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. :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Singh is King!
Yes people Singh is King.
Lots has happened in the political landscape these past few days. I know I'm a little late in acknowledging Mr Manmohan Singh's victory in the general elections. I needed time to collect my thoughts. I wanted to get a feel of what I and others around me were thinking about this landmark victory for Mr Singh and the "Grand Old Party" of India.
Generally everyone is very pleased that Mr Singh is coming back to the PM's post. He has the goodwill of the people. He might lack oratorical skill and personal charm, but he more than makes up for it with his honesty, efficiency and vision. I might disagree with him on certain policies but I have no doubt that he will continue to do a good job running this great nation of ours.
Most political pundits are surprised by the performance of the Congress party in these elections. The Congress has delivered it's best performance in the Parliament in over two decades and that too under an incumbent Prime Minister. The election results have been nothing short of brilliant for the Congress.
Most notable was the Congress' performance in UP and West Bengal. In West Bengal the Trinamool-Congress combine managed to break the hegemony of the CPI-M and Left parties. In UP the Congress managed to break away from the politics of hate, caste and religion and offered a viable, more stable alternative.
Many people are seeing these results, especially the performance in UP, as proof of Rahul Gandhi's 'coming of age' as a politician. The youth are very enthu about someone like Rahul becoming PM in the near future. The media has almost made it their mission to deliver him the PM"s post.
I don't share in these views. To me he is no match to someone like Mr Singh (who not only has the qualifications but has also delivered in the past). I admit here that I have a grudge against the dynastic tendencies of our politics. I admire the way the Family, especially Mrs Sonia Gandhi, have handled themselves in the public eye. One of the most brilliant political moves in India's political history will be that of Mrs Gandhi's decision to make Mr Singh PM. But that still is no reason to make Rahul next in line. To me he is yet to prove his credentials as a mass leader. He has made many strategic errors in the past. He has also belittled an ex-PM from the Congress party(Mr Narasimha Rao who was arguably one of the best PM's we've ever had). So though this might be an important victory for the Family there is still a long way to go for Rahul to prove(to me at least!) that he is PM material.
Mr Singh now has the strength and the mandate to do all he can for the good of this country. I hope to see more in the way of Economic reforms and also some packages for the economy which at the moment is struggling with the recessionary after-effects from around the world. He must do more on the Home security front. I hope he retains Mr Chidambaram for the Home Minister's post. Infrastructure will receive a massive boost. So will education. Mr Singh must not ignore Health, the Environment and reforming of the Judiciary to make sure that there is speedy dispensation of Justice.
I wish him well for his second term.
Lots has happened in the political landscape these past few days. I know I'm a little late in acknowledging Mr Manmohan Singh's victory in the general elections. I needed time to collect my thoughts. I wanted to get a feel of what I and others around me were thinking about this landmark victory for Mr Singh and the "Grand Old Party" of India.
Generally everyone is very pleased that Mr Singh is coming back to the PM's post. He has the goodwill of the people. He might lack oratorical skill and personal charm, but he more than makes up for it with his honesty, efficiency and vision. I might disagree with him on certain policies but I have no doubt that he will continue to do a good job running this great nation of ours.
Most political pundits are surprised by the performance of the Congress party in these elections. The Congress has delivered it's best performance in the Parliament in over two decades and that too under an incumbent Prime Minister. The election results have been nothing short of brilliant for the Congress.
Most notable was the Congress' performance in UP and West Bengal. In West Bengal the Trinamool-Congress combine managed to break the hegemony of the CPI-M and Left parties. In UP the Congress managed to break away from the politics of hate, caste and religion and offered a viable, more stable alternative.
Many people are seeing these results, especially the performance in UP, as proof of Rahul Gandhi's 'coming of age' as a politician. The youth are very enthu about someone like Rahul becoming PM in the near future. The media has almost made it their mission to deliver him the PM"s post.
I don't share in these views. To me he is no match to someone like Mr Singh (who not only has the qualifications but has also delivered in the past). I admit here that I have a grudge against the dynastic tendencies of our politics. I admire the way the Family, especially Mrs Sonia Gandhi, have handled themselves in the public eye. One of the most brilliant political moves in India's political history will be that of Mrs Gandhi's decision to make Mr Singh PM. But that still is no reason to make Rahul next in line. To me he is yet to prove his credentials as a mass leader. He has made many strategic errors in the past. He has also belittled an ex-PM from the Congress party(Mr Narasimha Rao who was arguably one of the best PM's we've ever had). So though this might be an important victory for the Family there is still a long way to go for Rahul to prove(to me at least!) that he is PM material.
Mr Singh now has the strength and the mandate to do all he can for the good of this country. I hope to see more in the way of Economic reforms and also some packages for the economy which at the moment is struggling with the recessionary after-effects from around the world. He must do more on the Home security front. I hope he retains Mr Chidambaram for the Home Minister's post. Infrastructure will receive a massive boost. So will education. Mr Singh must not ignore Health, the Environment and reforming of the Judiciary to make sure that there is speedy dispensation of Justice.
I wish him well for his second term.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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. :)
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. :)
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