Relive the magic

I can't get enough of the epic final, and fortunately someone had put a high quality series of highlights of the match. For those who missed the magic, like I did, get yourself a second chance. Epics like these don't take place too often, for I haven't seen Federer hit the forehand so hard and yet see a winner fly by him, and for I haven't seen anyone till now who's scurried on grass from one end to the other during a 5 set course. For those who said rallies are only meant for clay (including me), we need to take a break after all. Having said that, I've got to say no one beats Federer in the tie breakers. Even though I've been a Rafa supporter for quite sometime, it would be foolish not to complement how the King played. Simply put, I think either of them would have won against anyone else with this level of play.

Magnificent..

This year perhaps is one of the biggest in the Spanish sporting history. As if winning the Euro wasn't sufficient, Spain finally conquered the All England's Club with Rafael Nadal edging out King Fed in what might be described as perhaps the greatest duel in the history of tennis.

Tennis had lost its excitement on its most beautiful surface, with Roger Federer nailing Wimbledon five times in a row. But watching the finals last year, it was evident that fortunes might change in the next edition.. and boy did they change amidst some drama! I didn't get to see the finals this year, but was lucky enough to catch what happened to be the last game of the match. The light conditions reminded me of the farcical cricket World Cup final last year in the Caribbean, except that hardly anyone left the stadium during this game. The Cardie King and the Muscleman were still not ready to give the other an inch.. stuff that legends are made of.

Four hours and forty eight minutes, and I couldn't help catching on the highlights. Flair in any game looks beautiful, but determination takes an altogether different stage. Lleyton Hewitt and Michael Chang were perhaps the best on this premise during their days, but I guess we are safe to say that Nadal is in a different league altogether. Critics might have sidelined him only to the clay courts, and how wrong have they been proven.

Normally press conferences are all about light humor and nonsensical stuff, but this time it wasn't the case. The King has been wounded and he left no d oubts in our minds about that through his statements. Terming this loss as a 'disaster', it is apparent that things might only get more difficult for Federer in the future. With Nadal already there, and Djokovic breathing down his neck, it's going to be a war out there. I can't wait for the closing act of the season - 'The battle of Flushing Meadows'..

Finally, it arrived..

..it indeed did. Nine years is a long time, but then when it came, it was all the more sweet. Few would remember that the last time he hit a ton in a winning final was against the Zims in 1999. He's been there all this while, scoring runs at a scorching rate, but when it came to the finals, it looked as though the law of averages seem to catch up with him. Perhaps it did him this time as well, probably this time the other way around, since he hadn't scored many in the earlier games.

Fantastic knock, which was not as imposing as the one Hayden played earlier in the day, but it was balanced. Talk about cricket being played as much in the mind as outside. There weren't many outrageous punches off the backfoot or the booming straight drives, instead what we saw was creative batsmanship at his best. This was mind over matter and no brownie points for guessing who won.

Being an ardent fan that I am, I was literally praying that India wins the toss and bats first at the SCG, since I've hardly seen teams chasing successfully on that ground. The pitch gets a lot slower and lower as the day progresses, and although the ground is at its magnificent best under the lights, it has more often than not been a burial ground for the chasers. But at last it changed..

A great game all in all - the Aussies showed why they are the best fielding side in the world yet again which meant that the Indians had to chase an extra 25 runs. They did and with the master there to see it till the end, it was all the more beautiful. I'm not saying that the Aussies are past their prime or anything else. There's still daylight between them and the others, but its good to see a few teams at least take the game by the scuff of the neck and give them a fight. After all any game needs two 'teams' to make it a contest.

I really expect Gabba to be everything but SCG in terms of the pitch. Indians are one up, and the Aussies are a bit wounded. Some fellow Aussie bloggers want their team to hit the deserts once again as they did when John Buchanan was the coach to strengthen them up. Interesting.. all I have to say is ask Stephen Waugh first - he'd have some scary stories about the desert storm he witnessed way back in the summer of '98 at Sharjah!

Brett Lee-ing all the way..

I don't know why he's nick named Bing; he doesn't resemble his namesake Chandler Bing even an inch. Not by his features and definitely not by his antics. But Brett "the threat" Lee's definitely a show stealer, much akin to the popular soap Friends character.

Though this year's Allan Border medal had quite a few phenomenal candidates as always, but perhaps no one deserved it more than Lee, who's taken the mantle of leading Australia's attack with utmost ease from his ever so glorious predecessors. McGrath and Warne formed the lynchpin of this champion side but once they left, there were question marks all over the place over who's going to carry them forward. Brett Lee's been there for almost a decade now, but what we've seen from him in the last couple of seasons has been nothing short of exemplary. Ask Ricky Ponting, and he'll let you know that the first name that comes into his mind whenever they need wickets is just one. The most brilliant part is that he delivers.. and does so invariably.

70 wickets in the last year, he's not given an inch whether it comes to the longer or the shorter format of the game. He has perhaps never been so consistent and he knows it. There have been times when others have been pretty ordinary and there's a tendency of the senior pro to be reduced to a workhorse. Rest assured, when it comes to BL, all you can expect is 90 odd miles an hour boomerangs being delivered and some twitchy nerves among the guys facing him. Talk about being right on the money.

When he first emerged onto the scene in the Boxing Day Test against the Indians in 1999, there was this guy who had some serious pace, but with a doubtable action and nervy temper. Though he bagged a fiver in his first match, but troubles with his action and fitness never really let him take off the way he would have liked. But champions never really 'say die' and his second transformation has been an absolute revelation. He uses his artillery much more wisely and is not just about throttling half trackers at the tail enders. Pit him against a Sachin Tendulkar and you won't probably find a bowler who can bowl better.

He wasn't known to be shy of hurtling beamers on the batsmen when things weren't going well, but in the past few years, he's perhaps gained the honor of being the most well behaved Aussie on the field. Perhaps both the sides need to take a cue from their mate, who knows exactly how to mix aggression and the game without creating a lump. Temper's fittingly taken the backseat and now we see a player who thoroughly enjoys the game even when the chips are down.

Admirable, Athletic, Super Fit and Exciting.. This package has definitely all the ingredients to be amongst the best.

A Few Wise Men..

Watching live games on the ground is a helluva experience for a few, but for the unfortunate rest, the only savior is the television stacked in the corner of the room. But for them, blessing comes in disguise as they are not just able to view the happenings in the middle, but also listen to the thoughts of some of the best people who have been involved with the game. I didn't use the phrase who have played the game at the highest level, since there are some brilliant exceptions. I've been thinking on posting this since quite a while and it was long due. So here's my list of whom I really love listening to, the guys who can turn even some of the most boring games into pretty entertainers.. here are a few wise men -

1. Mark Nicholas - "By Heaven" doesn't sound even close to being blasphemous when he says that. For me, he's just the best in the business whether it comes to expressing elation or regret. The fact that he's the only commentator in the Channel 9 team who's not played international cricket pays a testimony to the respect he gathers in that pretty exclusive group. Watching Lee bowl to Sach with MN behind the mic is an absolute treat. Sorry for you fellas who see the game live at the grounds..

2. Richie Benaud - Well, I'm sure most of you would put him on the top spot, but for me he comes at a close second, just a little behind Mark Nicholas. The absolute pundit of the game, who ones famously said, "Captaincy is ninety per cent luck and ten per cent skill, but don't try it without that ten per cent". Without a doubt, the most respected cricket commentator, few would argue his credibility on passing any judgement. He's been one of the best Aussie skippers and been there, seen all..

3. Tony Cozier - No one probably knows Caribbean cricket better than him. I still believe he could have been the best of 'em all had he been involved with say, the Australian cricket. The decline in West Indian cricket, both in quality and interest probably attributes more than anything else in him dropping to the third place. I loved his comment, "Even God would have found it difficult to play that", when Malinga nailed Vettori with an absolute toe crusher.

4. Tony Greig - Needless to say, one of the most animated commentators around, he can even inject excitement into a Aussies-Kenya encounter! Not many would forget him during the Sach twin blows in Sharjah against the Aussies. It was at times difficult to comprehend whether TG himself was hitting them all over the park. The one who was was offered the 'job for life' by Kerry Packer as a commentator for Nine's cricket coverage, he's really carved a place for himself as one of the best ever.

5. Michael Holding - A quite man with an extremely good insight into the game, he's more different than anyone else in the above lot. Doesn't crack too many jokes and with the least of animations, its just a pleasure listening to him, since you know that he just won't make any blunders behind the mic. To the point and often accurate, he still stays true to his 'quite stealthy' run-up before delivering the knockout punch.

6. Geoffrey Boycott - Controversy's the name of this man, and some of the stuff that he says might seem outrageous to a few and humorous to the rest. Yorkshire's accent has never been this famous before. His 'momma' still takes most of the catches and hits most of the runs and we often see a 'poof' of dust when she's playing. Some characters are made for this game. He might have been one of the dullest around with the bat in his hand, but he's an absolute rock star with the microphone now.

7.  Ian Chappell - If Michael Hussey's the Mr. Cricket on the field, he's the same off the field. As his twin, he craves for perfection, but balances it just about perfectly with humor. Probably one of those people who know the game as good as anyone else, he doesn't shy away from hitting the nail on the head when it comes to passing his comments. I've never found him going over the top and he really forms one of the core pillars of the Channel 9 club.

8. Bill Lawry - I'd include him just for the energy.. just for the its all happening here and bang and Its a ripper.. If excitement's the sole criterion, he'd rank on top of my list with Tony Greig a close second. There are times, when I find him really going over the top, at times pro Aussie, but whatever, Bill still goes for the kill..

9. Barry Richards - No list can be complete with the great Barry Richards. He falls into the same category as Ian Chappell - perfectionist. The best thing about him is that I've never found him biased in his comments about the game. Indian Protean encounters for some reason lack a bit of fizz in the commentary box, but for Barry Richards, who makes you sit up and listen to him.

10. Ravi Shastri - Well, some might argue that Sunny Gavaskar should have been there, but my pick would be RS. The way he's becoming increasingly good at his job as a broadcaster is commendable. The fact that he's so close to the Indian players help him immensely in passing judgements sitting in that air conditioned box and with his accent and control over the language, he's bound to appeal to the english speaking audience sooner than later. Brilliantly humorous, I'm sure he'll rise up the ranks in the years to come.

Sadly, I decided to limit my list to just ten of them. There were a few others who really were very close to being included but then, it had to be just 10. Harsha Bhogle, Mike Haysman, David Lloyd and Mark Taylor were some of them. Bhogle for his sincerity as a broadcaster and his trivia about this game, Haysman for the Bill Lawrish excitement, Lloyd for his humor and Mark Taylor 'tubby' for analysis. Well, this is it.. These gentlemen behind the microphones are as much as a treat to listen to as watching one of those Warnie rippers or Sach's maximums!

Share your list, and in the meanwhile, here's what Bill Lawry's has to say on an absolute ripper of a catch..

Indian Sports Journalism.. trenched..

“Generally speaking, the best people nowadays go into journalism, the second best into business, the rubbish into politics and the shits into law”

                                                                    - Auberon Waugh

Well, no offence and I don't intend to be disrespectful to any law folks and instead through this post I'll contribute my bit in elevating them at least a step, 'coz I think that some of the sports journalists in India are giving them a tough fight for the last position.

Heroes and Gods one day and Villains the next. Sometimes its hard for me to remember and dig deep into my brain cells to remember when was the T20 World Cup?  Was it really last year? It wasn't too long when the team was being lauded and loaded with all kinds of metaphors for winning the championship. This was in the year when India earlier failed miserably on the South African tour and the big names in the team were being constantly asked some serious questions. A breath of fresh air comes in with the T20 and suddenly the Indian Press found new Gods who "should have been" long back drafted into the team. Insane celebrations followed and instead of putting in some critical happenings around the world on the front page, all that followed were interviews.. not just of the players but also of their families! Cut short to early 2008 now..

The same team arrives in Melbourne and finds themselves out of place after being skittled out for a paltry 74. Agreed it was disappointing, but what followed from the Indian media was just over the top. The news and the websites were flooded with columns degrading the same bunch of players whom they adored just a championship back. All of this is just so insane and uncalled for? They blew it over the top the first time when they won and now they just bury them a million yards deep when they fail. All of this - just to grab attention!

The silliest part of all this is that most of the writers of such columns don't seem to know a damn about the game. The Times of India was considered to be one of the newspapers that defined the new India, but its sports section is unbearable.  The ever increasing number of news channels aren't helping the cause and in fact are sometimes even embarrassing to watch. I just wish that in such a vibrant country where sports is a passion, some sense is restored to these wannabe journalists. I still visit the Sydney Morning Herald or The Australian or for that matter The Times to catch up on the likes of Peter Roebuck, Peter Lalor and Simon Wilde. How I wish, I didn't need to do that! But looks like its still going to take quite sometime before the guys doing the job get their heads straight.

Good 'ol Sportstar has always been my ultra favorite for its articles.. sad I just don't get enough time to read them now.

Adios Baggy Green Number 381...

The two formats of cricket have often led to players being tagged as a 'one-day' specialist or a 'test match' specialist. In the past we've also seen radically different teams and even different captains for the t wo versions. However, for some players it just doesn't matter. Further, some have even gone a couple of notches ahead and through their incredible actions have managed to bridge a bit of a gap between the two. Fewer belong to such an exclusive league more than the man who's donned the baggy green 381 - Adam Gilchrist.

'Gilly' or 'Church' as he's also known, has probably been one of the greatest all time cricketers to have played the game. Without a doubt, the best wicketkeeper batsman of all times, he's redefined the position of a No. 7 bat in the team. No more can an opposition breathe a sigh of relief when they get the Aussies 5 down, coz' they know that the next man taking guard probably hits the ball harder than anyone else in the game. For the purists, he averages almost 48 with the bat. Did I mention his strike rate? It stands at 81.97 (courtesy Cricinfo stats). To drop a comparison factor, his skipper Ricky Ponting strikes at 80.68 in the ODI version of the game!

Almost everyone falls into the trap of labeling him as a batsman-wicketkeeper rather than a keeper-batsman, which baffles me to no extent, since here's a chap who's recorded the maximum number of dismissals in test cricket. Now, if he still belongs to the latter category, that's quite a hefty bonus, isn't it? They say that Warne could bowl a different delivery every over - leg breaks, zooters, wrong 'uns, flippers, fizzers, whatever. Realistically speaking, if its difficult for a batsman to pick them up, how 'bout the wicketkeeper who even has to anticipate the various edges of the bat that the ball can brush. Yes, he might have dropped a few, some even sitters, but that's what this sport is all about. In fact, to call him one of the chief architects of the Australian juggernaut in last decade or so wouldn't be outrageous at all.

Ian Healy was good, perhaps one of the greatest glovesman to have played this game. Filling his boots wasn't easy and now when Brad Haddin sees Gilchrist's boots, I'm sure he'll find them even bigger!

Thank you Adam Gilchrist, for it was an absolute privilege watching you play, be it  behind or in front of the stumps, for you never ceased to entertain us with the way you played the game. We've seen  you in whites and in the funky yellow, but its the the sight or your baggy green that will be sorely missed.

The 39th Roar..

The first international match I watched live at the grounds was during the WC '96, when India played Sri Lanka in Delhi. I was lucky enough to be a ball boy in the game and unlucky enough to see Indians lose against a blinder of a counter-attack by Sri Lankans. It did hurt me, though just a little, for I had already witnessed a majestic 137 from Sach's blade. Its one thing to see the batsman murdering the opposition on the television, but radically different when you see it happening in strict real time from the boundary lines. I still can't forget his flick shot off Murali which just made the ball disappear somewhere over the deep mid-wicket fence. That experience of watching the master play barely a few 60 yards away (yeah, Kotla's pretty small) was quite unbelievable. Perhaps thats the reason he gets a standing ovation at whatever ground he plays on, and its all the more awe inspiring to see that happening when India is having an away game. Its the sheer joy and pleasure of watching this guy bat and play the way he does, for it so often results in a 'Whoa, beautiful" in unison from folks around you.

Adelaide was a belter of a pitch, the moment I saw the first ball, I knew that winning the toss and batting first on this beauty of a track was an absolute bonus. I know that teams in the past have posted huge totals batting first and yet faltered in their second stint. Last year's Ashes pays a testimony to that. But then, that was England, isn't it? ;) Collingwood did hit an incredible double ton, but the question pops up again - would you pay to watch a Sach ton or a Collingwood double? No offence to C'wood, but I'm sure the percentages would be tilted for the former and the great Sir Don Bradman would have been one of them. That's what he brings to the game - unbiased people who just want to watch him bat, even though it might mean getting runs scored against their own team.

Yeah, the fact that his average of low 16s against the Aussies in the second innings is quite ordinary and that he should have indeed batted the Aussies out of the game at Perth and even perhaps saved the one at the SCG. Underachieved.. well, I have to agree on that. That's the perhaps the only blemish on an otherwise quite a 'wow' career and which might make the difference in him being called Sir Sachin in the future after all. But that doesn't matter at times like these, when you see a chap who's played and survived 18 years of international cricket, still come down the track and absolutely hammer that one on top of the sight   screen. I hope this is not his last hurrah down under. Its quite unrealistic and perhaps unjustified to ask this man to perform time and again and how often does he come out with flying colors. Biased or foolish or absurd, whatever, but I just don't want to see the master hanging his boots.. not now.. not this year.. perhaps never..

There are not many things that give me goosebumps. The national anthem with the flying tricolor would be one. Guessing the other is a little difficult - the choices being his trademark on drive.. or the tiptoed punch of the backfoot through cover point.. I guess I need more time to decide on that.

Requiem for a Dream..

To unpathed waters, undreamed shores.
                                                          William Shakespeare

It took me a hard time to really nail down to this particular quote to define what I feel. If cricket was at its crossroads a week back and it was only a dreadful dream of landing up at the WACA, Perth and losing it well within the stipulated end of a Test match. Well, the game did end well before 5 days, but wait.. did someone say that Australians 17th consecutive win would be a walk in the park!

Whacked at the WACA or call it the Perth Punch, I'm sure they'll be tons of phrases which would be framed soon before the final test gets underway at the Adelaide Oval. But, for now, let's just live in this dream, for its not often that the hunters become the hunted in their own den.

Comebacks have always been a style statement, Irfan Pathan couldn't have asked for more, with a supremely confident 46 in the 2nd innings and his effort with the ball. The swing seems to be getting back and the consistency graph is on the scale upwards. The best feeling a new ball bowler can have is when he can make the ball really talk. The big 3 failed miserably when it mattered the most, but the Very Very Superspecial guy always reserves his best against the Aussies. There weren't any demons in the pitch and neither was the big Curtly firing those red cherries, but it still worked. That's why I call it a dream. I won't dare say bring on Adelaide, perhaps 'coz I don't really give a damn.. atleast for now..

WACA and the Three de Bruijns in the Countin'

Just an interesting analysis about the dice sequence problem that I came across. Long but worth a read, since its bound to wake up a few dying cells in your brain.

Further, its an interesting day's play today at the WACA and it remains to be seen if India will finally seize the advantage against the Aussies or squander it away as it so often does. Call it paranoia, but I still can't count the Aussies out of this game. Even though they might be trailing by 170 odd, but how often have we seen this bunch assert themselves out of nowhere. No matter what happens, but leave all your bread and butter and stay glued to the television sets, coz its not too often that the wicked heat of Perth gets to the Australians. Rest assured, if its 41 degrees in the city, its way higher out there at the center. Somehow Sehwag seems all so crucial in this game and I'm not sure if Lee's faced a tighter test in the past year or so before. With WACA gradually getting close to its pacy prime and with virtually no hopes of an Indian win prior to the start, it'll be interesting to see if Lee delivers or the pressure of performing gets to him.

Whatever said and done, the game has been a surprise to most.. and a exciting one for me in a pleasant sense. :)

'Cricket' at Crossroads

India arrived down under and its been a while since I've been so glued to the happenings since their arrival there. After all, it would perhaps be the last time when the great Indian middle order (at least on paper) would be taking on the baggy greens at their soil. Expectations were huge and fireworks beckoned and man.. have we seen them!

Benson-Bucknor, Roy-Bhajji, Kumble-Ponting et al - looks like the stars of this flick called 'Not cricket, but everything beyond' was a cracker, in literal terms, to the extent that the fissures and the cracks made to this game during the first week of this brand new year are bound to have the most defining repercussions the game has ever seen. Did I say fireworks? Try finding a better term!

The cricket was pretty exceptional with the majestic wrists of Lax and Sach providing to be an entertainment unmatched by any blockbuster. Lee continues to add on to my admiration for him and we all saw what Stuart Clark can do. Well, forgive me for not mentioning Hussey or Symo for the obvious reasons.

More than a week since the Sydney test, but the drama continues to unfold. Didn't I write earlier that the ICC have been increasingly getting better at writing scripts and they continue to do so.

Rewind the tapes to Oval last year when Pietersen was given out caught behind when the wicketkeeper claimed the catch when it clearly bounced before. Pietersen walks and the Sky Sports flashes the entire replay in slow motion from various angles that very instant, prompting the umpires to call him back. I wonder what was Channel 9 doing here! The walk from the center back to pavilion at SCG is a pretty long one, isn't it?

Anyways, how great it would be if India gets back really hard at the WACA..I wish Aerosmith's Dream On turns into Tony Greig's Its All Happening here!

Ct Dravid B Kumble

Ain't got a lot of time for the next few days to post anything here, though I do find time to catch up on stuff somehow. The arch rivals are playing but we are yet to see some real quality cricket and by 'quality' I don't imply the closeness of the matches! It's quite amazing the kind of benchmarks the Aussies were setting barely a couple of weeks ago in the 'purely' cricketing aspects of the game.

Rahul Dravid abandoning the skipper's job was quite unexpected but I guess no one other than Anil Kumble would have been more fitting to fill the abdicated throne. Sachin Tendulkar might be the best batsman to have ever played for India, but when it comes to winning the longer version, few games would go without mentioning critical performances by the men from Karnataka. Such has been their impact on Indian Cricket, sadly most of which has never got its due.

S. Dinakar at his usual best here taking a sneak peek on how the leggie being made the captain should hold out to be a wise decision. I just loved the last line of the story.

Spare me the Glare!

Crowd Taunts, verbal chats, brushing shoulders and intimidating glares - A perfect script to get the game going with the least emphasis on getting the game right! Its pretty inquisitive of the way things have been happening in this game and looks like a new script writer has been appointed to spice up things. A question however pops up - Is it really called for?
Cracking up Australia is not that easy. Andre Nel would have learnt that a couple of years back when Gilly whacked him to all corners of the ground after his antics. He even got a taste of his own against India, though Sreesanth's terpsichore in reply probably overshadowed the entire match itself. No doubt, its fun, though once a while. It becomes quite annoying after that!
Subtle humor with a pinch of sledging is brilliant and I'm not sure if anyone barring the likes of Graeme Hick would really argue with that. But not everyone is good at it, and then comes the case of crossing that 'thin' line when it becomes seriously objectionable. Isn't that happening too often these days? We all know that there is a lot of chatter going around that 22 yards but then to do it gracefully is an art in itself.
Indians were never really good at it, barring a few smart blokes, whom you can count on one hand (The name of Ravi Shastri instantly comes into my mind). However, there has been a substantial change in the past decade or so and this was much evident when Ganguly was at the helm of affairs. He definitely caused a few jitters in Steve Waugh's tummy when the Aussies had come down to India 2000-01.
Things have been changing since then. Aggression is suddenly becoming more important than your numbers. Sreesanth is perhaps a classic example of this. I'm not against giving it back to the Aussies, but then an overdose of the same doesn't really carry any meaning, and especially when you are not able to back your words with deeds. With the recent developments in the Indo-Aus series, its pretty clear that the upcoming tour to Down Under would probably be a make-or-break series for quite a few Indian players. We've all seen how 'generous' the crowds Down under can get, leave alone the 'mates'!
However, ICC would probably be relishing seeing all this. There's a touch of 'soccerial' behavior thats sneaking in this game, driving even the 'relatively' passive folks to hoot for their players. Lets see if these gimmics on display highlight fierce competitiveness or should be ignored as mere buncombe.

10 Weirdos in Cricket

Here's a video I came across on YouTube regarding the '10 Most Weird Dismissals in Cricket' and it accounted for a pretty interesting viewing. Though there have been quite a few which have been hilarious and at the same time outrageous, not all can be covered in this one.

Remember the game in New Zealand, where Andre Adam's magic delivery did in Kumble! I tried finding a video for the same, but couldn't. Any others that you can recall?

And They said, "Unleash the Fury and Excitement!"

Well, did I say it would be fireworks unlimited earlier? Pity, that I wasn't able to think of a better phrase since the game today catapulted to much larger dimensions than what me, you and everyone else could have probably imagined! Such were the ways of the game that it could have nailed a weak hearted right into the grave.

Sad, that I didn't get to see the finals and I'd be only catching up the highlights on the web, but from what I've learnt after reading about the game - it was a battle of nerves. There was little to choose between the 2 sides and it all came down to a 'cheeky' shot that went terribly wrong.

Well, I must agree that when the tournament format was first proposed, I just despised the format to the extent of almost acknowledging that ICC was hell bent on 'annihilating' the game. I'm sorry, and I take back my words! T20's been a rage and its been arguably one of the most exciting last couple of weeks of international cricket ever. In short, Excitement Unleashed!

Everything said and done, India won, but I'm elated for yet another reason - for the game itself and how two of its most ardent followers lighted up the sky. Cheers India and Pakistan, I hope its a dawn of a new brand of cricket in these two lands - seething but smooth, elegant yet brutal!

Resurgent Indians.. and 'master'ful 90s continue!

Sometimes life and events take a full circle, and you come to know that when scenes from the past flash again in the present. Obviously, there'll be subtle changes but the picture is so reminiscent of what you have already seen, and more importantly.. cherished!
Lords, 2002; India were facing a daunting task of chasing 325 in the grand finale.. The rest is history.
Oval, 2007; India were again facing a stiff challenge of 315 in a match which would have otherwise sealed the fate of the series. India won.. again!
The reason that I cite these as similar is because how often have we seen our superstars falling when it really mattered! Make no mistake, I still believe that its our stars who took us to that stage that really mattered (WC 2003 being an example) but then on the real big stage, they somehow just didn't tick.
So at such times, when they do it just sticks on to the cells in the memory forever, and perhaps that is why that such matches are so special.
Almost 2 decades of doing one of the most demanding jobs in the world, and then he still shows up with the kind of enthusiasm for another day at office which even the freshers draw inspiration from. That's what separates the great(est) players from the great ones.
Cover Drives, lofted shots, cheeky paddles, brutal pulls - these things never look so beautiful and at the same time audacious as they do when the master shows them how to play it. Mortals watching can only emulate, but its the master who shows the way. Brilliant yet Brutal, thats how I'll term Tendulkar's innings at the Oval, and when they come in unison with one of the most elegant left handers India has ever produced - that's like icing on the goddamn cake. They played as though with the least respect for the opposition, they played as though they just wanted to win, they played as though they were the kings!
Getting out in the 90s is becoming as much of a trend for Tendulkar as was making 100s a few years back. Well, it was another matter that folks like me were still gruntling when he got out, I just wanted to see him play forever. But its alright, he doesn't need to prove anything. If at all that he can do anything now is to re-inject his energy into this team, which now has a lot more promising and 'fighting' youngsters who probably will take the Indian Cricket to its pinnacle some day and reflect back on this Little Master who kept on giving every ounce of his energy for the game he loved.

Federer Wins a Jaffa @Wimbledon

The stage was set after the innumerable rain delays and the vagaries of the British Summer for the match of the tournament. The top 2 seeds in a face-off similar to the one last year, except that this one emerged out to be an absolute cracker of a contest. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.. take a bow to both of 'em!

Great players spawn great rivalries - Muhammed Ali and Smoking Joe Frazier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson - these greats have time and again taken sport to an entirely different level, and now we have Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who have decided to join the envious legacy.
Federer hasn't been seen in too many 5 setters as there haven't been enough players who have challenged him to that extent. Rafael Nadal has never come close to winning on grass barring the last time at All England's where he was beaten by Federer after 4 sets. Critics still considered him as a clay-only specialist who didn't stand a chance against the Swiss on this surface. But how quickly do things change..
A blinder of a match where the Spaniard matched his opponent shot for shot and point for point, or rather should we say that he did a bit better than that. The Swiss Champion had taken a leaf out of Sampras' book of tennis, belting aces at will which probably was one of the deciding factors in his favor.

The number of aces could have been much bigger but for Nadal who extended every bone and muscle in his robotic body to craft some incredible returns of almost unplayable serves.

Two tie-breakers went in Federer's kitty and Nadal broke him in the other 2 sets to take the enthralling encounter to the final set. It was power tennis at its best, with both the players having answers to almost every question raised by each other. There were shades of Sampras in Federer and Agassi in Nadal, and tennis fans know very well that the same class of tennis hasn't really been reproduced since the formers retired. But then, as I said before, things do change, isn't it?
Would it be appropriate to say that Federer did get a little lucky in the final set or did Nadal lose his nerves just a wee bit? In two Federer service games, the scoreline read 15-40, but Federer managed to scrap through both times. And we know that this is being too generous against the Champion who then broke Nadal to claim his fifth consecutive Wimbledon Final to give Bjorn Borg some much needed company.
A terrific match which would augur well for the future of tennis since now Federer has to watch his back not only on clay but on the greener version as well. As for Rafael Nadal, he'll definitely get another chance in the future to accompany Manuel Martinez Santana as the only Spaniard who's won in Wimbledon till now.
As Rafael Nadal sat on his chair after the match wondering what went wrong in the final set, we can all applaud his effort which made the final such a pleasure to watch. His ripping forehands from the back of the court hit with phenomenal precision often left Federer bewildered, such was the level of his game and he still ended on the losing side. For the purists, the final scores read 7-6(9-7),4-6,7-6(7-3),2-6,6-2

Reviving Good 'Ol Memories..

Check out the explanation for a blunder on part of umpire Mervyn Kitchen..

Was Waz' really the greatest fast bowler the game had ever seen considering the conditions that he played in?

Old Boys.. Old Times..

Vintage Sachin at last.. I've not been writing much with respect to this game, coz I just didn't feel like. Cricket's been losing its sheen with the retirement of giants like Lara, Warne and McGrath and also has suffered since one of its champions wasn't playing upto his name.
18 years of cricket and still going. He's not been at his exploding best, his foot movement not that positive and he's been made to jump around by novice fast bowlers. But then there are days like the one today, when everything seems to fall right in place. Sachin Tendulkar's 93 against the Proteas today had everything one can expect from one of cricket's most favorite sons. Elegant backfoot punches through point, devastating pulls and hooks, copy book cover drives and trademark flicks - you name it and he played it and it was obvious, the South Africans suffered.
15000 runs, 160 odd sixes to top over 1600 odd boundaries in an illustrating one day career, I just hope he carries on with this vigor. Forget the age, burn in the enthusiasm and let the bat do the talking. Great shot Sach..

The Wimbledon - Federer? Djokovic? Others?

Change of surface, change of colors and change of tactics - Adios Roland Garros and Welcome to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Its that time of the year again, and the most prestigious championships are here buzzing with excitement that was missing in its past few editions.
Roger Federer played his first round y'day and it was as smooth a ride as it could have been. Pummeling Gabashvili in straight sets, it was a total no contest. Roger's been switching blazers every Wimbledon now, and the little doubts remain that he'll adorn a new one next summer with 5 crests on it.
However, certain players have been breathing down his neck pretty hard, and its not just Nadal that I'm talking about, but a certain Serbian force who has the game and the power to stop the Federer juggernaut. Novak Djokovic, who impressed one and all at Roland Garros earlier this year has been playing some terrific tennis of late and should his double handed backhands find themselves within the legal baseline boundarides.. man, he'll be more than a force to reckon with! Sample this - he started 2006 ranked 78th, but here he's now, ranked 4th and very much in the reckoning of causing some serious flutters.
The thing that impressed me most about Djokovic at the French was a lethal combination of speed and power - at 6 foot 2, this lanky looking athelete is pretty quick, otherwise how many times have we seen Rafa struggling on clay. Well, though Nadal won their semi final encounter in straight sets, but then there was ample display of talent from Djokovic, who somehow looks to be suited more to the faster courts.

He ain't got an easy draw for sure though - in all probability he'll take on either of Mardy Fish or Nicholas Kiefer or Volandri or Santoro - all capable of springing a suprise on their day. But then, to get the queen's crown you've got to beat 'em all!
Few matches that I'll be looking out for should the open go on as expected - Fed taking on the ever so volatile Marat Safin, Andy Roddick takin' on Dominic Hrbaty, David Nalbandian taking on Marcos Baghdatis, Hewitt facing Canas and Nadal taking on Grojean - all Round-3 matches.
Everything said and done, Federer still starts as favorite and more than just a couple of notches above the rest and anyone else aspiring to win on 8th of July would need to seek some serious inspiration and do that that quickly.