looked at' by me.
Just as I was about to muster up the courage and actually go and talk to her my friend calls and he's like 5 minutes he'll be there. Ah.... what the hell... I decided not to proceed. I stayed put in my chair. (5 minutes turned out to be 30... but he has a girl friend... and like the old saying goes...''love takes time".)

The cricket was excruciatingly boring. Every time the ball went to the outfield I'd find myself counting in my head till the next ball was bowled. And it was consistently in the 3-figure mark. GOSH! I'm here sitting jobless trying to watch my fav game and I couldn't. Yes... there was the distraction... but I think there is a deeper reason to it. ODI's have lost their thrill. 20-20's have taken their place and I think it's just a matter of time before ODI's get 'phased' out. Luckily for me there was the 'distraction'. :)

So I was waiting for my friends... pretending to watch the match... and generally enjoying myself... when suddenly I felt like I was being stared at. I looked around and suddenly found a head moving sheepishly away. No it wasn't the chick. It was a guy! Apparently he walked in after I had... and he was sitting alone too.

Right... I thought it was a one-off. But no... this guy kept staring at me... I was like what the bloody hell. I felt like a chick. I moved my position a little. Still staring at me... I pretended to look at the TV and watch him through the corner of my eye, and yes, he was still staring at me. Now I was getting paranoid. I took a quick glance in the mirror to see if there was anything on my face... I couldn't find anything except my face! I looked around to see if my fly was open. It wasn't. Everything was fine... and I still felt naked.

By this time I'd lost focus on the chick. I realized that this is probably the way chicks feel when I stare at them. I felt guilty. I prayed to God and begged him to take this guy away from there. I made promises that I'd never stare at a chick again... though all along I could hear a voice in my head saying "who you kidding?".

All right I told myself... focus on the match... God damn.. it was so bloody lousy anything else had to be better... yes there was the chick.... but no... there was my 'admirer'.

I couldn't take it beyond a certain point... So I finally got up... walked to the guy... and asked him what his problem was... he looked helpless... and at that moment I realized he was squint... and i felt terrible inside. One glance at the girls and I saw them giggling... I felt like a bloody fool.

I thought of walking out just then... but my friends came in at that very instant... talk about timing...

None of them reads this blog and I never gave them the full story of the awkward moment there. It was way too embarrassing. I hope you won't tell them....

Now if only the cricket had been good... none of this would have happened!

ICC WT20- PAK are Champions!

Well ever since India were knocked out of the tournament my interest in the whole thing had waned. But it is still a world cup and I'm sure guys out there from Pakistan and Sri Lanka were following their teams and were really excited for the big final.
When the T20 game was conceptualized I'm sure most cricket fans feared that, with this version, the domination of bat over ball would be complete. Great bowlers seem to be a rare and dying species. And most countries seemed to be preparing flat beds for both domestic and international matches, where the ball would never spin or swing, so that the cricket could be "entertaining". Scores in excess of 300 in ODI's and 200 in T20 were a common feature.
This World Cup was different. Full credit should go to the groundsmen and administrators in England who had the courage to keep sporting wickets throughout the tournament.
Batting heavy sides like India and Australia were found wanting. While teams that were more balanced like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa performed exceedingly well and made it in to the semis.
It is to the credit of the organizers that it was the two best bowling sides in the tournament that made it in to the semis. Their vision might have just revived the dying breed of bowlers and I hope the Indian board has taken notice and decides to do something about our own tracks. The Sri Lankan team were unbeaten in the tournament. Pakistan had peaked at the right time and made a surprise victory over South Africa in the semis, who until then were firm favourites to lift the cup.
Pakistan played to a plan from the beginning and it was only Sangakarra's brilliant effort with the bat and some swash-buckling cricket from Angelo Mathews the brought some respectability to the total. However it did not prove enough and Shahid 'boom-boom' Afridi's half-century was enough to see the Pakistanis through. Pakistan have always been a supremely talented side. The problem has been with their temperament. In Younis Khan I feel they've found a leader who can guide them in the right direction. He reminds me very much of the old Dhoni. He's calm and cool under pressure. He says the right things in the press conference. Is shrewd and tactful in his cricket.
I remember Younis said in a press conference that his team were taking the tournament lightly and were more intent on having fun than anything else. Compare that with the obvious pressure that the Indians were under. And also note how the 2 teams ended the tournament. :)
Dhoni has come under intense scrutiny from the media. From being the media-darling he's been transformed in to the media-villain. It will be interesting to see how he comes out from this. Being the big fan I hope that he comes out tougher and stronger.
Next on is the India vs West Indies series starting in five days time. I'm not sure if I will blog for those matches as I'm moving out of town. I will try and keep my posts coming. Do drop down every once in a while. Take care. Cheers! ;)

ICC WT20- Ind vs Eng

Well well well... what I feared most as an Indian fan has happened... India are out of the World Cup... and people back home are already getting their daggers ready! ;)
India played poorly. England played the better cricket and deserved to win the match. Should be case closed there itself. Ah ha... you thought so? No way.. this is India after all!
I never thought I'd find myself saying this, with me being the big fan and all, but I feel that it was Dhoni's tactical blunders that cost us the match. It was good to ring in a few changes from the last game. But dropping Irfan Pathan was not called for. He was bowling quite well and was doing a decent job with the bat also. Zaheer or Ishant could have been dropped. They have not been performing as well as the team wants them to.
I thought the bowlers did quite well to bring England down to 153. Pietersen and Bopara had gotten off to a handsome start and things were looking ominous for India. But Ravindra Jadeja had different plans and he removed both Pietersen and Bopara in an inspired spell of bowling.
Playing R.P. Singh was a good move and he did bowl really well. Why then didn't he bowl his full quota of 4 overs???? Ishant was getting clobbered all over the park, and he still bowled out!
The leg-side line from the bowlers was defensive and doesn't suit this team. This is a team that plays aggressive. Dhoni is an aggressive captain. When you see him ask his bowlers to bowl a line like that, you know he's not in the right frame of mind.
The Indian fielding was hideous. No dropped catches fortunately, but the ground fielding was just horrible! India needs to work on this urgently.
Predictably the English bowlers dished out the short stuff when the Indians came out to bat. Raina and Rohit Sharma found it extremely tough going and succumbed . Both players will have to work on their game(especially against quality bowling on fast/bouncy wickets) if they are to survive international cricket. Playing Ravindra Jadeja @ No 4 was preposterous. When I saw him walk in to the ground after Raina got out I was like "Oh NO!". I was hoping the guy would prove me wrong, but he didn't. Dhoni didn't read the game well here. It was obvious that the English bowlers were bowling short. The run rate required was rising and it would have been ideal to send Yuvraj or Yousuf out to bat. They would have handled the short stuff better and also the run rate. As things turned out Dhoni left things for a little too late.
Once the required rate reached 10-11, India was always going to be playing 'catch up'. Yuvraj got out to a brilliant piece of wicket-keeping and from then on it was England's game. Dhoni couldn't find any touch and couldn't get any boundaries(edges behind not being counted!). Yousuf and Dhoni did bring it close with some good running and good hitting (from Yousuf!). But England held sway and walked away with a victory that ended India's hopes of defending it's title.
I think more than anything the Indian players should take a good break. The team looked jaded. Probably one of the reasons for the insipid fielding performance throughout the tournament. Dhoni seems to have aged with all the pressure and non-stop cricket. He needs/deserves a good break.
I know many of you out there will be disappointed and generally be critical of this team. But this still is a very good team. I think we need to give the guys a chance and some time.

ICC WT20- Ind vs WI

India were out played by a high- spirited West Indies team at Lord's last night. It gets tough for India to qualify for the semis now. They have to beat both South Africa and England to get through. With the South Africans playing as well as they are, that's a task that's going to take some doing.
West Indies played to a plan. The bowling was aggressive. They bowled short/just short of length to all the Indian batsmen. I remember at least 3 Indian batsmen getting out trying to play the pull.
India lost 3 early wickets and Dhoni and Yuvraj had to consolidate in the middle. Dhoni got stuck and his hitting form will be of concern to him and the rest of the team. He scored a mere 11 runs of 23 balls and doesn't seem to be able to score as freely as he used to. I think MSD just needs to be more positive. He's been playing the role of sheet anchor quite successfully for India and has been quite successful in Tests and ODI's. But any good player should also be able to raise the tempo when he wants to, especially in T20 cricket.
Yuvraj was brilliant again. It's like he was built for the T20 game. It was his innings and Yousuf Pathan's late flourish that took the team to a respectable 153.
India started off the second innings really well. Being able to keep Gayle tight for over 6 overs was excellent work by the opening bowlers. Irfan bowled well and brother Yousuf also played his part. Zaheer was disciplined. Dhoni kept rotating his bowlers in a bid to keep Gayle uncomfortable.
Bhaji's maiden over to Gayle was a treat to watch and was the highlight of the initial part of the second innings. For the true connoisseur of cricket it was off-spin bowling at it's best. It was an interesting duel between the spirited Punjabi and the big Caribbean bloke. I'm happy that the duel went Bhajji's way.
But it looked like India had plans only for Gayle and no one else in the West Indies batting line-up. Most of the bowler looked short of ideas when the other batsmen came in. When Bravo joined Simmons in the middle, India looked completely lost. The pair were able to score runs freely. The required rate was about 9-9.5 an over, and these batsmen were getting them easily! There was a boundary being scored every over, and Bravo was running like his life depended on it.
A note here on the Indian fielding. I remember two miss-fields where the ball went right through the Indian fielder and to the boundary. Generally the fielding effort was lethargic. India didn't seem to have 'the bite' when it was fielding. There was no running around and diving, no incredible saves, and the returns to the keeper were horrible and need to be worked on urgently. The energy and passion seemed to be missing. India seemed to lack that X factor on the field (which was so visible in the Windies fielding). It could be the fatigue from playing so much cricket and traveling over the past year.
Bravo proved to be too good and the Windies reached home comfortably.
Things look bleak now for the Men-in-blue. Getting in to the semis is going to be an uphill task. I think more than anything India just need to take a bit of rest, take a little time out, and then get back to things full-swing. India is still one of the top teams in the tournament and now it's for the boys to live up to their tags.

ICC WT20- Ind vs Ban

Well "cricket ka maha-yudh" is here. The ICC World T20 Championships is here. Though to be honest I think I've had an over dose of cricket these past few months. But well, it is the World Cup, and India are defending champs. So yes I'm still going to be following the games. :)
It was a nice start for India to the WC. Rohit Sharma seems to like opening the batting. Gambhir and Dhoni got stuck a bit in the middle and were not able to score freely. They couldn't create the momentum that was required. That job was left to Messrs Yuvraj and Irfan. Yuvraj was outstanding. It was just beautiful batting, clean hitting and awesome entertainment. His 18 ball 41 finally took India to 180 and that gave the score a bit of respectability.
There were plenty of nerves around with Holland having beaten England and WI having beaten the Aussies before this particular game. So B'ladesh must have been hoping that they too could continue with the 'giant-killing' spree. But it was not to be.
Though the openers did a fantastic job in B'desh's run-chase, India kept picking up regular wickets, and the pressure just proved to be too much for the B'deshis to handle. A good bowling performance by Pragyan Ojha, where he took four for 21, settled the game in India's favour. The rest of the bowling, with the exception of Bhajji, looked a little rusty and that will worry the team management. I don't think Zaheer was 100%. Irfan and Ishant couldn't halt the momentum that the B'desh innings had gathered in the beginning. It was Dhoni's move to bring Yousuf Pathan early on that gave India it's break through and from then on wickets kept falling.
I must admit that I was impressed with B'desh. The bowling was good. They faltered a bit at the end under the Yuvi onslaught. But generally the bowling- especially the spin bolwing was very good. The fielding was exceptional. And the way the B'deshi batsmen went about chasing down India's target was good to see. They seemed to be fearless and played some very good strokes. It's very different from the B'desh players I remember watching a few years back. I'm sure that this young team is a team to watch out for the future.
India's next fixture is against Ireland and should be a fairly easy one. That means India should cruise thorugh in to the super 8's. That's where the real competition will be.
Hoping Dhoni and his boys will continue the good run. :)

IPL 2: Curtains Down

The month long cricket carnival has come to an end. A new champion has been crowned. And it's time to take stock of what was and what wasn't in the final few days of the IPL.
Well to me Chennai's loss in the semis came as a bit of a shocker. I couldn't get down to writing a post about that game. But I'm over it now. For me Dhoni's decision to play Oram instead of Hussey backfired on him. It was a difficult call to make. Oram had played the whole tournament and added depth in the bowling department. Hussey had just come back from national duties and would have played his first IPL game of the season had he been given the chance. It was a tough call to make. With Mattie Hayden doing as well as he was in the tournament and the batting looking very good I'll give Dhoni the benefit of the doubt there. Most fans feel that Chennai's bowling let us down. But given the circumstances I think we performed really well in bowling. What let us down was the batting. Had the batsmen put on 10-15 more runs on the board then it would have been a very different game.
To take nothing away from Bangalore though. Chennai had got off to a flyer and B'lore did wonderfully well to come back the way they did. And they went about chasing down the score also in a very professional manner. They made the most of the initial fielding restrictions. Put together a couple of useful partnerships and they found the boundary whenever it was required.
The other semi was an all out Gilly show. It was batting at it's brutal best and even Sehwag had to admit that there was nothing he or his bowlers could do about it. I feel sorry for Delhi. They played the best cricket in the tournament. But Gilly has this uncanny ability to raise his game when it's a big one. And he did it again and sent Delhi packing.
So this year's finalists were actually last year's bottom finishers in the league table. Fantastic turnaround for both teams. B'lore had done magnificently to come to the final. They were not doing too well in the initial stages of the league. Only when Pietersen left and Kumble took over the reigns did B'lore's fortunes change. Chargers on the other hand had gotten off to a handsome start but faltered mid-way. Andrew Symonds's return added strength and dimension to the team and they made the most of that. Rohit Sharma and R.P. Singh played fantastically through the tournament and Deccan rode in to to finals.
It was a well fought final. B'lore bowled and fielded really well. But Deccan managed to strut together a few crucial partnerships and Gibbs played responsibly(not something that you'd associate with him!) to bat through the innings. It was a good total put up by the Chargers but not something that was beyond B'lore. B'lore's chase began in right earnest but they kept losing wickets. There was a brief time, when Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli were batting, that B'lore looked to be in control of the game. But Symonds's match- changing over, when he managed to dismiss both of them in two consecutive balls, swung things the Chargers way.
In the end the Deccan Chargers prevailed and were crowned IPL CHAMPIONS 2009.
The closing ceremony was an insipid affair. I couldn't sit through Akon's non sense. Now this is a man who sells his music through his vulgar lyrics and perverted videos. What were the organizers thinking in bringing him on for the closing ceremony? One would have liked to see the IPL babes in swim suits and things like that. But there was nothing of that sort. And Katrina Kaif had far too many clothes on to be interesting. So that was that.
Anyways.... the IPL was a great way to pass off the evenings during this summer. I hope Chennai will do better next year. I hope you have enjoyed reading my posts this IPL. Thank you. Will be back next year also. :)

IPL-2 CSK vs RCB

The Chennai juggernaut was brought to a halt by the Bangaloreans today. It was a good game. Low scoring one. It finished in the last over of the second innings.
Bangalore is a team inspired. I've said this before and I'll say it again- Kumble is an inspirational leader. He should have been made captain in the first place. Pietersen is not captain material. Kumble's made the guys believe in themselves and they've backed him by pulling off two sensational wins in two games.
RCB's chase against KKR will go down as one of the best in IPL history. And Ross Taylor's knock that day will go down as one of the best ever played in a 20-20. Today it was a more all round effort from the team. Everyone had some roll to play. And they all ended up doing their bit.
What won the game for team RCB was undoubtedly the exceptional fielding performance. It was a joy to see the RCB team on the field. Not bad for a team that counts the not very athletic Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble amongst it's ranks. There was brilliant ground fielding, outstanding catching, breath-taking run outs. It was all there.
It was a welcome change from the dismal fielding standards that all other teams have put up in this competition so far. (Chennai of-course tops the charts when it comes to worst fielding units. Who can forget Jakati trying to run out Devon Smith from about 6 inches from the stumps and missing!)
The turning point of the match I feel was when Van de Merwe caught and bowled Dhoni. It was one of the best catches I've ever seen in my life. I actually got up from my sofa for that one. It was that good! That catch and it's brilliance actually turned the momentum towards Bangalore. It often happens in sport where one moment of inspiration is enough to lift an entire team. This catch was one such moment.
RCB's batting woes continued. And though they won I have to say they made a mess of the chase. It was also some very good bowling by Chennai. Albie Morkel was precision personified in his 4-over spell and that helped Chennai pile on the pressure early. Muralitharan was brilliant as usual. Even guys like Balaji, Jakati, Tyagi and Oram bowled really well. It was the batting that let us down.
Hayden has been bludgeoning the bowling right through this season. I'm glad that he's a Chennai "local" boy (albeit adopted, and a very very big boy!). Raina, Dhoni, Vijay and Badrinath couldn't sustain the momentum that Hayden's knock provided. Oram and Morkel look horribly out of sorts with the bat. Maybe for the next game or two we could try putting one of these guys up the order to give them more time to set in and build some form.
B'lore's win has certainly thrown open the competition. There is still 6 teams in the reckoning for a place in the semis. Every match from now on will be do-or-die for the teams. That should make for some intriguing and entertaining cricket. I'm fairly confident that Chennai will make it through. After all we still have one game against KKR. :)

The half way stage of IPL-2

Sorry people for not blogging these past few days. Been held up with a few things. Should be more regular now. So stay tuned!

Well we're at the half-way stage of the IPL with most teams having played 7-8 games. And for 7 of the 8 teams a semis birth still looks possible. We have an exciting couple of weeks ahead of us.

Chennai leads the table today. Yes the SUPER Super kings are on the rampage. They've won 3 games in a row. The momentum is all with them. And yes I'm a big fan. SO? It is the truth. Opponents Beware!
Dhoni has found his touch. Which means all the 'fast bowler raascaals' better 'mind it!'. With Vijay opening the line up and Jakati playing in place of Jogi Sharma the team has found the right balance. Things are looking good for Chennai. They have 6 games to go in the league stages and have to try and win 4 to ensure that they get in to the semis.
Mumbai is a team that's on-again, off-again. On certain days they look like they'll tear apart every other team. And on other days they look very ordinary. But with the likes of Tendulkar, Jayasuriya,Duminy, Bhajji and Malinga you can't afford to count them out.
Delhi and Deccan built momentum in the first few matches. But both have looked off colour their last few games. The top order in both teams has not performed consistently. Deccan especially relies too much on it's openers Gibbs and Gilchrist. These two teams are still among the best teams in the tournament with balanced sides and players in form. Delhi is probably the team of the tournament 'on form'.
Bangalore is a team inspired. Ever since Pietersen left the team has been playing brilliantly. Their win over Mumbai in the last game was just fantastic. Kumble has managed to bring spirit in to his boys and it shows with consistent performances on the field. Here's another team with momentum that should do well in the remaining games.
With Shane Watson returning to the Royals they are going to be a very formidable team. This team of under-dogs has so far managed to stay in the tournament by the skin of their teeth. I like these guys. They look short in every department of the game except fielding and spirit. I hope they make it to the semis.
Punjab should benefit from the returning Aussies. James Hopes and Simon Katich definitely add strength to what was already a good team. The main worry for this team though is the bowling. Irfan has lacked consistency. Yusuf Abdullah has been quite exceptional and he's the main reason that these boys are still in the tournament.
Ah and finally the Knights in shining armour. Right now this team is so down on luck that it couldn't win the lottery even if they bought all the tickets. The team is plagued by internal politics and rivalries. And the fault for all this lies squarely with coach Buchanan. He's wrecked the team. Technically they could still make it to the semis by winning all their matches. However, keeping technicalities aside, that looks a far possibility.

IPL-2 : CSK vs RR

We're back people. Yes! Finally!
It feels so so so good to have a win under your belt. The Royals are not the formidable team of last year. But every game counts and every win even more.
It was a good win. Most experts on TV are saying it was comprehensive, but I don't want to go that far. On paper CSK are a far far better team than the Royals. Royals are without their two stars of the last season. They don't look even half as formidable as last time.
Suresh Raina put in a scintilating performance today. His 98 was one of the best knocks I've seen in any IPL match. It was extremely unfortunate for him to miss out on his century.
Badrinath came up the order and batted very well. Morkel bowled well. Dhoni did find some sort of touch with the bat. The new chap- Tyagi, also bowled quite decently. However, for my eyes, the Chennai team is still not playing to full potential.
The next game for the Chennai boys is with the Daredevils. Chennai will still be smarting from it's loss in the first leg game. Delhi are a very good side. It should be a great contest.

IPL-2: CSK vs Deccan Chargers

As I write this post I've just found out that Mumbai has beat the Knights by 90-odd runs. The Knights are heading for dark days! :P

K, back to the first match of the day. Deccan managed a convincing win. The scorecard might not suggest that. But all through the chase Mr Herschelle Gibbs had everything under control.
It is extremely disappointing to see CSK playing like this. They are low on spirit and determinaton. The team looks very one-dimensional. And most surprising of all, Dhoni looks short of ideas!
Well, I see a few things wrong with the team. I'm just shouting out loud here, so don't mind. I think Dhoni is not making use of his XI players. To me it looks as if guys like Badrinath and Joginder Sharma are there just to add up the numbers.
Badrinath is wasted at No 7. The least you could do is let the guy bat at 5. He's a genuine batsmen. Playing at that position will allow him to anchor the innings through the middle and end overs. Also if our top orders fails he'll hold fort at one end atleast. He's not a big hitting guy. Making him play in the last 3-4 overs is completely wasting his talent. If he's not going to play up the order might as well replace him with a bowler or something.
Now I don't know what utililty Joginder Sharma provides in this set up. Dhoni might take him to be his lukcy mascot or something. But clearly the mascot is not working this time. Someone else should play in his place.
With the likes of M.Vijay around, I can't understand why Dhoni persists with Parthiv Patel. He's done a decent job. But you want your best blokes to face as many balls as they can. Especially in a 20-20. Parthiv can play some rear-guard role. As opener I don't think he fits the billing. When there is a talent like Vijay I would use him.
Ntini has to play. We badly need the fire- power he provides with his pace. Morkel is in awful form with bat and ball. It might not be a bad idea to sit Morkel out and play Ntini.
Last I am looking for some imagination from Dhoni. It was obvious in this game that Gilchrist and Gibbs were going to attack the opening bowlers. They would then just play out Murali's 4 overs and then get on with the others. In this situation I would have liked Murali to have opened the bowling and tightened the screws on the batsmen.
Right now the Chennai team is looking too predictable. There needs to be some fresh faces, some fresh ideas brought in to the game. The middle order batsmen's form is a major cause for concern. And our bowling attack looks depleted. It's important that we fix this if we are to entertain any hopes of entering the semis.
Chennai is still a very good team. I hope they will give me reason to be proud.

IPL 2- All Hail the Champs!

Well what do you say to these Royal chaps? Somebody please remind them that they are without Sohail Tanvir and Shane Watson. Someone tell them that they have no bowling or batting to speak of. Some one tell Shane Warne that he's playing professional cricket with a bunch of "galli ka chokras!". Some one please tell them!
Well, they might not have the cricketing talent that the top teams in the IPL can boast of, but they have a spirit that will outdo any other team in the tournament. Last night the Rajasthan Royals showed plenty of it and came out tops over a demoralized (and deglamourized!) Knight Riders.
I had decided that I would only blog about CSK games with the odd exception. Well last night's game was one such exception. What a game! What drama, passion, dare-devilry and raw energy. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Dada's heroics brought the Knight Riders close but he failed to finish the match. One must mention Warne's belief in his wards here. It was a huge risk to give the final over to young Kamran Khan. The young fella rose up to the challenge and how. He bowled a brilliant last over and got rid of Dada too. This meant the game ended in a tie! His mates could have asked nothing more of him. He bowled the super over also and though Gayle did take 15 runs of him it was a splendid effort considering the pressure he must have been under.
Have I mentioned Yousuf Pathan yet? No? Oh he just walked in to the ground to bat in the super over with someone else(we don't even need to know who!). He walked out there knowing that he had to take 16 of an over and Mendis( who had bowled brilliantly in the first innings) would be bowling. Mendis had actually gotten rid of Pathan when the Royals were batting.
He came, he sent two balls out of the park, one high in to the air that dropped in between the fielders for 2 and sent another crashing to the boundary. Game, set, match- Yousuf Pathan for the Rajasthan Royals.
As kids we all dream of doing what Yousuf did last night. It was simply put- superb. It was power hitting at its most brutal best. Awesome job Yousuf-- Awesome!
Well I hope the Royals get a move on now. I like them. They are the perennial under-dogs.
As for KKR. Well- for some reason all the guys seem to be hating this team. Only girls seem to support this team. There is somethin about the team that just pisses me off. Maybe it's all the hype and hoopla surrounding them. I just don't like them.
Well the Royals won... that's what counts. Congrats to them.

IPL-2: CSK vs Delhi Daredevils

Chennai.... why oh why oh why? Gosh you just hate games like this one.
Fantastic contest between both the teams, goes right down to the wire, and in the end the team you support "loses"! Arrrrgggh!
The highest scoring game of the IPL season this far and it was tremendous entertainment. I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it much more had Chennai won!
Devilliers's century was simply put- 'awesome'. Delhi is easily the best team of the tournament. Their batsmen are in devastating form. The bowling seems to be coming together. Over-all they seem to have great balance in their side. So much so that the great McGrath can't even find a place in the playing XI!
Chennai put up a spirited fight. What made the difference between the teams I feel was the finishing. Delhi finished their batting and bowling really well. Chennai faltered at the end in both innings. That cost us the match.
We need to look for bowlers who can bowl in the death and batsmen who can finish games while chasing.
I don't think we need to read too much in to this loss. It was a very good effort by Chennai to come this close. Let's hope Chennai learns from it's mistakes soon and we get to see our 'Rascalas' thrashing the rest of them boys.

IPL-2: CSK vs B'lore Royal Challengers

The super kings are back on track and how! It was a thorough demolition of the RC's. RC's had just beaten the Rajasthan Royals team and all the experts were raving about how good they looked. However, Chennai put them to the sword and they were shred to pieces. K..k... I know I'm a little carried away. Well cricket does that to me. Sorry!
Hayden was in devastating form. If he hadn't been run out I'm sure CSK would have put a total in excess of 200. There were also valuable contri's from Parthiv, Raina and Flintoff. Dhoni got his batting order right. He didn't do as well as he would have liked with the bat. But he's just wasted lower down the order. I'm sure on another day he will shine.
What really really impressed me about the Super Kings was the bowling. Gony and Balaji appear a little weak. But there was just fantastic support from Morkel, Flintoff and Murali. Man of the Match- Murali was just phenomenal. I don't think I'll forget the way he dragged Robin Uthappa out of his crease with the doosra(Dhoni completed the stumping) for a long long time. Right now this Chennai team is looking really really good. If the opening bowlers can get their act together then there's just no stopping this team.
B'lore looked flat. For a little while after the mid-innings break when Chennai were batting they looked a little upbeat. Two wickets had fallen in quick succession and they had successfully brought down the run rate. The target of 179 was still going to challenge B'lore. The RC team was unable to build any momentum while batting. They lost far too many wickets and were not able to build any substantial partnerships.
I feel Pietersen is making the same mistake that Dhoni made. He's coming too far down the order. He needs to come up and get and face as many balls as he can. He would be the ideal No3 for B'lore. There is still however a shortage of genuine strikers in the RC team. That's something for the team mgt to work on.
All Chennai fans will be mighty pleased with the team's performance last night. I hope Dhoni and the Rascalas carry on the good work.

IPL- Season 2

Most times you switch on TV and there's absolutely nothing to watch. Though I have subscribed to every channel possible, it's odd the number of times I find absolutely nothing interesting.
But yesterday was not like that. Mano-ranjan ka baap (who can forget that add last year!) is here. IPL is here. There was also the FA cup semi betweeen Chelsea and Arsenal and also the brilliant biopic- Hitler, on the history channel.
First game of the IPL season 2 was Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings. For obvious reasons I am a CSK fan. But my second fav team in the competition will be the Mumbai Indians. They have a certain Mr Tendulkar you see.
Well Machan Dhoni and Co were off to a good start. But somewhere along the way the game plan faltered. That one over from Freddie Flintoff, where he gave away 22 runs, actually cost us the match. Even while chasing I felt Dhoni should have come higher up the order. He should play in the top four. That would have made a difference. It's only the first match, so there's no real need to worry. And the Mumbai Indians look a very very good team and are surely one of the favourites to win the competition. They are definitely the best bowling unit in the competition. They have specialists suited for this version of the game.
The second match of the IPL was frankly put- boring. I was watching the FA cup semi-final. Dravid came good. I'm happy that he did. He's come in for a lot of unfair criticism in the media. It was just like him to let his bat do the talking. As for the Royals, they looked flat. They don't look like the champions of last year.
I'm hoping the good run on TV will continue. With vacations just around the corner we all need some good entertainment. Hail IPL!

India vs NZ- 3rd Test

After 41 years Team India, led by Dhoni, has managed to win a series in New Zealand. How a tiny nation of 4 million people managed to maintain a record like that against a nation of 1 billion people will remain a mystery for long. But finally the "men in blue" have set right the record books.
The rain didn't go away, even though Dhoni and his boys wanted to play, and India was denied a well deserved victory. Only two wickets needed to be claimed to take the series 2-0.
Zaheer's phenomenal spell of bowling in the first innings and man of the match-Gambhir's century set up the game very well for India. One must also mention Harbhajan 'Bhajji' Singh. His performance with both bat and ball were fantastic.
Gambhir's performances over the past year and a half have been just awesome. He's scored runs all over and against all types of opposition. One reason for India's dominance over the past year and a half has been that we have had good starts thanks to our openers. Our bowling looks real good too. Though Ishant Sharma didn't perform as well as we would have liked him to, there's no denying that he's a "lambhi race ka ghoda".
Over all the series was a great success for the Indian team. We have so far managed to beat WI, Zimbabwe, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand on their home turfs in tests. Sri Lanka, Australia and South Africa remain to be conquered.
Next up on the calendar is the IPL. Though my mood has been dampned a bit by the shifting of the tournament to South Africa, I'm still very much looking forward to it. Let's all hope for a tournament that's as fresh and exciting as the last edition.

India vs NZ- 2nd Test

The second test ended in a draw today. India have managed to retain their lead in the series despite the horrifc first three days of this test match.
The Indian batsmen, led by Gambhir, showed great character and class in batting out two full days in the second innings. The poor Kiwis were on the field for almost the entire length of three days. There will no doubt be a few sore muscles tonight that will need some nursing.
It was uncharactersitic of the Indian batsmen to play the way they did in the second innings. Known more for their flair, with the expception of Dravid ofcourse, the Indians showed bull-dog spirit, determination and great concentration in batting out the last 2 days.
VVS Laxman also came good with a fantastic century. Dravid, Sachin and Yuvraj all gained valuable batting practise with half centuries before the start of the 3rd test.
India's bowling was impotent on this wicket. That is one area that they will have to focus on. Of particular concern has been Jesse Ryder. This man has been in awesome form right through the series. The Indians still look clueless against him. The think-tank will have to work out some new strategy for this dashing southpaw.
Though on paper the game looks like a moral victory for the Kiwis, the Indian will be pleased with the way the last 2 days went for them. Dhoni looks like he will be returning for the last test. India will be back to full strength and that means an interesting final test is on the cards.

The Impotence of Bowlers

India managed to win the 3rd ODI of the series and have ensured that they will not lose the series from now on. In what was a run feast the Indians managed to score a record breaking 392 runs. The Kiwis managed a spirited chase and in the end fell short only by some 50 odd runs.
Tendulkar was in his elements today. It was an innings that oozed class. 200 was within sight till the injury forced him to retire.
It was entertainment today with the most number of sixes ever hit in an ODI. But spare a thought for the bowlers. They toil through fifty overs of back breaking work. The least they expect is a good sporting wicket. It's time the authorities woke up to the reality that quality bowlers are actually a rare and endangered species and unless something is done quickly we could lose them forever.
Most wickets, including ones prepared for Test matches, are turning out to be belters. As a result most innings are one-sided, with the batsmen dominating, and the bowlers brought to their knees. This just isn't cricket. I don't mind seeing good batting wickets for 20-20 games. But in limited overs and in Test mathches you want to see good competition between bat and ball. That is the real thrill in cricket. That is where the passion in cricket stems from.
It's high time that the ICC and the National cricket boards intervened. If things stay they way they are right now most kids will become disillusioned with bowling and cricket as a game will suffer. It is in the spirit of the game to see good competition between bat and ball. Entertainment must take a back seat and cricket must remain the focus.
I hope the authorities will look urgently in to these issues.