RESURRECTION TIME!!!

As finally after quite a sabbatical I get down to writing about my favourite sport, the first thing that could possibly strike my mind was the good ol’ Murphy’s Law. “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” And if I have to sum up the India-England test series, well, for India everything that could possibly go wrong, did go wrong. 1, 2, 3 and 4. As match after match and day after day the annihiliation continued, cricket fans around the world witnessed a brutal massacre of the erstwhile no.1 test team in the world (Never mind if that was only a statistical revelation). Bowlers taken for a ride, batsmen made to look like sitting ducks (except for one) and to top it all, the negligent attitude of the BCCI which simply refused to show any willingness to address the fitness issues of key players whose mere presence makes a difference for the team. 
And not just the fitness, the tour calendar, the lack of practice matches could all account for one thing and that is what we just saw during the last month. Everything that the English did, looked like turning into Gold. Even Ian Botham’s prediction came true which indeed is a shocker because we all know how much good he is at that. So yes, in unison it can be said what ever could possibly go wrong for the Indian Team, went wrong.

But then, we have finally had enough of the bashing (so what if I joined the band-wagon a little late :P). Its better to now focus at what lies ahead of us and that is the One-day series where I believe the team has a serious chance of regaining some glory. But then lets not make the mistake that it will come easy. So lets just first take a look at all the resources (or the depleted ones) that we have at our hands. With Sehwag and Gambhir already having boarded the aircraft for India by now, its a clear case that we have some definite problems at the top. While Sachin is as always our go-to man, it will be a concern who to pair with him. With the space now available in the playing XI, Rohit Sharma might just be the perfect bet for that. The middle order will always have the reliability of the Wall and with the young shoulders of the in form Virat Kohli making his way in, the batting looks lot more solid. However, it is after here that the trouble starts, and its a double whammy. The absence of Yuvraj(a genuine allrounder), and the struggle of Raina. Though this format is more suited for Raina’s style of play, it will be interesting to see how he addresses his problems. A lot is expected of the new face Ajinkya Rahane, who has been pilling runs in domestic cricket for Mumbai and did a commendable job for the team in Australia, though it will be interesting to see how MS utilizes him. And then we obviously have our captain courageous, who time and again has had this nack of leading from the front when the chips our down and when the team really needs one special knock. Those who saw the World Cup final will remember it. So the batting looks fine but its the bowling, where the real struggle begins. With Zak and Bhajji now gone, the responsibility lies hugely with RP, Ishant and Sreesanth to take over the mantle and Varun Aaron is an exciting new prospect who has been designated a genuinely quick bowler. Spin is also an area of concern though I won’t have any doubt in my mind about giving preference to Ashwin over Mishra. The 5^th bowler is another area of concern and this is where the selectors again missed a trick (which they are quiet used to). With Yuvraj gone, Yusuf Pathan should have been the out-n-out choice. He is an impact player, bowls useful off-spin and when in the groove, we know what he can do with the meaty willow in his hands. But now with Gambhir gone from the picture, this could be the right moment to name him for the team although it may appear a little late and it also needs to be seen what the men who matter think about it. So all in all, though it appears to be good enough unit to compete, it will take them more than there 100% to make it a winning unit. They have the capability, but will the application be there? Well, only time will tell.

CHEERS FOLKS!!! :)

The "GenNext" Advertising!!!! Part 1

THE SCENE: 7-8 bad goons out to get hold of a charming girl (possibly motivated to kidnap her).

THE LOCATION: Roof-top of a multi-storeyed building.

THE ACTION: Kabamm..!!! a shirt/t-shirt/vestless guy ( & a pantless too) breaks in from out of absolutely nowhere.
One by One he takes to all the bad guys and starts beating the hell out of them.
At first one would imagine that this is a promo of an upcoming action flick, but no the credits don't show up any time. So it can't be a movie. The guy then flexes his muscles and you begin to wonder if its a power capsule or any high profile Gym advertisement, but no the audience is wrong at that as well. Finally, when the guy is finished with the bad guys and packs them off in true South Indian film style (please see no pun intended on this one), the girl comes and hugs the guy seductively from behind, and you begin to wonder where is this heading for. And suddenly you hear the voice over artist exclaiming in true manhood voice ( no pun intended her either :P ) "XYZ UNDERWEAR, TRULY YOU...!!!!!" Now what the heck was that!!! :O
 Now this might not have been the exact plot in reality that I described here, but frankly the kind of advertisements that we now find on our TV sets these days, the reality is no different. Now since we are talking about inner wears, lets just peek into some of the stuff.
 A certain inner wear brand shows a bunch of orangutans fantasizing on the inner wear of that company. Briefs, vests, drawers, you name it they try it. Ahhemm..!! now what exactly does the advertiser want to pinpoint?? I think the answer is best left to the advertisers themselves beause if I started making assumptions and putting them up, then, well, you know....!!! :P.
 Another brand boasts off that wearing their inner wear will earn you a place at the FRONT of a LINE, no matter if you were originally standing behind a zillion people. So much so, you can even dodge past a minister's convoy and get away with it, such is the power of that inner wear. Its not an inner wear, its your license to epitome.
And then u have the advertisement where you are persuaded to wear your luck, yes they consider your inner garments as your luck. So the next time you search for your lucky charm, look no further and head straight into a hosiery store and go get your luck :-).
 So now we have a very difficult situation all together. You are spoilt for choices; whether to go for the inner wear that makes you super strong and brings the ladies close to you or you go for the one that puts you at the front of the line or the one that brings you a can full of luck. Well I would probably prefer the one that makes me feel comfortable, because that is generally what these are made for isn't it.
CHEERS FOLKS!!! ;-)

A WAIT WORTH ITS WEIGHT??

It was the 25^th day of  June 1983 that became a red-letter day in India’s sporting history. What had happened was that a bunch of confident Indian players led by a resilient Kapil Dev had marched out onto the Mecca of Cricket & done what till few years back any one would have declared as unthinkable. The Indian team had outplayed the then world dominators West Indies & had thus earned a name for itself in Cricket’s book of glory.

 It wasn’t an impulsive outburst, but a string of good performances put up by every team member & the will to win attitude of their skipper that they managed to scale the heights of achievement.

28 years down the line as the oldest civilization in the world prepares itself to play host to the grandest stage of cricket, the home team finds itself with a near perfect opportunity to repeat the near 3-decade old feat.

In this span of 28 years, the Indian team has had its fair share of different experiences. Ups & downs, In & Outs, Glory & Shame.

While the team at times produced some memorable performances, it also had to stare into embarrassment with some shock defeats on several occasions. But that is all a part of the game. After all, it’s the nature’s law that everything evens out by the end of the day. While some players became highly respected public figures & made us feel proud, some became a matter of shame for us & that unfortunately had nothing to do with the nature’s law as the men themselves were responsible for the path they chose.

And during this time frame, we also experienced a serious change in the attitude of our players that was needed so much to beat the best in the game both at home & abroad.

All in All these 28 years have been a mixed bag of emotions for this cricket loving nation where the game itself is seen as a religion & the Genius Sachin Tendulkar is worshipped as God.

In this time frame 6 chances came & 6 chances fell by the wayside, although the team under Sourav Ganguly came agonizingly close to bringing the glory home in the rainbow nation in the 2003 edition, yet it was still an opportunity missed nonetheless. But never has the stage looked more set than this time around. From Sourav Ganguly to Mahendra Sigh Dhoni, this is a team that has taken shape over the last decade. This is a team that has been literally through hell, fire & storm. This is a team that has some serious fighters willing to take the fight to the opposition till the end. This is a team consisting of game-changers. This is a team that has a captain who has the ability to stay cool even in the tightest of situations. This is a team that consists of a genius who has openly expressed his eagerness to win the World Cup for his country. This is a team that will set its foot into the tournament in its own backyard. And yes, this is a team that will have the support of a billion people who would be rooting for the team from start to finish.

Did we miss out on something?? Oh!! Yes!!!! The Genius of the game Sachin Tendulkar is closing on his 50^th ODI ton. With 9 matches needed to be played to get to the Cup Of Glory & the fact that the master always brings out his best on the biggest stage, there is every possibility that we might see history being created by a man for whom creating history is like just another day at the office. This edition of the World Cup has every potential to become a story that can beat the best of Hollywood Scripts on any given day. We look upto Sachin as the God of Cricket. May be his God has planned something big for him for which India & its cricketing fans have had to wait this long.

And who knows, this wait, might just be worth its weight!! :-)

            CHEERS FOLKS!!

SOLID SERENADE

To be honest, I first thought of putting down my thoughts regarding the upcoming IND-NZ test series which had the possibilities of a certain few records being broken & being made simultaneously. But then, suddenly my eyes caught an encounter(of cricket) that wasn't only exciting on the particular given day but would be remembered for quite a while & might go down in cricket's history as ONE OF THE most dramatic turnarounds if not THE MOST as two Sri Lankan cricketers proved the words "Its not over till its over".
OK, so coming to the game. Having restricted the currently struggling Australian batting line-up (which sounds a little strange actually) to a modest 239 it seemed the Lankans had a good chase is hand & that proper application at the crease wud get them to the finish line.
But as the rule of the nature goes, what all we wish is not all we find around the corner. Sooner than later the Lankans found themselves in a bit of a spot of bother as Sanga & Mahela walked back to the pavilion & soon, there was ABSOLUTE PANDEMONIUM. Batsmen came & went & for a while it just brought back memories of some of the great batting disasters that India displayed back in the 90s. At 107/8, the game surely looked to be well & truly gone for the islanders but then, two men just seemed to get in the mood for some game. At first it was all fun & games with Angelo Matthews being the last recognized batsman just doing his job of fighting on & Malinga having some nice time in the middle hitting some boundaries & enjoying himself. But in a short while, it all became real serious with the Aussies realising that in all the FUN & GAMES  only the lankans were now having the FUN & pulling the GAME away. And with a new record 9th wicket partnership put up in ODI history the stage was all set for one of the most unbelievable come-from-behind performances.
But again, such amazing stories only end on a real high drama as Malinga just fell short of grabbing the oppurtunity to push his team over the line & fell but not before having scored a magnificent 56 for his team. With 1 being the required number for both teams ( wicket for the aussies & run for the lankans) it reminded how right Darwin was in his theory that only the fittest survive & so the mentally strong enough Lions managed to get over the line. Ironically this display was also quite similar to a display by the Indian team just a month back against the same opposiiton in a test match in which Laxman & Ishant managed to guts it out in the middle with Ishant just falling a little short of the target only to be completed by Laxman & Ojha.
In the end what needs to be said is that it was an absolutely SOLID SERENADE on display by two superb performers & what better place than the historic MCG to create such dazzle & to top it all, the finishing touch came from the man whose name literally means THE HOLDER OF THE FLUTE.......MURALIDHARAN.

CHEERS FELLAS!!!!