However, I did spot something, which I think the ICC must take a look at.
Here's Danish Kaneria doing his chicken dance to tease Kevin Pitersen. If monkey (our fore-fathers) chants can be termed as racism, this surely has to go down as one too.
Glen McGrath on Sree Santh and his aggression.
Giving blokes send-offs or sledging when you talk back I don't agree with but that's up to the officials to sort out.Oh really Glen? You amuse no ends.
A World Cup win is a World Cup win, so it doesn't really matter if it's a 50 over match or a 20 over match. It is not that everday you dethrone the world champions, chok the chokers, beat the Old Blighty at their own game and last but in no way the least, beat Pakistan in a World Cup final.
I am sure the Pakistan team and their fans must be thinking this when then last world cup ended: It is ok that we lost to Ireland and that we are out of the World Cup, however, the positive side is, this time around we were lucky not to get beaten by the Indian team in yet another World Cip defeat.
May be they spoke or thought about it too soon, the jinx follows the Pakistan team whenever they play against India in any World Cup matches. They might just render the services of Dr. Robert Langdon to solve this mystery.
The big three clearly did not anticpate India reaching the Super 8, leave aloen winning the cup. This win is for the people who did not believe India had it in them to clinch the T20 Champions title, incidently includes me too. This one's for the Dravids, the Tendulkar's and the Ganguly's. I can dare to say that of all the positives it has unearthed for the Indian team, this win has certainly taken the wind out of Rahul Dravid's resignation as the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. In hindsight, being the sweet timer of the cricket ball that Rahul Dravid is, he couldn't have timed his resignation to more perfection. BCCI wasted no time in making making MS Dhoni the new captain of the Indian ODI team, thus investing confidence in Dhoni which showed in his calm demenour on the field, his sound decisions on the ground and his brutal batting on the pitch. So you might as well want to consider sendind a 'thank you' card to Dravid and to Tendulkar and Ganguly.
Let's spare a moment for the ones who were left behind to lick their injuries, the ones who opted to stay out and the ones who were never in contention for the T20 World Cup Team.
The two names that come to my mind instantly who were left behind to lick their injuries are Bengal's fiery batsman Manoj Tiwari and UP's rookie left-hander Suresh Raina, dubbed as the "a complete package" by ex-indian coach Greg Chappel. Poor Manoj Tiwari picked up a freak injury in a fielding practice in England and was clearly the most unluckiest to miss the bus. Suresh Raina has other things to worry about, after being declared not-fit for the T20 WC, he missed out on the test series against South Africa A tour of India. He's keeping his fingers crossed to get into the team for the one-dayers against the same team and ready to prove his fitness. This just might be his chance to redeem himself for the seven onedayers against the Kangaroos.
The ones who asked to drop themselves from the T20 Wc are the big three and Zaheer Khan. After a ultra-successful Test series against the Old Blighty, Zaheer Khan opted out of T20 WC, thinking it is just another cup in the offing. I believe he was dropped on the grounds of fitness and 'attitude' issues a few years ago. He might as well want to check the attitude meter again, and rue that he missed being a part of the team that won the cup. He failed to give importance to the cup, the format and eventually the future of one-day cricket.
The one who was never in contention for the T20 World Cup Team is a guy whose form has clearly eluded him in recent years. It is none other then Md.Kaif. Currently he is capatining the A side against the South Afria A. He was in the T20 probables, but in the final 15. He is not going great guns against the Proteas either.
Cricket is a funny game, it can make a God out of a Joe Bloggs and Misbah (read: hero) to zero in minutes. Piyush Chawla had the number of Pitersen on more than one occasion in the one-dayers against England. He was bowling like a dream, however, he was warming the benches and cooling the heels throughout the tournament. He has a great future ahead of him and he can take solace from the fact that he would be in the T20 team sooner or later. But not being picked even for a single game must have certainly hurt him. All the others 14 members got to play some or the other game. Talking of Joe Bloggs turning into might demi-gods, i can renstate the case of a certain Dinesh Karthick. What an unblieveable test series he's had and what a horrible run he was having with the bat in the T20 World Cup! He took a breath-taking catch to dismiss the dangerous Smith, but failed with bat in his hand. He would have loved to be in the playing eleven that won the cup.
This World Cup might also have ended the career of Ajit Agarkar. He did little of note in this crash-boom-crash format, either with the ball or bat. When the Champions returned home, they got a overwhelming welcome from the crowds, however, Ajit was not too excited. He just sat there on the bus, expressionless, no hands waving, no dancing with the team. He probably knows whats coming soon. Yet another unfulfilled promise goes by.
Intelligent Pune, an English weekly tabloid published my article in their latest issue of Sept 8th to 14th 2007. Intelligent Pune is promoted by the Bramha Group, a well known name in Pune in the real estate industry as well as a lot of diverse fields like education, retail and hospitality.
Click the image to enlarge.ICL is going stronger by the day. It is good to see the monopoly of BCCI falling away in whiff. It was long overdue and fast coming. The most absurd thing ever to come from BCCI is that it is a 'club' and not related to India the Nation. With a body like BCCI coming up with things like these, it was only time they were calling their own fall sooner or later.
However, ICL has a lot on their hands, if and when, they are going to take off. Some wise men need to sit down and discuss some finer issues pertaining Cricket today. Here are the issues they would want to think about:
21 years on and still waiting. Tomorrow is a new day, a new hope. A hope of changing things lying stale for 21 years and how. 9th August might just be the day that changed the fate of the Indian cricket team and its undying supporters.
It remains to see if
To sum up matters, everything largely depends on how the opening combination of Jaffer and Karthick negotiate the new ball. If they manage, anything close to the first innings partnership of Trent Bridge, England might want to kiss good-bye to their supreme record and the Pataudi Trophy too.
~ Vijayendra
Time to go back to the domestic circuit, again it seems. After a wonderful display of seam-up fast bowling in
Zaheer and RP Singh have clearly out bowled him in both the tests at Lord's and
It is believed that he bowls legspin at the Indian batsmen in the nets. If that is true, i wonder what the Venkatesh Prasad is doing as a bowling coach. Sree Santh was bowling a heap of garbage, his run-up was all over the place, his action changing every ball from being a Merv Hughes to Imran Khan and what not. Being cocky is a different thing and being irresponsible is altogether different. I hope somebody goes up to him and has a word or two. Whatever they do, i am sure, Rahul will think twice before picking him up for the third and final test; which for that matter will decide the series.
India has along tail and it is not wagging...atleast for the past 10 tests.
It would be interesting to see, the records in last 10 tests of the Indian Tailenders. The tail is invariably longish, starting with Kumble, Zaheer, RP Singh, Sreesanth.
Here are the scores of our tailenders when batting first in last 10 tests.
Anil Kumble: 11,1, 0, 0, 6, 45 , 43, 14, 21, 30= 171 runs
* the scroes of 45, 43 have come against a weak West-Indian attack in West-Indies.
Zaheer Khan: 7, 0, 1, 2, 9, 21, 20, 2, 13, 0 = 75 runs
Sree Sath: 0, 3,28, 0, 0, 0, 29*, 29*, 1 = 90 runs
RP Singh is playing just his 6th Test match, and therefore, cannot be judged as quickly. If his spirited display of batting against the England Lions in a practice match is anything to go by, than we can expect some more.
Here's a ready agenda for the yet-to-be-appointed Indian Coach: get the tailenders to contribute more. Anybody listening?
I couldn't help but notice the agony and pain Indian bowlers were going through when KP was dismissing all and sundry on leather hunt. They just couldn't get him out whatsoever. May be some the following things, might just put some light on KP has had in the past. I hope somebody from the Indian team or close to the Indian team is reading this post. Better still, call Munaf Patel, simply because he had a good success rate against KP.
1) Outside the Off: KP is suspecting outside off early in the innings. KP's county coach vouches the same. He wants to get off the mark as soon as possible. Get him to drive outside the off stump early on, and we might just have our man.
Here are some examples when the two teams met last time in India.
a)1st Test: India v England at Nagpur, 1-5 Mar 2006 (first innings)
40.1 Sreesanth to Pietersen, no run, Dropped! Pietersen gets an edge to second slip where Laxman,after taking a superb catch earlier, grasses a regulation one.
b)3rd Test: India v England at Mumbai, 18-22 Mar 2006 (first innings)
80.3 Sreesanth to Pietersen, OUT: Fuller, just outside off and holds its line. Pietersen goes for another forcing shot, plays inside the line, the edge is safely pouched by Dhoni. A great break for India and something England won't be pleased about
2) When in doubt sweep: KP is a big sweeper. Loves his big sweep from outside the off stump. But he has caught napping by quiet a few teams sweeping. Harbhajan, Murli, Shane Warne they all have done it time and time again. Keep throwing it up for him to sweep, he is gonna miss one soon. Buy out his wicket.
Here are some examples when the two teams met last time in India.
a)1st Test: India v England at Nagpur, 1-5 Mar 2006 (second innings)
66.2 Kumble to Pietersen, OUT: pitches outside leg again. Pietersen plays the slog sweep again but this time the top edge lobs behind Dhoni and Dravid takes the catch. Pietersen goes for 87 after accelerating the lead towards 300.
b) 2nd Test: India v England at Chandigarh, 9-13 Mar 2006 (second innings)
26.5 Harbhajan Singh to Pietersen, OUT: wicket! Tossed up on middle and leg, Pietersen again goes for the sweep, ball lobs off the gloves and pops behind the stumps where Dravid at leg slip holds the simple catch! Harbhajan gets one to his name and he is mobbed!!
3) Slower balls: He doesn't like em'. He is the kind of batsmen who likes the ball come on nicely on the bat and then smak it all around the park. Something similar happened to Sachin tendulkar in his haydays, when Fanie DeVillers used to regularly snap Sachin at short-midwicket.
a) 2nd Test: India v England at Chandigarh, 9-13 Mar 2006 (first innings)
48.1 Patel to Pietersen, OUT: Wow!Big, big wicket to get on debut! Slower ball on off, held its line and drew Pietersen into the expansive drive, Pietersen chips it back to the bowler who holds a good catch! Take a bow, Munaf! What a way to get off the blocks in Test cricket.
Reference: Ball-to-ball excerpts courtesy by Cricinfo
Ever had to travel by Pune Murder Transport? Do you still live those horrid moments? Well here's something that will cheer you. Laugh away.
Click on the image to enlarge
Outrageously Funny. I almost died laughing after reading this hilarious piece. Presenting you the Medicine Man live and direct from the Himalayas.
# Look out for Shankar bhagwan emerging out of the Himalayas
# Look out for all the known species of animals going haywire over Himalayas.
# Lastly, comment on your fav. line from the writeup.
Get ready for the new fast and furious. With
Lately, with the exception of Mohd. Asif the
About
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Hinjewadi IT Park
An Avalanche in waiting
It is 9 am, Monday morning and we are yet again stuck in traffic jam on the ‘usual’ road to our company. If the Monday blues are not enough to fight it out, we have regular traffic jams at Hinjewadi. It is getting worse everyday. Right from the time, we enter the Mumbai-Pune highway leading to the expressway.
The trouble starts from the Sadanand Resort Chowk, where cars, bikes, transport carriers, company buses hoard from all the sides. The traffic department has not bothered to install a traffic signal, may be they are waiting for the Commonwealth Games to come to Hinjewadi. But that would be a bit too late for the locals and the IT guys working in Hinjewadi who can take no more of this chowk. If at all you happen to escape that horrid chowk, you get trapped at the Octroi Post where at least 20-30 trucks occupy the road which goes inside the Hinjewadi IT Park. The thin lane road which takes you to Hinjewadi IT Park reminds you of other small crapped roads of Sadashiv peth or other peths of Pune. For starters, sadly it is the only way to the IT Park. With the second phase of the IT Park booming and companies making Hinjewadi their adobe, this small road can not at all equipped to handle huge traffic. The petrol pumps, encroachments, lack of traffic officers and no planning makes matters worse by the day. Even inside the IT Park, there are no speed limits or appropriate speed-breakers to control the speeds of the cab drivers or company buses. Oh yes, I see police officers doing their favorite thing, picking up two-wheelers from illegal parking zones in the IT Park and minting money from the already bugged junta. They come only for that, otherwise it is hard to spot a single police officer.
I am also increasingly getting a feeling that big chaos awaits at the Hinjewadi IT Park, God forbid, if some calamity, terrorist attack or any other unfortunate incident falls upon us. The simple reason being, the roads are too small for the first and second phase to escape from the IT Park at a single time and there are only two suitable roads to run away. Working in the IT Park is more or less like a mousetrap. The recent fire in a warehouse near a software company highlighted another problem, the lack of Fire Brigade in the IT Park. Still there are no measurements taken to provide one.
I have not even started to underline the mental and physical stress for It guys due to traffic jams, the precious time wasted everyday, that costs huge money to the company. The talent we lose to death on the highway, loss of property and so on. Everyday IT companies from the IT Park are losing money due to traffic jams in Hinjewadi and Wakad as employees are not able to login on time. The case being that of lots of call centers and technical supports engineers, besides others, who have to attend important meetings or discussions. Request you all to pass on this message to one and all IT Guys who work in Hinjewadi. Something has to be done to avoid an avalanche of sorts, before it is too late.
Players to watch in the World Cup.It is common knowledge that the Pointings, Tendulkars, Laras are the people to watch, if not, watch them making a last appearance in the World Cup. So who are we talking about here? The fringe players. Players who we thought never existed. Players with "that" spark in them.
Here goes:
Shahadat Hossain (Bowler, Bangladesh): Here’s bloke to watch out for. He has got height, pace, bounce and born aggression. Yet to make a mark, but I believe he will be deadly. Over a decade of International cricket and only the second Bangla player to notch a five wicket hall, speaks volumes of his talent. Has to use his aggression carefully though; thinking sensibly.
Ravinder Bopara (Allrounder, England): The Collingwood clone. Bopara was selected ahead on Mal " the fast bowler sweeper" Loye. Top-order batsman and useful skiddy medium pace makes a great prospect in the lines of Paul Colligwood. If wickets are anything to go by, his first wicket is Mike Hussey. If at all Bopora gets into the playing eleven, he is going to cause some headaches to the opposition.
Peter Ongondo (Bowler, Kenya): There was Collins Obuya in 2003 and then there is Peter Ongondo in 2007. As his once illustrious team-mate Obuya, Ongondo has the capability to stun the opposition. Ongondo is the leading wicket-taker in the just concluded World Cricket League in 2007. Medium-fast, accurate and lower order hard-hitting batter. He is Kenya's ace fast bowler.
Jeeten Patel (Bowler, NZ): Often mistaken to be related to Dipak Patel, another off-spinner from NZ. This bloke is wicked, talented and waiting to make it big. You've got to have something to outshine Vettori, the man he once looked upon. New Zealand is thinking of playing both, the senior pro Vettori and the green horn Patel in the Caribean. Both are likely to operate in the middle overs and dry out the runs. Watch out oppositions.
Yasir Arafat (All-rounder, Pakistan): First it was Abdul Razzaq and then his tainted team-mates Shoiab Akhtar and Mohd. Asif to miss the World Cup. The Pakistan side suddenly looks out-of-depth when you know that Shahid Afridi is going to miss some games due to the ban he is facing. So who do you rely on? In comes Yasir Arafat, an all-rounder, who has made it good every time he is been presented with an oppurtunity. With a slingy action and a gutsy performance with the bat, he might just be the man Pakistan need if at all they entertain any dreams of lifting the World Cup.
Chamara Silva (Batter, Sri Lanka): Remember the semi-final of 1996 World Cup? Srinath had got the thorn-in-the-Indian-flesh Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluvikarna out cheaply? And then, we were hit by Arvinda "Mad-Max" DeSilva. Imagine DeSilva and now imagine Silva in the same mould. This bloke is talented as they get. Silva scored his maiden ODI hundred against India in 2007. Tom Moody, the Lankan coach is very fond of him and rates him highly.
Prosper Utseya (Bowler; Zimbabwe): Captain of Zimbabwe, Prosper showed glimpse of his magic in the series against India (yes, the same series after which Ganguly was captain no-more). His control, flight and economy are amazing. He is poetry in action.
Ashish Bagai (Wicket-keeper, Batter; Canada): Ashish which literally mean "Boon" (Not David), was the highest run-scorer in the World Cricket League 2007. He plundered 345 runs at 86.25 with two hundreds. Small, tidy and nibble on his feet Ashish is the man to watch when Canada taken on their opponents.Lionel Cann (All-rounder, Bermuda): Personally I don't know where Bermuda excatly stands on the global map. But I certainly have an idea that Cann is the man to watch. A strong lad with batting poweress, Cann is the clear winner in the otherwise lackluster Bermuda side, which stood last in the World Cricket League 2007.
