As India celebrate their win this midnight in Bengaluru, cricket fans across the country are rushing to buy a CBZ, an Airtel plan, Max Life insurance or some sh*t which Neo Cricket channel wants us to buy! Let the Indian celebrations go to hell. Bhago junta bhago. Go buy that freaking phone!
Really. Why are we Indians like this? How do we tolerate such wanton harassment by these TV channels and solicitors. A wicket goes down or India wins. You have got about 2 seconds to register it. Bcos there'll be no replays. Instead you have to watch a commercial. And I'm paying 30 bucks a month to get slapped on the face like this.
How can I wage a Jihad against these Ad terrorists? Whom should I go lynch?
What?! Zaheer is not the Man of the match?
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
All things negative!
These commentators are a bunch of losers, I tell you. Saturday's game (166-8) was one of the better days of test cricket I have ever watched. 8-1 looks ugly from the commentary box? Wonder who's gushing when Laxman flicks one outside off to mid-wicket?
And the sheer hypocrisy of going after Ponting for not throwing it all in and blaming Dhoni for doing exactly the same. Glad Dhoni told them to stuff it, standing outside leg-stump. Boy! wasn't Bowden taken for a ride?
I once helped 'Guru' Greg with ideas to screw the Indian team. Here's few for Ganguly's spiritual heir (?!!).
1. Keep a seven 7-2 field on one side of the wicket. I mean 7 behind the square. Short balls only.
2. Use a part-time bowler, specifically to land on the wicket in his follow-through.
3. Make the wicket keeper stand on the boundary.
4. Appoint retiring players as captain and bowl 60 overs a day.
5. When defending a 1-0 lead, bat five days of the test.
And the sheer hypocrisy of going after Ponting for not throwing it all in and blaming Dhoni for doing exactly the same. Glad Dhoni told them to stuff it, standing outside leg-stump. Boy! wasn't Bowden taken for a ride?
I once helped 'Guru' Greg with ideas to screw the Indian team. Here's few for Ganguly's spiritual heir (?!!).
1. Keep a seven 7-2 field on one side of the wicket. I mean 7 behind the square. Short balls only.
2. Use a part-time bowler, specifically to land on the wicket in his follow-through.
3. Make the wicket keeper stand on the boundary.
4. Appoint retiring players as captain and bowl 60 overs a day.
5. When defending a 1-0 lead, bat five days of the test.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Captaincy cut-off
After the disastrous world-cup campaign, I had written that the oldies should quit by March 2008. Its October and we haven't even seen the back of grandpa Kumble. Really, who is Kumble trying to kid with his angry outbursts? Does he seriously think he deserves a place in the 15 let alone the eleven?
Last week I had the pleasure of watching Ganguly bat and am happy that he is quitting on his own terms. Considering, he has been the favorite whipping boy of Indian cricket, his departure is reasonably honorable.
However as someone wrote, Gavaskar seems to be the last man who retired with his game still intact. But ofcourse, I wasn't following Cricket then and'll never know how true that claim is. Srinath went out after a very successful world-cup campaign. I wonder whether any of the current lot will retire that gracefully or need to be forced out as is the case with Kumble right now.
But more than their pension schemes, we need to worry about Captaincy in the hands of men who don't make the cut as players. Azhar, Ganguly and Kumble have all abused their captaincy in this regard. Dravid being the exception.
I think nobody above 32 years should be appointed or retained as captain. That would save us lot of trouble. Let the senior players earn their place in the side and go out gracefully when their game is up.
Last week I had the pleasure of watching Ganguly bat and am happy that he is quitting on his own terms. Considering, he has been the favorite whipping boy of Indian cricket, his departure is reasonably honorable.
However as someone wrote, Gavaskar seems to be the last man who retired with his game still intact. But ofcourse, I wasn't following Cricket then and'll never know how true that claim is. Srinath went out after a very successful world-cup campaign. I wonder whether any of the current lot will retire that gracefully or need to be forced out as is the case with Kumble right now.
But more than their pension schemes, we need to worry about Captaincy in the hands of men who don't make the cut as players. Azhar, Ganguly and Kumble have all abused their captaincy in this regard. Dravid being the exception.
I think nobody above 32 years should be appointed or retained as captain. That would save us lot of trouble. Let the senior players earn their place in the side and go out gracefully when their game is up.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Indian Pathetic League
BCCI is screwing everyone as usual, is it? Damn the Future's program, damn the county season, damn all the cricket boards save BCCI. IPL has arrived! Wonder how long before Indians park a plane in a nearby airport and threaten to leave if India loses a match!
But the catharsis happening now is all good for cricket. My Future's program will look something like this. Each region plays 20-20 leagues in Apr and Oct. The IPL was supposed to be followed by a Champions league of winning teams from IPL, England, SA and Australia. While those boards might have fallen for that piece of BS from Lalit Modi, the idea isn't bad. Add the Stanford Cup in the Caribbeans, expand the above four as regional leagues and we already have a Football like set piece.
Further, bilateral ODI series of any length must immediately be abolished. I would anyday watch a women's handball game (?!) over Australia playing Pakistan in a ODI. From now, any ODI tournament must feature a minimum of four teams. Even in football Euro Cup and Copa America are alive-n-kicking. The Cricket Asia Cup and Africa Cup this year are a good start.
And we should also abolish the 20-20 world cup! Lets have 20-20 only at the club level and when its featured in Olympic, Commonwealth games etc. The min-four team 50-50s and the only World Cup we'll have (as 50-50) should be tests of strategies and playing styles. Neither the slam-bang (20-20) nor the wear-down (test) versions. And for heaven's sake, lets give each team atleast 5 matches in the round-robin stage of the world cup.
So we'll be left with only test matches being played as bilaterals. Not a bad deal, right? And lets abolish this neutral umpires thing except in the World Cup. Any other match will feature local umpires. The neutral umpires are a fast-dying breed and if local umpires are biased, then so be it. Playing a 13 member team on the field is much easier than playing the team with a plane parked outside. Shoo-in beepers for the front foot no-ball.
And finally to the good-old ICL. Seems Chennai Superstars have won the 50-50 tourney as well! ICL is supposed to be adding two new teams for the games next month. I had last time predicted that that they'll leave out Bangalore in the first six. I hope the new teams this time are Bengalooru Gurus and Karachi Warriors. When 8 becomes 12, let the other four be Columbo, Dhaka, Vadodara and Kanpur.
But the catharsis happening now is all good for cricket. My Future's program will look something like this. Each region plays 20-20 leagues in Apr and Oct. The IPL was supposed to be followed by a Champions league of winning teams from IPL, England, SA and Australia. While those boards might have fallen for that piece of BS from Lalit Modi, the idea isn't bad. Add the Stanford Cup in the Caribbeans, expand the above four as regional leagues and we already have a Football like set piece.
Further, bilateral ODI series of any length must immediately be abolished. I would anyday watch a women's handball game (?!) over Australia playing Pakistan in a ODI. From now, any ODI tournament must feature a minimum of four teams. Even in football Euro Cup and Copa America are alive-n-kicking. The Cricket Asia Cup and Africa Cup this year are a good start.
And we should also abolish the 20-20 world cup! Lets have 20-20 only at the club level and when its featured in Olympic, Commonwealth games etc. The min-four team 50-50s and the only World Cup we'll have (as 50-50) should be tests of strategies and playing styles. Neither the slam-bang (20-20) nor the wear-down (test) versions. And for heaven's sake, lets give each team atleast 5 matches in the round-robin stage of the world cup.
So we'll be left with only test matches being played as bilaterals. Not a bad deal, right? And lets abolish this neutral umpires thing except in the World Cup. Any other match will feature local umpires. The neutral umpires are a fast-dying breed and if local umpires are biased, then so be it. Playing a 13 member team on the field is much easier than playing the team with a plane parked outside. Shoo-in beepers for the front foot no-ball.
And finally to the good-old ICL. Seems Chennai Superstars have won the 50-50 tourney as well! ICL is supposed to be adding two new teams for the games next month. I had last time predicted that that they'll leave out Bangalore in the first six. I hope the new teams this time are Bengalooru Gurus and Karachi Warriors. When 8 becomes 12, let the other four be Columbo, Dhaka, Vadodara and Kanpur.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Get on with it, willya?
The Indian Crybaby Circus is on show once again in Sydney. Come on guys, can you get your bottoms moved to Canberra please? Leave the postmortem to us, you bloody have a tour on hand.
Was Umpiring bad in this test?
It was abysmal. It cost us the match. But a couple of goof ups went against Australia as well. Draw was the just result. Lets assume that was the case and move on.
Was Gilchrist right in appealing for that Dravid catch?
He was. From the replays it was clear he wasn't sure what was happening. His first instinct after gathering the ball was to stump. There was an appeal and he joined in. His habit of walking cannot be held against him. If that were the case, should Umpire's take a break when Gilly is on the field?
Was Ganguly out caught by Clarke?
Yes he was. The fielder took the catch. He claimed it and so did his teammates. Now its upto the umpire to decide. He could have given out immediately at his discretion, asked the square leg umpire, referred it to the third umpire. Should he be asking the players is another question. But the Australians are hardly to be blamed for that.
Was Ponting right in giving Ganguly out?
He was. Apparently at the start of the series, Kumble and Ponting had agreed that captains will take the call in such situations. So he did. The Umpire could have ignored it, if he wanted to. But giving Ganguly not out would have been unjust to the Aussies in my opinion. Why should they pay for the Umpire's earlier blunders in the test.
Does Harbhajan deserve the punishment?
Yes, absolutely. There is a tamil proverb which goes "habitual thief will get caught one day". It is common knowledge that Harbhajan is a scoundrel. He having to feed nine mouths in his family is no excuse for his routine misdemeanors. Eight years on tour is a long time to learn some manners, however uneducated he is.
Was Ponting justified in referring the issue to Procter?
He was. But most captains would not have done that. Anything said on the field can be made into an issue. Crybabies do it, so do scheming captains. Any doubt Ponting would use every opportunity to harm his opponents?
What exactly is the problem these days?
Australia has a bunch of thugs like Symonds, Hayden, Ponting and Clarke. They bully anyone they can. Nut cases like Harbhajan and Sreesanth crack under their gaze. The media, especially Indian where journalist's average IQ hovers in the low 40s, is having a ball. Rest of the teams on either side, match officials and the public are having to put up with these idiots.
Where do we go from here?
Canberra ofcourse! But matches involving India, Australia and England have become an embarrassment to world cricket. Yes, their rivalries make Test Cricket exciting. But their habitual media sling matches, indecent on-field behavior, vengeance and wild celebrations are getting out of hand. One of the ways to rein them in will be, to award exemplary punishments to their players whenever such opportunities arise. Yuvraj deserved atleast a fine in Melbourne.
Was Umpiring bad in this test?
It was abysmal. It cost us the match. But a couple of goof ups went against Australia as well. Draw was the just result. Lets assume that was the case and move on.
Was Gilchrist right in appealing for that Dravid catch?
He was. From the replays it was clear he wasn't sure what was happening. His first instinct after gathering the ball was to stump. There was an appeal and he joined in. His habit of walking cannot be held against him. If that were the case, should Umpire's take a break when Gilly is on the field?
Was Ganguly out caught by Clarke?
Yes he was. The fielder took the catch. He claimed it and so did his teammates. Now its upto the umpire to decide. He could have given out immediately at his discretion, asked the square leg umpire, referred it to the third umpire. Should he be asking the players is another question. But the Australians are hardly to be blamed for that.
Was Ponting right in giving Ganguly out?
He was. Apparently at the start of the series, Kumble and Ponting had agreed that captains will take the call in such situations. So he did. The Umpire could have ignored it, if he wanted to. But giving Ganguly not out would have been unjust to the Aussies in my opinion. Why should they pay for the Umpire's earlier blunders in the test.
Does Harbhajan deserve the punishment?
Yes, absolutely. There is a tamil proverb which goes "habitual thief will get caught one day". It is common knowledge that Harbhajan is a scoundrel. He having to feed nine mouths in his family is no excuse for his routine misdemeanors. Eight years on tour is a long time to learn some manners, however uneducated he is.
Was Ponting justified in referring the issue to Procter?
He was. But most captains would not have done that. Anything said on the field can be made into an issue. Crybabies do it, so do scheming captains. Any doubt Ponting would use every opportunity to harm his opponents?
What exactly is the problem these days?
Australia has a bunch of thugs like Symonds, Hayden, Ponting and Clarke. They bully anyone they can. Nut cases like Harbhajan and Sreesanth crack under their gaze. The media, especially Indian where journalist's average IQ hovers in the low 40s, is having a ball. Rest of the teams on either side, match officials and the public are having to put up with these idiots.
Where do we go from here?
Canberra ofcourse! But matches involving India, Australia and England have become an embarrassment to world cricket. Yes, their rivalries make Test Cricket exciting. But their habitual media sling matches, indecent on-field behavior, vengeance and wild celebrations are getting out of hand. One of the ways to rein them in will be, to award exemplary punishments to their players whenever such opportunities arise. Yuvraj deserved atleast a fine in Melbourne.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Racism for Dummies
Al Khwarizmi (Persian - Math - 9th Century - Algorithm) once said that Indians should stop being frogs in the well, go explore the world and learn from others and shun this 'we are a great civilization, we know everything' attitude. If only dumb editors like Shekhar Gupta of the Indian Express had done that, they would have known what the world calls as 'racism'.
How on earth are the Monkey chants and antics directed at Australian Cricketer Andrew Symonds, not a case of racism but instead bad crowd behavior? The mere mention of the word racism seems to remind Indians of the imaginary donkey rides across the Khyber pass or even the Negroid journeys from Africa.
The world considers any discrimination based on physical appearance, ethnicity, religion or whatever as racism. In a country which worships a racist Aryan king Rama as God and where every other guy uses the caste, its derivatives or Varna (Sharma, Varma, Gupta etc) as the last name, Monkey chants are bad crowd behavior?!
If this is bad crowd behavior, then I wonder what the following things are: bottle throwing, booing, burning paper, breaking seats, chair throwing, walking in front of the sight screen, supporting opposition teams for the sake of Kashmir, Khalistan, Ganguly etc, Aaloo chanting and watching youtube videos of Prasad and Sreesanth's antics. huh?
Worse, some people even claim that we worship Hanuman, a monkey and hence these Monkey chants are acceptable behavior in India! Do these idiots even realize that Hanuman and his so-called vanar sena are the most extreme form of racism there can be? A tribe, most probably from Kishkinta in Karnataka, who helped Rama, has been reduced to being called 'vanars' and you guys shamelessly call Hanuman worship as Monkey worship?
Guys, don't have any illusions. We, Indians are born racists. We have always been obsessed with color and physical appearance. We have always called each other Mleechas, Shudras, Raakshs, Madrasis, Kongas, Pondis, Aravadu, Gults, Biharis based on appearance and diction. We color our gods (blue?!) and even our books (Shukla - white and Krishna - black). When we don't like someone we give them imaginary grotesque features (Asuras, Raakshs).
Wait, why am I wasting your time? You guys have better things to do like, protesting against 'racist' abuse of Shilpa Shetty, calling the Indian Idol from Siliguri, a Gorkha and hence a Nepali illegal, stopping a 300 Metre hole in a 30 Kilometre 'Monkey built' bridge and burning ten head grotesque Raakshs like Raavan at Ramlila. (10 heads = pathu thalai in tamil. thalai = head and also direction. i.e. Raavan's kingdom extended in all 10 directions, 8 + sky + underworld!) Have fun!
How on earth are the Monkey chants and antics directed at Australian Cricketer Andrew Symonds, not a case of racism but instead bad crowd behavior? The mere mention of the word racism seems to remind Indians of the imaginary donkey rides across the Khyber pass or even the Negroid journeys from Africa.
The world considers any discrimination based on physical appearance, ethnicity, religion or whatever as racism. In a country which worships a racist Aryan king Rama as God and where every other guy uses the caste, its derivatives or Varna (Sharma, Varma, Gupta etc) as the last name, Monkey chants are bad crowd behavior?!
If this is bad crowd behavior, then I wonder what the following things are: bottle throwing, booing, burning paper, breaking seats, chair throwing, walking in front of the sight screen, supporting opposition teams for the sake of Kashmir, Khalistan, Ganguly etc, Aaloo chanting and watching youtube videos of Prasad and Sreesanth's antics. huh?
Worse, some people even claim that we worship Hanuman, a monkey and hence these Monkey chants are acceptable behavior in India! Do these idiots even realize that Hanuman and his so-called vanar sena are the most extreme form of racism there can be? A tribe, most probably from Kishkinta in Karnataka, who helped Rama, has been reduced to being called 'vanars' and you guys shamelessly call Hanuman worship as Monkey worship?
Guys, don't have any illusions. We, Indians are born racists. We have always been obsessed with color and physical appearance. We have always called each other Mleechas, Shudras, Raakshs, Madrasis, Kongas, Pondis, Aravadu, Gults, Biharis based on appearance and diction. We color our gods (blue?!) and even our books (Shukla - white and Krishna - black). When we don't like someone we give them imaginary grotesque features (Asuras, Raakshs).
Wait, why am I wasting your time? You guys have better things to do like, protesting against 'racist' abuse of Shilpa Shetty, calling the Indian Idol from Siliguri, a Gorkha and hence a Nepali illegal, stopping a 300 Metre hole in a 30 Kilometre 'Monkey built' bridge and burning ten head grotesque Raakshs like Raavan at Ramlila. (10 heads = pathu thalai in tamil. thalai = head and also direction. i.e. Raavan's kingdom extended in all 10 directions, 8 + sky + underworld!) Have fun!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Say NO to Tendulkar!
Yes, its time for the next movement after this failed cause. Please join me in trying to prevent the calamity that is about to befall Indian Cricket by way of Sachin Tendulkar's appointment as India's Test captain. The reasons are obvious. The next step for Tendulkar is retirement not captaincy!
Agreed, Tendulkar is again at his best one day form. It is common knowledge that if this swine had not prevented Tendulkar from opening the innings during the world cup, we might have stayed a little longer in the Caribbean. But he almost certainly doesn't deserve a place in the test side.
Remember his 242 crawl in Australia which Shane Warne (I'm certain) recently ridiculed by calling it a great innings?! Or the shameless cave-in he authored with Dravid in South Africa? In anycase how does a person who finds it too exhausting to play ODIs gonna captain in Test matches?
Tendulkar's sychopants Sharad Pawar (who recently screwed India's farmers with $390 Wheat imports) and Vengsarkar (who's tongue is as loose as Kiran More's) are all set to lick his boots. Sachin, who invariably places himself above the team (remember he stood up to Chappell only when demoted to No.4) is likely to accept the offer that'll make his Test place more secure. Please stop this calamity!
Kudos to Rahul Dravid. Because the only good thing he has done as captain was resigning! Wait, his batting and persona are outstanding. There'll hardly be a player like him ever. But he should never have been made captain and its no surprise that he failed. But his is a dignified exit.
Batting mainstays cannot and should not be made captains. Sachin showed it then, Dravid proved it now. Ganguly could succeed because he was not the lynchpin of Indian batting. He could afford to hit and miss. No point bringing Ponting into the argument. Captaining Australia is perhaps the easiest job in Cricket.
Then who's next? Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the obvious choice. Yuvraj Singh is now our batting mainstay and should not be disturbed. In anycase Dhoni seems to have a better temperament than Yuvraj. And Dhoni despite some commendable rear-guard efforts is at best an exciting No.6 batsman. He probably is tailor-made for captaincy.
Agreed, Tendulkar is again at his best one day form. It is common knowledge that if this swine had not prevented Tendulkar from opening the innings during the world cup, we might have stayed a little longer in the Caribbean. But he almost certainly doesn't deserve a place in the test side.
Remember his 242 crawl in Australia which Shane Warne (I'm certain) recently ridiculed by calling it a great innings?! Or the shameless cave-in he authored with Dravid in South Africa? In anycase how does a person who finds it too exhausting to play ODIs gonna captain in Test matches?
Tendulkar's sychopants Sharad Pawar (who recently screwed India's farmers with $390 Wheat imports) and Vengsarkar (who's tongue is as loose as Kiran More's) are all set to lick his boots. Sachin, who invariably places himself above the team (remember he stood up to Chappell only when demoted to No.4) is likely to accept the offer that'll make his Test place more secure. Please stop this calamity!
Kudos to Rahul Dravid. Because the only good thing he has done as captain was resigning! Wait, his batting and persona are outstanding. There'll hardly be a player like him ever. But he should never have been made captain and its no surprise that he failed. But his is a dignified exit.
Batting mainstays cannot and should not be made captains. Sachin showed it then, Dravid proved it now. Ganguly could succeed because he was not the lynchpin of Indian batting. He could afford to hit and miss. No point bringing Ponting into the argument. Captaining Australia is perhaps the easiest job in Cricket.
Then who's next? Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the obvious choice. Yuvraj Singh is now our batting mainstay and should not be disturbed. In anycase Dhoni seems to have a better temperament than Yuvraj. And Dhoni despite some commendable rear-guard efforts is at best an exciting No.6 batsman. He probably is tailor-made for captaincy.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Checklist for Subash Chandra
1. DON'T PANIC!
2. Indian Cricket League (ICL) will have 8 teams max. Start with Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Delhi. Baroda and Bengaluru will be added later. 30 team BCCI trophies are a joke.
3. Invite corporates to own the teams. Talk to Laloo, Mallya, Anil Ambani, AC Muthaiah, Shiv Nadar and Vinoo Mammen.
4. Start/acquire a cricket portal. Not the ICL website. Isn't ESPN owned CricInfo screwing us already? Besides we need to feed the Software Laborers.
5. Two more leagues - Galli League and College League.
6. All matches are day/night and will have free entry. Get real, who's gonna come?
7. Commentary in all languages. Ten - English, Zee Sports - Hindi etc. Pakistanis will get Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi for sure.
8. Get rid of Kapil Dev.
2. Indian Cricket League (ICL) will have 8 teams max. Start with Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Delhi. Baroda and Bengaluru will be added later. 30 team BCCI trophies are a joke.
3. Invite corporates to own the teams. Talk to Laloo, Mallya, Anil Ambani, AC Muthaiah, Shiv Nadar and Vinoo Mammen.
4. Start/acquire a cricket portal. Not the ICL website. Isn't ESPN owned CricInfo screwing us already? Besides we need to feed the Software Laborers.
5. Two more leagues - Galli League and College League.
6. All matches are day/night and will have free entry. Get real, who's gonna come?
7. Commentary in all languages. Ten - English, Zee Sports - Hindi etc. Pakistanis will get Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi for sure.
8. Get rid of Kapil Dev.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Boy oh boy! What a week!
I know there is someone from Delhi who often reads my blog. I just need to check if that person lives at 7 Race Course Road. Well, ok! That was taking it a little too far!
I have simply lost count of the number of times I have derided Manmohan Singh in this space. And for the first time in 3 and 1/2 years, he has risen upto my expectations. Infact, if he is going to tell more people to "do WTF you wanna do", he can even count on my vote in 2009!
The Commies had this coming. For a long time now, actually. If even I can realize how empty their cupboard is, the Congress and BJP managers are no dunces either! The nuclear deal was something dear to Manmohan. Probably his only achievement so far as PM. Only brain-damaged clowns like Karat and Bardhan can mess with him on that.
Even if those nut-cases aren't good at politics, they should atleast read the papers. BJP had all but toasted Manmohan Singh on the deal and was laying the trap for the Left, by using the obvious Hyde Act angle to demand a vote in Parliament. Advani even let the cat out of the bag, when he promised to debate instead of shouting the house down. That was the clearest signal for Manmohan Singh to take on the Left! And he did it in style.
8 fifty partnerships, all 11 scoring in double figures and a romantic 100 for Kumble! What more can we ask? Lose (no win!) a zillion matches, but if you guys can play as a team like this, the countless hours we have wasted on cricket in this life would be worth it! If only that scum-bag had not boarded his plane from Australia two years ago... Sigh!
And more good news on the Indian Cricket League front! Laloo bun gaya gentleman! Anyway, if Dalmiya is the one who is giving it to Pawar and Co (as rumored), that would reduce his bad karma count a bit! But ICL is not flawless. I can't see why people up for national selection in India or elsewhere should play here. It would be ideal to have three leagues. BCCI, ICL for failed cricketers and a college league.
And finally, the Tamil blog world came of age, having its own BlogCamp! There is a buzz in the e-Tamil world. If you are a Tamil reading this, ping me to come on board! I can introduce you to cool people over there. And to roundoff the week in style, I even managed to swim reasonably at the class today!
I have simply lost count of the number of times I have derided Manmohan Singh in this space. And for the first time in 3 and 1/2 years, he has risen upto my expectations. Infact, if he is going to tell more people to "do WTF you wanna do", he can even count on my vote in 2009!
The Commies had this coming. For a long time now, actually. If even I can realize how empty their cupboard is, the Congress and BJP managers are no dunces either! The nuclear deal was something dear to Manmohan. Probably his only achievement so far as PM. Only brain-damaged clowns like Karat and Bardhan can mess with him on that.
Even if those nut-cases aren't good at politics, they should atleast read the papers. BJP had all but toasted Manmohan Singh on the deal and was laying the trap for the Left, by using the obvious Hyde Act angle to demand a vote in Parliament. Advani even let the cat out of the bag, when he promised to debate instead of shouting the house down. That was the clearest signal for Manmohan Singh to take on the Left! And he did it in style.
8 fifty partnerships, all 11 scoring in double figures and a romantic 100 for Kumble! What more can we ask? Lose (no win!) a zillion matches, but if you guys can play as a team like this, the countless hours we have wasted on cricket in this life would be worth it! If only that scum-bag had not boarded his plane from Australia two years ago... Sigh!
And more good news on the Indian Cricket League front! Laloo bun gaya gentleman! Anyway, if Dalmiya is the one who is giving it to Pawar and Co (as rumored), that would reduce his bad karma count a bit! But ICL is not flawless. I can't see why people up for national selection in India or elsewhere should play here. It would be ideal to have three leagues. BCCI, ICL for failed cricketers and a college league.
And finally, the Tamil blog world came of age, having its own BlogCamp! There is a buzz in the e-Tamil world. If you are a Tamil reading this, ping me to come on board! I can introduce you to cool people over there. And to roundoff the week in style, I even managed to swim reasonably at the class today!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Cricket Chronicles continued...
You have to give it to the politicians to put a spin. And Sharad Pawar undoubtedly is very good at that. The results of this week’s tamasha are that Chappell is gone (thank goodness!), Ravi Shastry is the adhoc ‘coach’ and that the BCCI has had its way in contracts (albeit by abolishing them). Everything else you have heard is all bakwaas.
Wonder what role Cricinfo plays in Indian Cricket. Was the Ravi Shastry story a coup or a plant? He ofcourse is a good choice for the manager. But coach? We know how good he was at batting. The same time during the 92 world cup, it was his home that was being attacked. On a different plane, will a beef eating ‘Shastry’ bring bad karma to the team?
Why not a batting coach when it was batting that got us out of the world cup? Sachin, Sehwag and Ganguly desperately needed a coach in the last two years but couldn’t find one in Chappell. In anycase don’t bowlers need a batting coach? Manjrekar or some other local batting coach would have fitted in nicely with Robin Singh and Prasad.
Why do we have domestic teams like Railways, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh? Which of the three teams does a Gujarati support? Where is the sporting rivalry between Indian states? Why throw more teams into the Ranji plate division when half the teams are not needed in the first place?
I wish Zee goes ahead with its Corporate League despite the expected ‘no’ from BCCI. A local televised series where players don’t care about International cricket will be good for Indian sport. Indian money runs world cricket. Why not make more money feeding local cricket to the masses? The local baseball league in the US is called ‘The World Series!’
I also wish Tamil Political parties take up the cause of the minnows in world cricket! Why can’t the Indian team play against teams like Singapore, Malaysia, UAE and Canada? How long will the BCCI/ICC feed on the Indian and especially the Tamil Diaspora without giving anything back?
Wonder what role Cricinfo plays in Indian Cricket. Was the Ravi Shastry story a coup or a plant? He ofcourse is a good choice for the manager. But coach? We know how good he was at batting. The same time during the 92 world cup, it was his home that was being attacked. On a different plane, will a beef eating ‘Shastry’ bring bad karma to the team?
Why not a batting coach when it was batting that got us out of the world cup? Sachin, Sehwag and Ganguly desperately needed a coach in the last two years but couldn’t find one in Chappell. In anycase don’t bowlers need a batting coach? Manjrekar or some other local batting coach would have fitted in nicely with Robin Singh and Prasad.
Why do we have domestic teams like Railways, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh? Which of the three teams does a Gujarati support? Where is the sporting rivalry between Indian states? Why throw more teams into the Ranji plate division when half the teams are not needed in the first place?
I wish Zee goes ahead with its Corporate League despite the expected ‘no’ from BCCI. A local televised series where players don’t care about International cricket will be good for Indian sport. Indian money runs world cricket. Why not make more money feeding local cricket to the masses? The local baseball league in the US is called ‘The World Series!’
I also wish Tamil Political parties take up the cause of the minnows in world cricket! Why can’t the Indian team play against teams like Singapore, Malaysia, UAE and Canada? How long will the BCCI/ICC feed on the Indian and especially the Tamil Diaspora without giving anything back?
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
World Cup Chronicles
My views on Indian cricket are very unpopular. So this post is just me joining the World Cup bandwagon! Don't bother to pick up fights with me on the comments page.
I see the world cup squad has been announced. Apparently it was a struggle to find 15 Indians who could play cricket. Don't know why we could not tell ICC that we were able to find only 12 players. We could have saved the expenses on Sehwag, Kumble and Pathan. But then BCCI has so much money.
These days Dravid struggles even against a team of reporters. But I appreciate his suggestion that we should only be sending 6-7 players to the world cup! Would have saved even more money. Guess he was far more comfortable saying what Chappell told him to say. This 'I run the show' drama is not his cup of tea.
The other day I saw a Google video on the Indian team going through New Zealand airport security. Harbhajan Singh says he won't give his shoes for agri inspection because he is too busy on the phone to be bothered with repacking them. The team manager (who was quite a character himself) duly paid $200 as fine for this. See how your money on cable/ticket is well spent.
Why should not we require that a college degree is a must for international selection? These teenage wonders from the north of the Vindhya's are so uneducated and culturally insecure that it should be affecting their cricket as well. When media says people like Zaheer, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Munaf etc have 'attitude problems', they mean just that.
Obviously these small town boys are strong characters and that is precisely the reason they have made it big on the field. But then, the 12th man cannot substitute for their off field engagements. No wonder Chappell is more comfortable with the cosmopolitan English speaking guys in the team. Well yes, Sourav is different. Thats why he is dada!
And finally, this season ends next March with South Africa touring India. By that time we should have seen the last of Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and Laxman. If they are around after that, I think Amitabh Bachchan should be in the team as well. What, you want Aishwarya too?
I see the world cup squad has been announced. Apparently it was a struggle to find 15 Indians who could play cricket. Don't know why we could not tell ICC that we were able to find only 12 players. We could have saved the expenses on Sehwag, Kumble and Pathan. But then BCCI has so much money.
These days Dravid struggles even against a team of reporters. But I appreciate his suggestion that we should only be sending 6-7 players to the world cup! Would have saved even more money. Guess he was far more comfortable saying what Chappell told him to say. This 'I run the show' drama is not his cup of tea.
The other day I saw a Google video on the Indian team going through New Zealand airport security. Harbhajan Singh says he won't give his shoes for agri inspection because he is too busy on the phone to be bothered with repacking them. The team manager (who was quite a character himself) duly paid $200 as fine for this. See how your money on cable/ticket is well spent.
Why should not we require that a college degree is a must for international selection? These teenage wonders from the north of the Vindhya's are so uneducated and culturally insecure that it should be affecting their cricket as well. When media says people like Zaheer, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Munaf etc have 'attitude problems', they mean just that.
Obviously these small town boys are strong characters and that is precisely the reason they have made it big on the field. But then, the 12th man cannot substitute for their off field engagements. No wonder Chappell is more comfortable with the cosmopolitan English speaking guys in the team. Well yes, Sourav is different. Thats why he is dada!
And finally, this season ends next March with South Africa touring India. By that time we should have seen the last of Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and Laxman. If they are around after that, I think Amitabh Bachchan should be in the team as well. What, you want Aishwarya too?
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Ten Experimentation Ideas for Chappell
Experimentation seems to be the mantra for our new cricket coach Chappell. I just wanted to pinch in with some more ideas!
1. While batting first, we will declare the innings when we score more than 250 runs or lose 5 wickets. We should learn to defend low scores, you see.
2. While batting second, we will set some pre-determined asking rate. Say 8 per over. If the target is 240, we should win the match in 30 overs else we will bat out the rest of the overs without scoring. How else can we become better chasers?
3. When a bowler bowls, all the 9 fielders will be either on the on or off side. Afterall bowlers need the discipline to bowl on a select line. If the bowler bowls on the wrong line, he himself should go and fetch the ball. If he bowls 5 or more such balls in a match, he will be dropped.
4. A batsman who leaves the ball or gets beaten 3 times in a over should retire not out. A batsman should atleast know how to middle the ball. We will send 'confidential' emails about the mental state of such batsmen later that day.
5. On a select match, there will be no wicket keeper. How else will bowlers learn to make the batsman play. If the batsman misses, they should have bowled him. If he gives 10 or more runs as byes, he will be dropped and will have to play Duleep trophy for five years to be again considered for selection.
6. Whenever a player makes his debut, he will be made the captain for that match. He can choose to bat at whatever position he wants and will be allowed to bowl 10 overs no matter how many runs he gives away. What better way to boost his confidence?
7. For a match, there will be no captain. Players will draw straws to decide who will bat next or bowl the next over. It will make the team flexible.
8. A captain who loses the toss three or more times in a series will be removed. If we can't win tosses, how can he win us matches?
9. Any player who has played for 4 years or has played in a world cup will have to retire. Afterall we are always preparing for the next world cup.
10. At the start of the match, we will decide how many players will play that match. It can be any number between 2 and 12. The opposition will crack because of this surprise element.
1. While batting first, we will declare the innings when we score more than 250 runs or lose 5 wickets. We should learn to defend low scores, you see.
2. While batting second, we will set some pre-determined asking rate. Say 8 per over. If the target is 240, we should win the match in 30 overs else we will bat out the rest of the overs without scoring. How else can we become better chasers?
3. When a bowler bowls, all the 9 fielders will be either on the on or off side. Afterall bowlers need the discipline to bowl on a select line. If the bowler bowls on the wrong line, he himself should go and fetch the ball. If he bowls 5 or more such balls in a match, he will be dropped.
4. A batsman who leaves the ball or gets beaten 3 times in a over should retire not out. A batsman should atleast know how to middle the ball. We will send 'confidential' emails about the mental state of such batsmen later that day.
5. On a select match, there will be no wicket keeper. How else will bowlers learn to make the batsman play. If the batsman misses, they should have bowled him. If he gives 10 or more runs as byes, he will be dropped and will have to play Duleep trophy for five years to be again considered for selection.
6. Whenever a player makes his debut, he will be made the captain for that match. He can choose to bat at whatever position he wants and will be allowed to bowl 10 overs no matter how many runs he gives away. What better way to boost his confidence?
7. For a match, there will be no captain. Players will draw straws to decide who will bat next or bowl the next over. It will make the team flexible.
8. A captain who loses the toss three or more times in a series will be removed. If we can't win tosses, how can he win us matches?
9. Any player who has played for 4 years or has played in a world cup will have to retire. Afterall we are always preparing for the next world cup.
10. At the start of the match, we will decide how many players will play that match. It can be any number between 2 and 12. The opposition will crack because of this surprise element.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Crown of thorns - Sourav Ganguly
One of the most bizarre events in recent times is the hate Ganguly campaign going on right now! Well, he is out of form. So what? If the team selection committee decides he doesn't deserve a place in the team then he should be dropped. But why this unprecedented hate campaign against him? Rahul Dravid was dropped once. Sachin Tendulkar cut a very sorry figure when he was captain. VVS Lakshman's long run of undeserved one day place has been taken away recently. And now if Ganguly is struggling with form, let him be dropped or rested. But by booing him on the grounds and ridiculing him in the media and forwarding Ganguly Jokes, we Indians are only displaying our immaturity as a nation!! This has been a sorry affair for long. We get overboard when Indian cricket teams wins but ridicule them with a vengeance when they lose. Only Pakistanis equal us in this ugly behaviour. Remember our shameless behaviour when India lost to Australia in the World Cup league match?! Is our passion for cricket so intense that we have lost our brains?!! Ganguly will be away from cricket for sometime because of the six match ban on him. Hope it helps him mentally that when he comes back, he can regain his form. Hope this also puts sense it our brains!!! Let us enjoy cricket for what it is - just a game. And finally -- I have been impressed with the dignity with which Ganguly has handled this crisis. Whether we believe or not he is a prolific one day batsman and easily the best captain India has had since Pataudi. He deserves better than what he is getting now.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Cricket Telecast and beyond!
Lot has been written about how BCCI messes with cricket in India. TV rights being prime example. The High court in Madras yesterday gave the go ahead for telecasting the Indo-Pak series on DD and the media thinks we have had a great relief. Who doubted it anyway ? Afterall judges in India have already betrayed how stupid they can be when it comes to cricket. Remeber the TEN Sports - DD row last time when India toured Pakistan? The Judge then behaved atrociously and awarded the live feed to DD when TEN sports had rightfully acquired the telecast rights shelling out millions of dollars. What kind of business ethics do we have in India? TEN sports hiking its prices many fold before the series is another issue altogether. The reason: A judge in India is no less a moran when it comes to Cricket fanatism. The telecast row involving Zee-ESPN star sports-BCCI raises many questions. Why are Indians always being held to ransom by foreign sports broadcasters (ignore DD sports) ? Why its ESPN - Star - TEN Sports and SET MAX. Why can't it be ZEE, Sun or E sports? Now that ZEE made a start, its being snubbed. Most people frown upon Indian broadcasters for Cricket. Give me a break! When can Indian channels start televising cricket afterall? Look at the ridiculus clause of the BCCI rules which requires prior experience for securing Telecast rights. Does BCCI expect ZEE to telecast school matches before being awarded International matches ? Unless BCCI puts some sense into its policies (highly unlikely), we can only lament about the crooked and last minute match schedules in India compared to the finesse with which they are handled in England or Australia. Looking at the broader picture, what is the solution to the chaos in cricket administration. How long are we going to bad mouth Jagmohan Dalmiya and do nothing else. Should we get rid of all the politcians running sport in this country. Why don't the present and former cricketers do something about it. Afterall they are making big bucks out of cricket. Probably BCCI may be better off being run by former cricketers. Most other Indian sports bodies are in chaos too. Hockey and Chess fedarations are equally messed up. What about weight lifting. Don't you think India should be banned from weightlifting all together? India are second only to Bulgaria in doping. Well I am getting sick of discussing sport administration. Let me not concern myself about it anymore and enjoy the fledgling carriers of Sania Mirza and Narain Karthikeyan instead.
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