Never to be forgotten: England tour of India

That sweet taste of victory was clearly seen on the face of Alistair Cook and his Team. 28 years is a long wait. England is going to cherish this victory for a long time. It means a lot and we Indians know it. (Rahul Dravid and Team won a series on English soil after 23 years!) That was special then! This is special now! Meanwhile, back home, there is a plethora of mistakes. What went right for India? Nothing. What went wrong? Here is the list:

A Captain sails the ship. To the harbor or in the storm; is a matter of choice.

Captain Alistair Cook celebrates his TON

Virender Sehwag: scores a TON in the first match and then, is not able to reach double digits. This is exactly how an opener should not play

Gautam Gambhir: blame him, complain against him. Play for self or play for team, winning is a distant dream.

Cheteshwar Pujara: A new kid on the block who started very well but was unfortunate. Wrong decisions marred his performance. Long way to go. 

Sachin Tendulkar: for he knows what he has to do, he'll let his action speak.

Virat Kohli: He loses his form at the start of the series and gets it back in the end; literally the end.

MS Dhoni: enough said. You did something that changed Team India's good luck to better. Can you do anything that turns bad luck in to good luck?

Yuvraj Singh: I don't get it. No one has performed well. But he is the only one sacked. And worst still, replaced by Jadeja. Probably that makes his sacking even more questionable. Yuvi may not be awesome, but Jadeja is not even an option.

All in all, the No. 6 remains empty since Ganguly left it.

R Ashwin: started as a spinner, and now, he is in the team because of his batting skills. No complaints. If only he could win it!

Zaheer Khan is sacked, Umesh Yadav is injured. We are still searching for that 1 bowler who is our answer to JImmy and Finn. Ishant Sharma? Ya right. 

Pragyan Ojha: the only saving grace of this series. But the pitch-bitch has done its witch in Nagpur. Maybe he needs to change some tactics. 

Piyush Chawla: He is the RP Singh of this tour. From rags to riches; at least Chawla picked some wickets and has a puppy face.

Umpires have gone wrong. Pitches have been a let-down. But England have survived. And won. Keeping Motera aside, England looked better in every sense: batting, bowling, fielding, planning, determination and even good looks.

Make a spinning-pitch, Monty Panesar takes the glory in Mumbai. Make a neutral pitch, result-less pitch, James Anderson managed to break through. Spinner had to be a match-winner, Monty did it. Number 4 had to score runs, Kevin Pieterson did it. Captain had to shine, Alistair Cook did it. Openers were the key, Nick Compton found his form. Middle order had to sustain, Bell, Trott, Prior and Root did it. Repeating myself, but every player put his 100% efforts to make that dream come true. No Indian player was even half close to match the standards of these guys. Literally.

Team England celebrates dismissal of Yuvraj Singh

Nothing worked in favor for India. And it is our fault. While “in-form” players are hatching eggs on benches, we are continuing with the legacy of archives.

Why is it that we cannot take bold steps? How much it will affect to bring 6 to 8 changes in a Team? Surely not more than a loss; which by the way, we already have.

And if I missed it before, here is last praise for our coach Duncan Fletcher. Well done! You managed to help England win in India after 28 years.

James Anderson celebrates after taking Sachin Tendulkar's wicket

With this, I end my Test series. Team England have won it, fair and square. We were no match to their hard-work and "thirst" to win. World may or may not end by 21st Dec, spirits of India's Test Cricket lovers has surely been put into coma.

Worst still, this budding phase of the Team looks stagnant. Players may be good in first class cricket, but that does not assure International level performance. So who is going to work on this issue?

Will we ever get those 2 fast bowlers who, with the help of Ashwin and Ojha, will rip apart "in-form" batting line-up of Australia in February?

Will our batsmen score Test Hundreds against that cracking pace attack of Australia?

4-0. And again. No revenge. Not even close.

Images courtesy: www.espncricinfo.com

India vs Pakistan: Game won!

How did it start? And how did it end! Indian supporters would have never thought of this perfect finish against their staunch enemies.

As usual, MS Dhoni lost the toss and Misbah Ul Haq elected to bat first. His decision was a perfect 300+. The way Mohammed Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed started, it looked like Indian bowlers needed to go back and practice hard. Praveen Kumar and Irfan Pathan were being smothered. Ashok Dinda was probably playing his last match for Team India. 50, 100, 150, 200... Pak score was climbing at 6+ RPO with all 10 wickets in hand. Then came R Ashwin and S Raina to bowl spin. But no luck. Rohit Sharma too tried luck with the white flake, in vain. The Master Blaster too failed to pick any wicket. The senior Pathan, Yusuf bhai, also could not create any magic with the ball. 

All 8 bowlers were hammered. 35 overs, 220 runs and Pak was surely winning this one at that rate. Excellent batting by the Pak openers scoring a TON each. They kept their cool and played calm. But their scoring rate never fell below 5 RPO. So much so was the setback for the spectators that we started missing our Mohali’s bowling line-up “Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel and Yuvraj Singh” None of them were playing today!

And then we issued a formal offer “Just in from BCCI: Whoever, if at all, takes a wicket will be given 3-year contract by an IPL team of their choice!”

It worked, Finally, stars smiled at Ashwin and he got Jamshed. Guess Ashwin is happy with CSK, so our offer goes null. But scoring didn’t pause for Pak. But we did see a fabulous catch by Suresh Raina and another marvelous catch by Virat Kohli. Wickets fell, runs came and then, at the end of 50 overs, Pak was at 329-6.

They hit:

27 FOURS = 108 runs

2 SIXES    = 12 runs

Total: 120 runs came of just 29 balls.

Praveen Kumar and Ashok Dinda bagged 2 wickets each while Irfan Pathan and R Ashwin got 1 each.  

Of course everyone was missing Virender Sehwag a lot. That score of 330 would be possible only if we have our firing cannon in action. Little did we know that we’ll win it with 13 balls to spare!

Yes! We won! And how? It wasn’t a dream start at all! Gautam Gambhir OUT on zero meant the end of any chances to win!

On crease were, the most experienced player of Indian Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar and probably, his only successor, Virat Kohli. Experienced shots from one end and powerful knocks from the other end. There was no looking back. Virat Kohli kept scoring at a faster rate, Sachin guided him and together they added 133 runs on board. After scoring 52, Sachin Paaji fell the victim to Saeed Ajmal and it was another heart break for Indian supporters.

But to everyone’s surprise, Rohit Sharma came in and didn’t leave the crease so soon. He played slow, his natural game. He took time to acclimatize to the bowling attack and then, hit some very powerful shots. He perfectly complemented Virat Kohli in the biggest run chase of the Indian Cricketing history. Together they scored 172 runs, the biggest 3^rd wicket partnership. Team India was at 307-2 and needed only 23 runs to win from 26 balls when Rohit Sharma hit an unwanted shot over long on and got OUT at 68 runs. Virat Kohli was on 150* and going strong. We all wanted him to score 200 and join the league of big names of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. Well, that didn’t happen and Virat Kohli got OUT at 183.

But the number, 183, has its own significance:

Indian batsmen who scored 183 have went on to become a successful captain
S Ganguly - 183 vs Sri Lanka 99 WC
MS Dhoni - 183* vs Sri Lanka 2005
Now V Kohli - 183 vs Pak 2012 So can we safely say that Virat Kohli is the captain in the making?

Back to match, of course, Raina and Dhoni finished the match! Captain cool hit the FOUR and that marked India’s successful run chase at 330 in just 48.5 overs.

This is how we scored: 

34 FOURS = 136 runs

4 SIXES = 24 runs

Total = 160 runs from just 38 balls.

India vs Pakistan matches are never just about Cricket. It involves a lot of emotions and fights and arguments and excitement too! This match had its charm too!

329 + 330 = 659 runs scored in 587 balls; total 3 centuries were scored and 10 wickets fell.

This match also meant that Indian Cricket was developing. Clearly the bowlers have a lot of homework to do. They need more guidance from the seniors. They need to put a lot of hard-work and efforts. Our weakest department needs revamping. We have potential players and this is the perfect time to groom them.  

The batsmen are readying themselves to take up bigger responsibilities and relive the senior from the worries. This means the future of Indian Cricket is going in safe hands and it is time to pass the baton!

It is the transition phase and ups and downs are bound to happen. We win some, we lose some. But what we learn from these matches will play a bigger role in the coming years of Cricket to play.

India vs Pakistan: Game on!

Forever it shall be... The “baap” of all games: India vs Pakistan! And why not, not only these 2 teams are arch rivals; the nations too aren’t on amicable terms.

India vs Pakistan!

Dear Team India, let’s get ready to win. Nothing else matters.

Yes, we don't have to experiment any player today. The playing 11 clearly knows that back home, every eye is on them, scrutinizing every move. 1 mistake will stay with them for a long time. Not only on Cricket terms, but also on moral terms.

No loop-holes, no mistakes, no lose shots, no wrong length and no misfielding. The game is as important as the WC finals. The sentiments are more intense than the white-wash. Any why not, these teams meet only once in a while. Who doesn’t want to see this match?

Some brief stats:

Overall in ODIs: Pak has won 69, India has won 47;

At neutral venues: Pak 38, India 26;

In last 10: India 6, Pak 4;

In Bangladesh, India 5, Pak 3,

In Asia Cup India 4, Pak 4

Chances are even! We are a new team and so are the opponents. They are fierce and we are learning. Pakistan heavily relies on Misbah Ul Haq. And we are already missing the likes of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. Team India lacks an aggressive approach and fears are we will turn defensive soon.

The, once upon a time, best batting line-up is on the revival mode. We have Sachin and Gauti to handle the attacking opening partnership. With their experience, they sure are the best bet. All eyes and big pressure on the new vice captain Virat Kohli; good news is, he is carrying the form very well and is anticipated to deliver the same way.

Lot of options for middle-order, yet we avoid risk and continue with the non-playing Rohit Sharma. Lot of all-rounder’s options, yet we want R Jadeja even if is totally off-form. Well, what more to say? Today is really not the day to experiment.

The bowling department has been the talk of the town since the last match where we were not able to defend 290 runs against a minion team Bangladesh. 

No options left open as the best guy Zaheer Khan is rested; Ishant Sharma is injured; R Vinay Kumar is mysteriously injured; Others..?? Don’t matter…

The pressure is at an all-time high. On both teams; On both captains. MS Dhoni sure knows how to handle it. He has been doing it since forever. Well, all we want if a Non-Defensive approach. The opponents will leave no stone unturned and we are a step ahead!

Time to Bleed Blue! 

Thanks @mohanstatsman for the numbers!

100th 100, is here! Sachin Tendulkar

Mark the date in Red, Blue, Green and Golden! Its something awaited by hearts of a million! 

It is 16th March, 2012. The platinum day for the game called Cricket! 

When the GOD of the game scores his 100th 100...!!

Just let me savor the moment, just let me seize the opportunity! I want be a proud Indian to have seen it happen!


No1 can even imagine how does it feel to be Sachin Tendulkar. Billion * 2 eyes on him. Billion hearts beating for him! Only him! Today was the destined day. Bangladesh was the Team and Shakib Al Hasan was the bowler. And the rest, is going to be engraved in the history with Gold and stay there forever....

Its just a game for those who dont know u,

Its a pride for all who love u!

For mortals like us, its enough to see u,

The nation proudly says "Cricket belongs to You!"

There is no wonder like Sachin,

Everyone seems to be just gawking,

With the charm n aura he is playing,

Every Indian just keeps rejoicing!!

It is not everyday that everyone can praise everyone. But when it comes to Sachin, all doubts take a backseat. Only the goodness and the kind heart reflects the humility that he is made of!

Each one of us has a dream - to meet you. For many its too blissful to be real. Being one of them, I can tell. With each heights that you scale, our hearts just become happy while we scream and yell!

When I saw his pics, I thought such a cute baby! 

When I saw him play, I said what brilliant shots! 

When I saw him win, I said what efforts! 

When I see him breaking records, I exclaim is that GOD?!!

But everytime the answer remains the same: He is just "Sachin Tendulkar"!!

My thoughts may not suffice to express the greatness. My heart may not contain all the feelings. My mind may be stable otherwise. But the gratitude, the respect, the humility knows no bounds when I hear the words "Sachin - the GOD - Tendulkar!

Yes! I was alive when Sachin Tendulkar scored his 1 HUNDRED CENTURIES! 

What does Sachin Tendulkar mean?

GOD as they call him, he is the gem of his sport; he has been the backbone of Cricket in India. We can't even begin to imagine how many kids have dreamt about him while going to sleep every night and have woken up to become a cricketer...

He is the reason why people watch cricket; he is the reason why people play cricket; he is the reason why those 10 players strived so hard to win that World Cup after 28 years. 

To support those words, here are some quick numbers about Sachin: ODI first:

Highest runs in ODI: 18000+. The next best is Ponting with 13000+ runs. Do you think any1 will ever reach that foot? 

It is the sheer dedication of this 1 man that he has managed to sore this height. 

Highest runs in the series: Sachin Tendulkar 673 runs in ICC World Cup 2003. Yeah! We didn't win it but Master Blaster performed his very best. This also shows that Cricket is a team game. Even if 1 player is the best, entire team is responsible for its win. Retirement of the Cricket Wonder is not the solution for poor performance of the team.

Most runs in a calendar year: Sachin Tendulkar's name is in the list 6 times. Of course, he is leading this table too: 1894 runs in 1998 and another 5 different years too... In fact, he has most hundreds in a calendar year too: 9 hundreds in 1998.

How did he manage to do this? We are talking about a human being who has sacrificed his entire life for this game. He is the best in this business and that has come through his immense hard work and talent.

Most runs in an innings: Just until Sehwag's 219, Sachin paaji was leading this too with 200* runs for a very long time. He has 3 such incidences which no other player has. PS: Both Indian senior batsmen are leading the table.

No other player has even played 458 ODI matches and yet got the strike rate of 86.22. In fact, he has played most consecutive matches for a team: 185 and has won highest number of MOM awards: 62; and also, most MOS awards too: 15.

Maximum number of FIFTIES: 95! And yet, no1 is even close to Sachin paaji... No need to even mention that this man has most hundreds in his career and 1 or 2 more won't affect the record either. If that is not all, Sachin Tendulkar also has maximum 100s against Team Australia. So any1 feels Sachin paaji can't face those bowlers and Australian pitches, get a reality check done guys... He has 9 100s against Australia!

And he is the same guy who got out the maximum number of times in the “nervous nineties”. Well, let me ask: How many of get depressed when we score a mark less or miss our ranks because of that 1 mark? 

With Sachin paaji it has happened 18 times and he is still going strong. He has not cried, he has not given up and he shall never do it. Learn from him while you can... Because someday when you'll want to, he won't be seen so close...

Maximum number of FOURS: 1991. The 2nd highest is Jayasuriya with 1500. In fact, he also has hit highest number of FOURS in an innings: 25 (in the same match when he scored 200*) It is time for critics to shut-up!

Sachin Tendulkar is the fastest to reach 10000 runs; and fastest to reach 13000 runs. And after that,only player to reach 14k, 15k, 16k, 17k, and 18k runs..! No1 is even in the vicinity of that number!

Let's talk Tests:

He has played 188 Test matches for India and scored 15000+ runs with 51 100s and 65 50s: All the number of course, being the highest in the history of Test Cricket. He is the fastest player to reach 12000 runs in Test and since then, the only player to reach 15000. But that's not all; he also has maximum number of 90s in his Test career: 10 (shared with S Waugh and R Dravid).

This is the man we are talking about. Every cricinfo record page has his name mentioned. Most of the times, he is leading the table while otherwise, he is just around the top 5. Every Indian is proud to have a man who is worshipped across the world for his skills, talent and dedication. 

We are talking about a person who is so dedicated to his career that he has spent his 22 precious years of life in 1 job. Can you find and name any other player who has shown same amount of commitment?

So today, when I see and read articles blaming him, questioning his efficiency, I feel ashamed that people have forgotten of what he has done to the game. I can name people for whom Cricket = Sachin, who proudly say that they'll stop watching Cricket once Sachin retires. This is the impact this 1 man has on all of us. 

There are kids who idolize Sachin and pray to him before going to practice. I am sure 90% of us have Sachin photo somewhere in our rooms. Not only in Cricket, has he also inspired us to be good human beings in real life. He has told us that while talent will take u to acme of success, it is humility and compassion that will help u stay there..

We have never heard of Sachin paaji involved in any controversy. He has always let his game and performance do the talking for him. A soft-spoken human being, a calm natured person and an equally cool-headed next-door guy; Every1 wants to meet him once, see him without a screen in between. 

I have been a fan too. I have been a supporter too. I have been a privileged girl too. I have met him on his home-ground in the practice net and also played alongside him. He spoke just a line to me and that line changed my world. I have learnt a biggest lesson of my life from him and I am going to take that lesson with me forever. The lesson of keeping feet deeply rooted in ground while flying in the winds of success. Success comes to every1 but a very few can retain it. And how do people retain it, is what Sachin Tendulkar is....

Even if Sachin paaji retires tomorrow, his deeds, his words and his life will stand as a moral support and inspiration to 1000s like me. Tomorrow still there will be kids who will want to be the next paaji and keep playing just like him. Dear fellow cricket lovers, before questioning his talents and his retirements, pause for a while and think. U maybe right but trust me, that man knows the game a lot more than all of us combined. He knows it perfectly well what has to be done next. After all, he has carried Indian Cricket on his shoulders for 22 years and is still the strongest of all...

Let us not stand and point fingers; let us unite and support him and the entire Indian Team.As there will be many who’ll join you in the celebrations of victory; but there are very few who’ll hold your hand strong when you fall… Decide which category you want to be…???

-       A proud Indian

-       A Dravidian

-       An ardent Sachin worshipper

-       An zealous Cricket lover

Indis vs Australia: Sunday: 19th Feb, 2012

Point: Australia was hurt. They lost badly against Sri Lanka. And the wounded tigers were on prowl. They left no stone unturned to win this match. So they did. Won it, and in style! Here are again, my views:

Australia's bowler BW Hilfenhaus ripped apart Indian batting line-up on Sunday at Brisbane in the Commonwealth Bank Series ODI by picking 5-33 wickets.

Along with excellent bowling from Brett Lee, who picked up 3-49 wickets, they restricted India at 178-10 winning the match by 110 runs. 

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Starting steady, they scored 51 runs in the first 10 overs without losing a wicket. Both Forrest and M Hussey scored a half century before falling victims to Irfan Pathan. The last ten overs turned the face of the game. 101 runs were scored and Australia put up a total of 288-5 runs. 

Rohit Sharma dropped 2 very important catches. To join him, Umesh Yadav too, dropped an easy catch. If that wasn't enough, the umpire decision was reversed; by the umpire himself!!  First time, we saw Dhoni upset and angry. He literally argued with the on-field umpires. This is just an answer to all those who feel Dhoni is defensive! Boss, he is NOT! 

A funny instance was when Virat Kohli took a smart catch and silenced the spectators by pointing to them as shown in the picture! No exchange of bad-words happened so, no fine paid!  

In reply, India's top order failed to deliver and India lost the first 4 wickets in quick succession. Too much of reliance on Gauti and Sachin paaji, but they both went back to pavillion very fast. 

Virat Kohli looked good, played steady. He was OUT with probably what looked like a catch. Well, I doubt if it was a genuine one.

My words fail to express the incompetence shown by Rohit Sharma in the entire series. Not that he is not good, but we have better players who can easily replace him. Manoj Tiwary definitely deserves a chance now.

Only MS Dhoni, captain cool, scored a decent 56 runs. But this did not avoid the inevitable defeat for Team India as they succumbed at 178 runs losing the match by 110 runs.

Well, not playing Ashwin didn't make a big difference either. Australia were too good in all areas and showed the character right from the start. 

Adding salt to wounds, Team India's highest scorer MS Dhoni, faced the ban for the next match against Sri Lanka on 21st Feb, 2012 for slow over-rate. This is the second time in the tour that he is facing the ban. The first being the ban for the 4th Test at Adelaide for the same reason.

As extra affair: Because of bad form, the standing captain Ricky Ponting, has been “rested” from the next match(es). The era of the legendary batsman-captain is on the verge of decline…

Ponting has been the show stealer for a very long time for Australian cricket. Alas! Every good thing comes to an end…

BW Hilfenhaus received MOM for his superb bowling picking 5-for. Also, this put Australia back on top in the points table. Now, we will see Parthiv Patel in the next game as our wicket-keeper. And hopefully, a win too! 

Images courtesy: www.espncricinfo.com 

Wish-List! Its Sachin! Once again!

I dont remember when I fell in love with this guy. It was a sheer herd mentality. Every1 loves him, I have to love him too. If I dont, I will be a loner. What will I do when he is on TV? Every1 will be glued to him, I'll be alone. Thats when I started watching him on TV. 

He was cute looking then. He is good looking till date. That time I had no clue whats so special about him. Now, I know, he is the only special thing about the religion. He is the talk of the town? No no, he is the talk of the globe. Anything that he does is watched, worshipped and blindly agreed. 

For many, the religion starts and ends with this 1 man on the field. The TV is on till the time camera can follow him. Rest is just a daily soap. Nice, but no spice!

I was reading a article by Former England captain Allan Lamb that mentions how the Lords' match is of utmost importance. He writes: "People in England have been writing about Sachin Tendulkar breaking his Lord's jinx (of scoring a hundred) well. he won't get a better time to do it, will he? Even if he doesn't get there, he shouldn't get disheartened. A lot of top players over the years haven't got a hundred at Lord's. I don't know why that is!

Well, its time for an Indian to write something. Why is it so much important for an Indian? Lacs of Indians never want him to retire. Someday he will. But the thought sends a shiver down my spine. What do u mean that he'll retire? He cant retire. He will never leave. At the bottom of my heart, I know 1 thing. The day he bids farewell, thousands of spectators will wave with him. The religion will no longer be celebrated as the way it is done now.

Ever since England tour was announced, every Indian has a dream of seeing 100th 100 by the GOD at the Mecca of cricket. Its not just the dream anymore. We have prayers recited, wishes made and what not. Sir Lamb, no one can ever understand the feeling that every Indian shares in heart when the Master Blaster hits a ton. The celebrations are to be experienced. No1 can describe it. 

Sir Lamb also wrote: "It doesn't get any bigger, or better, does it? It'll be a very special occasion. Playing at Lord's in general gets the best out of cricketers - this time it'll be even more special."

We cannot deny. It will take its place in the history.

Sachin is the reason why I started watching cricket. He is the reason why I started playing it. He is the reason why I was totally addicted to the game. Today, it’s his moment. It’s going to be his event. It will be his turn to create and rewrite history. A proud Indian - Me - wants to speak for entire nation about how important the day is for us.

The day when we will see TV as an occasion; when “fingers-crossed” will be a group activity; when no-jinx-allowed will trend. When there will be hands folded, lots of innocent bribes offered. When, again, there will tears of joy! The dream will come in real for so many supporters. I might be exaggerating the incidence. But, why not? I have waited for it so long. I want to be a part of it and stay there forever.

Ofcourse, I don’t know how the future will look like. I don’t know what will be the outcome. But this is my wish-list. I can vividly see the moments of glory. These are the blissful moments. They may or may not come true. But the colour of each face is saffron, white and green.

As they say in my country, U will never know how it feels. There is just 1 Sachin and the rest are all, well, mortals. Let me seal the moment right now. 

Inspiration!

Each time something goes wrong, I see this picture.
It reminds me of how hard work can over all negatives and lead you to victory! 
I have seen them play bad, lose the match and upset and criticized. 
Then, I have seen them play together, efforts and create a history!
Whats your story? 

A picture that say more than literature can say!

I know him as the best batsman. He is an amazing player. His bowling abilities are exceptional. He has the strong charisma. His captaincy is considered the best....

We know them for cricket. But they are those superb humans and daddy too! The collage to represent the love and affection of our sportsmen!

A fathers' first love!

Wishing all the viewers a very HAPPY FATHERS' DAY..!! :) :)