200*

scrape through, tie wow, shock loss and thrill win

2011-03-06T04:08:00.000-08:00

They are saying, England doesn't deal in dull matches. That, if you have tickets for an England match, you will get your money's worth. And that they are single handedly making these early stages of world cup heart-stoppingly exciting.

Right no?!

Hamburg, Germany

2010-08-23T04:27:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Resistance to change?

2010-07-27T02:05:00.000-07:00

Certain things are not expected to change. Were. For people like me who watched Spanish football over the years, Raúl González and Real Madrid were indistinguishable. Over the years, the aura might have faded.. but the #7 was a Madridista. Always.

Yesterday, Raúl announced him leaving the club. This does not come as a shock, but it was news Madrid fans did not want to be delivered anytime soon.

Raúl may not the most spectacular player you would see, but the pure passion and grit that you see the left-footer bring to the game, reminds you what gutso and loyalty is. The latter, a soon-to-be forgotten trait in the game. He is a true gentleman, one who never got red-carded in his career.

It is not the end of his playing career, but so strong are certain associations between players and the teams they play for, that you could hardly believe that there is life after that. He did the right thing.. he has accomplished (almost) everything he could at Madrid and would move to Germany for the reminder of his career probably. The fans wish him the best.

For me, Raúl will always be El Siete - the legend from Real Madrid.

P.S. LeBron James, please take note how to leave a team in style.. from the true King.

P.P.S. For the last time, Hala Madrid! Raúl Madrid!

(photo updated: 8.8.10)

So today..

2010-06-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

a South American Team will actually be eliminated! Brazil vs. Chile.

The quaterfinals already seem to be so exciting.

P.S. Would be nice to visit the Machu Picchu, pet the Llamas, fly over the nazca lines, (yes, Buenos Aires too - Go Argentina! ).. I am so into the south american spirit! :p

Angst

2010-06-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

From the best batsman in the world, and World Champions, for a good reason.

"If that's what you think take a look at the head-to-heads and see who has got bragging rights. ODI, Tests and Twenty20. Tell me who has got the bragging rights?"

Ricky Ponting bristles when asked if England held the bragging rights following their win against Australia in the second ODI

Source, www.cricinfo.com

This weekend..

2010-06-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

shall be a busy one.

FIFA 2010 - Round of 16.
F1 - Valencia
Wimbledon - of course.

Hopefully they'll turn the volume on vuvuzelas down by a notch.. :p

Random lines in papers and social networking sites, I paraphrase:

This world cup is like the WW-II: The French surrendered early, the Americans turned up late, Italy got defamed.. leaving England to fight the Germans!

No no no..

2010-06-21T07:43:00.001-07:00

Please don't let him got out like this. Not in the first round of Wimbledon. Not in the centre court. Not to Falla.

Roger Federer down by 2-0.. ok, now 2-1 and still struggling..

He'll get the game back - Hope.

------------------------------------------------------

And he did it..

Long time

2010-06-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

India-Pakistan is back. And how!

Also please note, this was a 50 over match. No Twenty20 match could be more thrilling (well if your idea of thrill is a six or four every three balls, we're not talking about it.)

I guess the only thing that didnt turn out perfect in this match was that the six didnt come off the last ball!

Now that we're in the India-Pakistan mood, why not catch up on old times? Please watch only at full volume.

Be different man, be cool

2010-06-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Like not watching a single match of the 2010 Football World Cup.

mind games

2010-06-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

hmmm.

yes.

done.

ok.

World T20..

2010-05-06T03:10:00.001-07:00

Zzz...

..

.. ZZZZ...

... wake me up when the excitement begins.

(In the meanwhile, elsewhere.. in England; reports confirm tennis balls were not used.)

not yet sold on the idea of Twitter?

2010-05-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

Sachin (sachin_rt) is there.
I rest my case!

#EPIC

2010-04-29T01:43:00.001-07:00

youtube #FAIL

2010-04-25T08:54:00.001-07:00

The Final.

There's a man.. called Bhogle..

2010-03-05T01:29:00.001-08:00

Campos Meta

2010-02-28T02:49:00.000-08:00

Watch this space!

Keywords: Chandhok.

The National Sport !

2010-02-26T04:41:00.000-08:00

It is rather embarassing for me to say this, but I have been a quiz enthusiast for a while now. But there was a little bit of a tale with regard to my debut.

It was the "prestigious" Maggi Quiz. I was in class 3. Like all other Indian kids, I loved cricket. So when I saw the question - What is India's national sport ? I promptly wrote down C R I C K E T.

That probably puts across the predicament Hockey faces in our great country. There were probably 2 peaks in the world of Indian hockey as far as popularity were concerned.

1. The very well marketed Premier Hockey League, with yours truly rooting for the Hyderabad Sultans.

2. Chak De India. Yes, it took something Bollywood to actually make people realise that this game actually had something to offer.

Now with some heavy duty advertising and the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Viru Sehwag associating themselves with the FIH Hockey World Cup, let us hope that their viewership and popularity goes in the right direction. Up.

So don't forget to catch all the action starting Feb 28 in New Delhi.

PS: Watch our for Prabhjot !

all rise

2010-02-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

Here cometh India's proudest son.

The heavens aren't going to fall if that happens.

2010-02-23T05:07:00.000-08:00

Modi also said that he was not overly concerned by the possibility of overseas players withdrawing from the event. "The heavens aren't going to fall if that happens. This is an Indian tournament; we have the key Indian players and only a few international players."

After such a statement, I might actually follow IPL this season.

Modi saab, in spite of the pure evil that he might seem, will manage to prove something if such a thing happens - that, the game is bigger than the sportsman. (Now, whether the game being refered to here is the sport itself, is another matter.)

Btw, anyone called the Bullying Helpline there yet, KP?

1st ODI, Jaipur

2010-02-22T00:56:00.000-08:00

So, I am just wondering if the SA press is lamenting the umpiring and calling for the end of the world, coz SA lost the 1st ODI due to some contentious calls from the umpires, after that remarkable fight-back ala Jumbo (and the super dive on the boundary line in the 100th over by a certain man *grin*). #Hello-Indian-press-!

Or do they just care less? #Probable.

Also, wtf Hindustan Times!

Oh yea.. we love this sport alrite!

2010-02-19T02:10:00.000-08:00

Que?

Now..

2010-02-10T03:15:00.000-08:00

isn't that a beautiful sight.. to see those three colours (in general)?

J.H. =)

In the "unlikely" event that you'd be disgusted at the conclusion of the 1st Test in Nagpur..

2010-02-08T06:47:00.001-08:00

.. here's eight and a half minutes of nostalgia, to remind you why cricket is still worth a watch..

..even though at times it's too much of a bitter-sweet thing. =)

At the risk of jinxing it..

2010-01-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

I pray, oh please let her win! =)
The comeback, is waiting to be fulfilled.

- JHH fan

Well.. hello Mr.Pandey!

2010-01-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

In case, you did n't know.. Mumbai still went on to win the Ranji Finals. But well done, Manish Pandey.

Remembering Curtly

2010-01-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

The Comeback!

2009-12-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

And Michael Schumacher returns to F1.
(For Mercedes, with old partner, new team.. and all that.)

This news was met with rather mixed feelings, just like last summer, when Ferrari had asked him.

A friend reassures saying.. "..don't worry, he knows he is fit.. i can assure u he treasures his reputation more than u." And so I'll just shut up for now.

F1 needs it.. after race fixing, accidents, honda and toyota leaving and all scandals and fights, some good news (still, fingers crossed!).

About time..

2009-12-07T22:28:00.001-08:00

Finally

2009-12-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Someone has had the gumption to lash out at the Australian media. I wonder what took so long, considering the abuse the Indian team had to go through in their last Australian tour. No one seemed to speak out against them so vocally, I hate to sound like I have a persecution syndrome (or sound racist) but it took Tony Cozier a white man living in the West Indies for even Cricinfo to take on this bigotry and point it out. Somewhere below is a comment by someone named Harsha Bhogle, I wonder if it really was him, quite a sensible comment I'd say. Needless to say, the Australian media reporting cricket seems drunk on the decade of super success they've had. I hope they do realise at some point, that life does come a full circle, this might hypothetically come back to bite them. Humility and success are quite rare, not that it is a necessary condition, but it does seem a lot more endearing and pleasing to a spectator.

Alas, poor Dravid

2009-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

I guess the key part of it all is:

"He doesn't seem to mind, but I do."

I had to look this country up..

2009-11-18T06:08:00.000-08:00

San Marino! Oh wait.. ah, San Marino. Of course, my bad.. lads! (Nope, never heard of it before).

Why would I be interested, you ask? Coz the poor chaps got plundered. Rape and pillage, as Izzard would put it.

11-0. 60 square kilometers.

Now now.. here..

2009-11-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

.. hear, it was n't me!

Link here.

That Russian Player

2009-11-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

Distinctly tall and good-looking, he is. I remember Marat Safin mostly from the Australian opens. Esp, the one where he defeated Federer and Hewitt.

Here's wishing him a good life after tennis.

Oh, what the fuck!

2009-11-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting. venting..

..frustration!

Dedh Dimaak?

2009-10-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Chris Gayle, it was a pleasure to meet you sir!

South African commentator, Mike Haysman, on how he was mistaken for the West Indies captain at a shop in Hyderabad

Source, www.cricinfo.com

FYI, Chris Gayle, Mike Haysman

QED.

David Shepherd is no more

2009-10-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Memories of watching Cricket while growing up,
I see them in flashes.
Dear Ol' Shepherd, a sure fixture in the frame.
Missed him since he bid adieu.
Pink and round - in the middle.
'Six' has never been the same, since.

its not jst abt lingo-chaa

2009-09-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture
i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture

i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture
i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture

i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture
i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture

...as time passes we have more money to waste and more friends to entertain
and more furniture to accomodate them all

i always had more waste than money and more entertainment than friends .
so, the drawing room had always been spacious...

it was witness to not only some of the craziest and most pointless of games ever to be invented , leaving golf aside but nonetheless witness to some of the most nail biting , edge of the seat cricket matches played with a thermocol wicket and the fastest spectacled bowler bowling to the only man who could not only see that small a ball coming at him and but also had the technique to smash it over 8 ft above the window for a six.
if you thought we were just incompetent and immature sportsmen ..we were more than that..

frm that to the treasure hunts with clues like "we all win" to more bizarre games of childhood this room ...

and now there'll be more furniture to fill up the space and

i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture
i don't like my front room cluttered with furniture

QED : times passes-more friends to hang out-lesser friends to play :(

Bump

2009-08-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

I liked.. the picture here and how brilliantly this article ends. =)

Is this what we love about sport?

2009-07-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

That it can be so cruel. That it shoves in our face the brutal truth - the distance between the Winner and the Runner-up is agonisingly long, even if it was a photo-finish.

What can anyone say to Roddick in consolation?
The final had left us Fed fans in two minds. It was for Roddick that we had eyes for, after the insane fifth set finally threw up a result. Super glad for the No. 15, we also couldn't help but wonder what agony must have awashed Roddick.
We realise that he gave it his all. And it still wasn't enough.
But then maybe it is also a reminder of what makes Federer what he is. The match could have gone eitherways. But it went Roger's way. Not just this one, a lot of such close-encounters earlier too. Guess he can hold on for that one extra - all important - second.

Truth be told

2009-06-30T10:33:00.001-07:00

I thought Ricky [Ponting] was crap when he was first captain in 2004 and nothing much has improved since then. I'm not the only one who thinks that ...everyone at home thinks he's shit at the captaincy.

Former Australia fast bowler Jeff Thomson as forthright as ever

Source, www.cricinfo.com

T20 Champions

2009-06-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

The prominence of T20 is growing to staggering proportions. One has to go back just as far as the last T20 World Cup to trace the it's path of exponential growth and popularity. Each of the world cups have been a landmark in the history of cricket, the first one set off a completely new generation and possibly a new genre of cricket. It's shocking to see how things have changed so quickly, one almost doesn't care for ODIs anymore. It's probably a reflection of the times we live in, where everything around us grows, decays and is consumed at an alarming rate. It's ironical that it had to be Sri Lanka, whose loss yesterday will hopefully set off a new lease of hope to cricket in Pakistan.

Following the happenings in Pakistan through the western media, the feeling that it might be a crumbling society is a scary thought, where bomb blasts and deaths have become sort of like performances, much like concerts and plays in some of the developed countries. While this might not change much politically (it would be foolhardy to believe so), it would seem that for a cricket crazy nation starved of anything good happening to them, it's a nice impetus to get their act together. Success can be infectious, one would only hope that is the case for Pakistan cricket.

It was also heartening to see the Pakistan board finally show some spine, and give some of it's players who 'defected' to ICL the respect they deserved. Finally on cricket, as much as some of us might hate the prospect of T20 taking over our world, it increasinly looks like the death of ODIs is not too far away.

Zing Zing!

2009-06-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

Welcome the latest Madridista!

2009-06-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicardo!!

Well, they needed a defender though. =p

French Open '09

2009-05-31T11:41:00.001-07:00

I was hoping to see a great rivalry match again in the finals, but guess not.
Nadal losing in the fourth round is just disappointing.

IPL

2009-05-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

And so another season of IPL ended yesterday. Congratulations to all the DC fans on this blog (which I'm assuming is all of us). IPL inspite of the nauseating publicity and Lalit Modi was decent fun. It helped that I followed a large part of it online, and then watched whatever I did on pirated links, it was a distilled IPL bereft of all the off field drama.

I followed most of it with a prejudiced mind set viz "bah...what nautanki" , while one read and discussed all the while the almost utopic situations of favourite players from different countries playing together, it really didn't hit me until the final match, when Kumble and Boucher were celebrating Gilchrist's dismissal.

What was most humbling (and disturbing) was the fact that IPL has "undemonized" all the Aussie players for me. I felt no anger when Symonds was sledging or abusing 19 year old Manish Pandey, and in one moment it exposed me to all of my bigotry. I dread about the day when I might end up cheering for Ponting, I'm glad though that he plays for KKR, I hope DC never decides to buy him. It showed me what I had missed while Gilchrist was thrashing us in a test in Bombay, the excuses I came up with to rationalize how and why someone could change a match in a matter of few overs.

There was a feeling of disappointment as it all ended, will I ever watch Warne spin his magic? or witness a c. Dravid b. Kumble? IPL turned out to be a second chance to appreciate some players I refused to acknowledge.

But, on the other hand, I have developed new prejudices.

The neverending summer and the welcome drizzle

2009-05-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer wins Madrid. Yes, world #1 Nadal was the opponent.
Aberration or not, everybody loves a good summer rain, ain' it?!

It's a..

2009-05-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

.. MIRACLEEEE!!

Still not catching up.

2009-04-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Wonder who this might be..

I came to know about his site rather late. Now all I have to do is manage to read an entire post!

Just when I decided that I'd support Deccan Chargers, they lost to DD... nevermind.
Someone tell me when all this is over.

Thank you Mr. Tony Grieg....

2009-04-07T10:44:00.001-07:00

...for acknowledging our cricketing hero. In his recent show, Mr. Grieg had some kind words for Tendulkar :
"It's also worth giving Tendulkar a pat on the back - he is still a fine player and his consistency in this series has been important to India."

I request all my countrymen, women and who ever might be Sachin's fans to pass on their profuse gratitude, for he has reaffirmed our belief, and given us yet another reason to continue living.

What would we do without the grace of these Englishmen, I wonder.

Retribution at last....

2009-04-06T06:35:00.001-07:00

...or maybe not, oh well. But, I watched it live too!

Klarstellung bitte

2009-04-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have forgotten once again, can someone please remind me, why was Yuvraj Singh picked in the Test team? There seemed to have been a perfectly plausible reason back then. :)

Ha Ha!

2009-04-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Indeed!

Zing Zing!

2009-03-30T06:51:00.001-07:00

"I think Gautam played an innings of a lifetime," Sehwag said. "I can say that because hardly any player plays for almost 11 hours nowadays. He is the one who saved the game for us. I think we can call him the second Wall of the Indian cricket team. This one comes from north."

Thus spake Sehwag.

Ross o' Ross!

2009-03-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

Diffusers or not, the one-month old team has left us gaping.

Brawn Mercedes, can I call you Chelsea?

We are outsourcing! Howzzat Mr.Friedman!

2009-03-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

Can I please laugh out loud?

While we are at it, let's also get the Pakistani league matches scheduled in India so that the grounds are kept occupied and Mr.Modi can sell the television rights to PTV.

Wait, that is almost a brilliant idea.

2009-03-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Don't you think Jesse Ryder looks a bit like the circa 80's Hindi film villain? I mean.. er, jus an observation. No?

Screen-grab from cricinfo.com (click for bigger image)

Another win (play a Red Sparowes song)

2009-03-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

It is less probable that we will live past this purple patch Indian cricket is going through. But it is special the way we feel today with all the success and glory. Its the sorta day when you look at these guys and tell yourself (and everyone around you) that they are monstrous giants of world cricket who will prevail anything. Its the sorta day when you breathe in short bursts and smile like a jackass. Its like a day when SRT scores a 100.

So what has changed? You dont feel surreal when India wins anymore. You dont crap on the world when they lose. You still toast their success, forgive their failure. You see them as amiable hard working people who will try to do their job when they go out there. The whimsical Gods have vanished. The romanticism has been lost to respect.

Something about MS ticks. Karma? Grit? Dunno, I dont worry too much about it. But he is a curious case, so I ask myself again. Is it jus him? What makes MS work? Karma? Luck? Limitations? Or the hidden scars from the last World Cup as he still clears the rubble in his head after we pelted his house down. May be that's why MS is so much like Dada, but not really. (This of course, comes from a disease that I have where I compare every successful Indian captain with Ganguly). People have written about the captain in MS, other gifted writers will (continue to) sketch a zen-like legend for the "little town boy". His dropped catches and missed stumpings will be forgotten. Every series. He will make you. But its alrite. He is someone who we will forgive. Coz he wins.

Success.

We like winning. It might not be ingrained in our culture (like Hayden's), but we like to win ever so often. And we do that a lot now. So, getting drunk on this feeling that the billions have waited for decades now, seems only appropriate.

Hic.

Tongue in cheek?

2009-03-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

"Maybe they all think it's my last tour."
Sachin Tendulkar on the standing ovations he gets wherever he plays in the world.

The man is indulging in humor, oh well, as long as it doesn't turn into "foot in your mouth"!

The travelling goon

2009-03-15T05:25:00.000-07:00

BCCI is going to absurd levels to stamp its authority on the cricketing world. Niranhan Shah is going around threatening people in Newzealand:

"It's one thing to pull two players out of a festival match in case they're contaminated by ex-ICL bacterium Hamish Marshall.

"It's two things to have New Zealand Cricket general manager of cricket Geoff Allott ring ICL virus Daryl Tuffey to ask him to withdraw from a State Championship match. But it's a truly absurd thing to flex their muscles in the commentary box for fear that Ravi Shastri (IPL) and Craig McMillan (ICL) might accidentally exchange bodily fluids that could eventually infect all the right-thinking people of the cricketing world," the newspaper wrote. [link]

I dont know about Ravi Shastri and Craig McMillan exchanding bodily fluids but I can say this - Lalit Modi does force a lot of this body fluid exchange with anybody and everybody who doesnt accept that BCCI is the unchallenged ruler of the entire cricketing world.

Elsewhere in the world..

2009-03-14T01:17:00.000-07:00

the good women continue to do well.

Nice to see Anjum Chopra get some runs.

Oy! Teri maaki...

2009-03-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

......erm.....I mean monkey, god

OT, meet Jose..

2009-03-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ek, bas ek goal dede Thakur!

In other news, RM was blanked out yesterday. Kicked outta their misery, I could almost cry.. if I were a Spaniard. But, nevermind. Back to La Liga.. senores.

Image courtesy: mirror.co.uk

I believe (?)

2009-03-09T06:18:00.001-07:00

Will the real RM please stand up? It's been a season the Los Blancos won't particularly be bragging about. Injury worries, management issues, yet another season of turmoil in Madrid.. and still 6 points behind Barca in the La Liga. But when tomorrow the less than impressive Juande Ramos takes his team to Anfield for the Champions League knockout, nothing less than a victory will get the Spanish champions through. The question however, is.. do they deserve to?

Picture courtesy: www.europeancuphistory.com

Free Kiwis

2009-03-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like our cricketers are finally getting to breathe some air:

Sachin Tendulkar can afford to sit in a roadside cafe near the Wellington city centre, Irfan Pathan can shout to his brother Yusuf from across the street to ask for his fruit juice of choice, and Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir can have lunch together at a crowded food court above the Christchurch bus terminal.

... and that would make NZ the perfect post-retirement home for all of us super popular sportstars, what say partners?

Me first, me first!! =)

2009-03-08T01:27:00.000-08:00

First things first.. wtf s with the maiden NZ century hype.. the scribes are getting so bored with the 43.. soon we ll be reading "first with a yellow grip.. first with his new helmet..".

Talking about new helmets, what is McGlashan doing on a cricket field with a baseball helmet? I am telling you, it s only a matter of time before the batsmen start taking the axemen stance and start holding the bats over their shoulder.. swinging it in the air, as they take an open stance facing the bowlers. The Yanks are ruining the game, machas! Please shake your heads in disapproval.

Yeh sabb t20 ka kiya karaaya hain, I tell you. Which brings me to the slog over bowling when Mills and Southee were batting.. t20 champions DO NOT bowl/field like that!! So much for Dhoni's promise of not taking it to the wire.. hmpf! I nearly died in those overs due to sheer nerves.

But, but.. at the end of the day.. WE WON! And coz this is an ODI, that's all that matters.

P.S. Next time, bigger grounds please.
P.P.S. Partha will write about Yuvi's exploits later. =p

Too easy!

2009-03-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Imagine this happening in a men's match!

"Tremendous! Tremendous!", as Harsha Bhogle would explode in such situations.

And I'm a bit amused by the title of the scoreboard. I also demand a ICC Hijra World Cup immediately. Cant you imagine Arundhati Roy shriek in yet another scream-and-shout rally near JNU, "What is this, if not blatant gender discrimination, to have matches only for men and women, and not the other gender!", as several pinko friends approve, much to the surprise and amusement of a few Hijre passing by.

Casabianca?

2009-03-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

Decidedly so.

IPL 2009?

2009-02-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

Domain Maximus has a prediction for IPL 2009, whatay hilarity I say!

NOOOOOOOOOO! A time warp!!!!

2009-02-18T12:43:00.001-08:00

Are my eyes cheating me??! Am I seeing a younger Harsha Bhogle here?!

Machcha's Million Dollar Baby?

2009-02-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

126.3	Taylor to Flintoff, OUT, what an inspired bowling change ... the ball keeps low, completely beating Flintoff, who is caught half forward, for pace and cleans him up comprehensively
	A Flintoff b Taylor 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Ahem!

2009-02-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

And the award goes to....

Bend it like Dias

2009-02-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Steven Dias ?

If you don't follow Indian football, I'm afraid you'll say Steven Who ?

Steven Dias is India's answer to David Beckham. Skinny and speedy, Steven plays on the Indian and Mahindra United
right flanks. Blessed with natural speed and an accurate right foot, he is indeed part of the Indian Football team
which is slowly getting noticed.
I got to watch him play at Cooperage in the Bombay derby last week against Mumbai FC. Apart from regulation crosses, he struck in a curling free kick from 35 yards which was saved by Mumbai FC goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey at full stretch. If you happen to be in Bombay, come down to Cooperage, the ticket is only 20 bucks, you get the company of fishermen, taxi drivers, gangsters and young footballers. Be sure to notice Steven Dias is his orange boots or Abhishek Yadav, India's Van Nistelrooy towering over the others :)

Funny how...

2009-02-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

...I always thought this guy was scumbag. Oh well...

Happy Budday....

2009-02-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

....Azhu Bhai, for you thrilled and entertained.

Hope trickles down from USA....

2009-02-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

...down to you know where....

"Yes WI can"
A placard held up by a West Indian fan at Sabina Park as Jerome Taylor ripped through the England top order

Source, www.cricinfo.com

2009-02-06T03:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Dhoni,

Congratulations on the series win. Very well done, Sire. I have a request.. since you are the super captain, that you are.. could you please play Balaji in the 5th ODI? He is one of my favorite bowlers.

Thank you,
SR

is it time...

2009-01-31T21:31:00.000-08:00

for number-14 or the night shall stretch on for a bit longer?
Aus Open - 2009. Men's Final. Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal.

One can't help but feel sad..

2009-01-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

...when you see the state of Pakistan cricket, they have a new captain, again, and he wants magic, already. When the hit shits the fan...

The Debut

2009-01-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

No this is not some post about some rookie's sparkling performance. Its just me and I'm here to vociferously disagree with Man City's decision to bid for Kaka for that humongous amount of over 100 million pounds.
I know Kaka is one of the most creative and effective players in the world today, but it will take more than one man to actually save a club that is nearing relegation.
Statistically they are the second top scorers, so scoring is not a problem. The defense is leaking, thats the trouble. With that sort of money, they should have maybe bid for a Shay Given or Chris Kirkland and plastered those leaks. 100 million would get you 4-5 decent players. God knows what the Sheikh from Abu Dhabi is thinking. Or maybe I'm just thinking like a miser.
Anyways I'm glad Kaka decided to stay at Milan. The harmonic balance of the beautiful game is not outdone by money.
So all is well.
PS: Gerd Muller is in Kolkata, I saw him in a East Bengal shirt :P

Hear Ye...

2009-01-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

.....Hear Ye All!

That, was a KO.. ladies and gentlemen!

2009-01-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Bye bye suckaaas!!

There is no better way to cheer the weekend to an end.. than see the Eagles kick some NY butt!!

Trivial Pursuit: Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

1. What was SRT's score when he gets run out in the ODI against SA?
2. Who was the batsman, who did -not- score the most number of first class centuries, as suggested by Option B, the restroom mirror, the computer and the very irritating Anil Kapoor?

If you can answer these two, you d find yourself with two more reasons why only an Englishman could have scripted/directed that movie.

44-6.. OWNED!

2008-12-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

TO.. who?

Herbstmeister 2008

2008-12-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

Translation (German): "Fall Champion" in the Bundesliga.

Hoffenheim is a small village north of Stuttgart, with a paltry population of four thousand people or so. Known to no one except for the Lord above and a gentleman called Dietmar Hopp, this hamlet lived most of its existence amidst a general sense of obscurity. Until the latter (who Viggu should be glad to know) decided to take its football team under his wing. Long and short of it.. it did nt exist in the national eye before this century and today the football team leads the Bundesliga in its first year.

A page torn outta a fairy tale? Sure, and some.

Dietmar Hopp is a rich man today. And unlike Allen Stanford or Vijay Mallya, he actually played the game he loves. Returning to his club, years later, a wealthy man.. the sixty-something man made smart moves in the trading circles.. while still nurturing young talent within. The "folklore" goes, he hired these players into his company.. to ensure their interest. When you are playing the fifth division, I think it helps to have a job. Each season, the team climbed up the ranks.. one at a time, almost surreally if you look at their ascent in the record books. In 2006, they hired Ralf Rangnik as their coach.. a move, well paid off.. as two years on, they burst onto the national league, after just one season in the second division. The club's pockets are pretty deep, considering the league they play in.. and yet, they have no international stars they traded in. Halfway through the season, they lead the mighty Munich, even.

Four thousand people, one village club. Herbstmeisters! Brace yourself for goose bumps if you plan to see this team play.

Badhai ho bhaisaab!

2008-12-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

I think we must take a moment, to reflect, on this special day (today).. and thank the Lord for having blessed us with the batting genius that is this man.. about three and a half decades back.

Here's to the man, the myth.. the miracle. Here's to the greatest batsman since Bantoo Singh. Cheers mate!

2008-12-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

Please.
Do.
Indulge.

I'm not sure

2008-12-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

99.3 Sharma to Anderson, no run, dropped by Dravid at slip! That was an absolute sitter, and he fluffed it, Anderson flashed a cut and thick outside edge went straight to Dravid, who crouched down and clasped at it in his lap but couldn't hold on ... after dropping a couple against Australia, watch out for all the Indian news channels baying for the poor man's blood

if I should feel relieved or sad that there are people in the media who feel bad for the way they treat this man.

Some things, never change

2008-12-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

"South Africa are a good quality team. But I'll back our boys any day. My prediction is still 3-0."
Glenn McGrath shows retirement has not changed his belief in Australia

source, www.cricinfo.com

Just a gentle reminder that...

2008-12-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

...one need not only do this, there are other strokes too. This time, lassi, malai maarke! =)

Some times news snippets...

2008-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

....like this one, makes you delve deeeeep into your past cricket viewing memories, when you believed you were still a kid. You go, "Tinu Yohannan, ummm...really? Am I that old?".

Avar Budddy Freddie...

2008-11-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

....is all praise of Indian cricket team these days. It is something really disturbing, with the wealth flowing back to India, the English are eying us again. Very worrying indeed.

amongst other delightful things, cricket makes lines like these possible...

2008-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

“Cricket's capacity to shoot itself in the foot knows no bounds and the farcical end to the third One-Day International here on Thursday was another example of rules and regulations holding sway over the interests of spectators and simple common sense.”
– Daily Mail

"Appoint an umpire called Tiffin to a match involving India and England and it is to be expected that he comes over all 'old colonial' and stops for tea at 4.30,"
- The Guardian

They are of course in reference to the India vs England 3rd ODI in Kanpur. The bad light and subsequently the match being awarded to India, courtesy DL method.

.. now I cannot let it slide the second time! 0=)

2008-11-17T04:22:00.000-08:00

Dude,

Two words, no.. let's make it three this time.. Singh ij King!

Regards,
The-one-who-told-you-so.

.. and we slip further

2008-11-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

and further, spiraling down the orifice.

Another reason, why RM prolly will crash and burn this season.

Pontifications

2008-11-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

"I still feel the decisions I made weren't negative at all," Ponting said on arriving at Sydney Airport last night. "I am very comfortable with the decisions that I made. I will continue to be a ruthless captain and a ruthless player."

and then...

"Where is the guarantee we would have won the Test?" he asked. "The thing that's astounding to me, how wasn't I ruthless in the overs leading up to that? At some stage during play that day I was going to have to use spin bowlers."

Your Prediction?

2008-11-09T23:18:00.000-08:00

Current time: 12:49 local, 07:19 GMT

India 441 & 295 - Australia 355 & 156/5

2-0 ?
1-0 ?
Your Prediction?

Stumped

2008-11-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

Following is an excerpt from this blog by V. Ramnarayan. It's a really nice blog, filled with anecdotes.

" "Kya bole?" (What did you say)? Abid is credited with asking this classic question of Viswanath, when they met three quarters of the way down the pitch, with GRV rooted to the spot and repeatedly shouting "No!" at the top of his voice, and Abid still charging down regardless for a run. This no doubt apocryphal story of an incident in a Test match was told with much relish by the Karnataka batsman, at the expense of the Hyderabad all rounder, who had a reputation for getting mixed up in run outs. Abid Ali was about twice as swift between wickets as most other batsmen and was always on the lookout for quick singles. He was more than once stumped off the first ball he faced, because he had taken off for a single even before playing the ball."

Of players beyond punchlines, and dimensions lost to success.

2008-11-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

There was a point in the middle of the day, when I wondered.. what if he was at the wicket today. And I was reminded of him often throughout this series.

There are certain players who are more than just a passing whiff of greatness. There are some who threaten to kill their own legend. Some who are unaware, and some.. weary. Some exist today, but most lived yesterday. I think its easy to dub a player great, a very generous adjective handed out in cricket, once he ceases to play the game, for it gives one a dimension named perspective to brood on.

Quite a lotta obituaries are being written on the demise of Aussie supremacy - premature and inaccurate, in my opinion. I feel they could all be turned on their heads once the pace bowler returns to form and the wandering all-rounder is hushed into the wings. Among other things, this tour would at least put things into perspective, for Australian cricket.

But I think we forget the fact that their board chose to not play a playmaker on disciplinary grounds. They chose to blood a spinner into their Test team, at an age unheard of, for our debutants. I think we forget that they have a media as bad ours, breathing down their neck. I think we forget they were not the ones in Sri Lanka a few months back. I think we forget, they made the tough decisions, we would n't.

Its easy to forget things, when you are winning. As easy, as it is to remember great players when they are not around.

But let's not forget, it is a great cricket nation, theirs. They play well. They play hard. They are still here, and they will survive (on top).

And we will hate them. Again.

Addendum: It has been brought to the notice of the author that ow(u)r Flintoff babu has endorsed the Indian cricket team as the best in the world. And, there is no one, no one in this world who can contest ow(u)r Freddie. This article is hereby dubbed void. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Something's wrong with my screen?

2008-11-07T02:08:00.000-08:00

Oh, wait.. it just happened again..

No, I think there's something wrong with the screen. Surely.

It's days like these that you should be on a vacation.. in Nagpur.

2008-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a highly distracting day at work, for me. So I think I will just push it to the brink by toasting to the #40. Here, here. Cheers.

To write about a test match on its first day is tempting fate, but I am willing, today. For these are romantic days in Indian cricket. And this is a special test match. It pledged history even before the first ball was bowled. So every word which shall follow will hop around cliches.

And I hasten to write this, before Saurav gets carried away on a featherbed of a pitch in his last test match, and do something characteristic. There was a great piece on cricinfo about Dada today. Many more crafted articles will be written in the next few days on India's most charismatic captain. We shall wait. And read.

...

In principle, I also wanted to write about the debutant opener, the man I never heard of, before this week, for I do not follow the Indian domestic circuit as religiously as the people who should, do. Thankfully. But the story was so dramatic, that I could nt help be strangely glad for a young man who just saw his dream take flesh while still catching up with its realization. It is a great story, and there have been many before. And more will follow, surely. But each is special in its own right.

To earn the spot to play for that one team.

To look around and find yourself in a room full of strangers you knew all your waking life. To walk out to a slap on your back from a great man who has seen many a summer in whites. To stand at one end of the wicket and wonder if you are going to die. A moment of isolation. A realization. And that one long breath, like its gonna be your last.

It must have been special.

"We are going with M Vijay," his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said. "He will open the innings."

Oh. Fuck!

They say he did well. But that is almost inconsequential in this story. For the moment. For the day. For today is the only day he would have been forgiven if had got a naught, even. For he lived out a dream today, one that little kids with gaping mouths have.. sitting on their floor four feet away from the 12"er, squinting their eyes.. wondering why grown men cry.

He became an Indian national cricketer. Today.

"We are going with M Vijay," his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said. "He will open the innings."

...

Er, that's what he said.

200*

scrape through, tie wow, shock loss and thrill win

Hamburg, Germany

Resistance to change?

So today..

Angst

This weekend..

No no no..

Long time

Be different man, be cool

mind games

World T20..

not yet sold on the idea of Twitter?

#EPIC

youtube #FAIL

There's a man.. called Bhogle..

Campos Meta

The National Sport !

all rise

The heavens aren't going to fall if that happens.

1st ODI, Jaipur

Oh yea.. we love this sport alrite!

Now..

In the "unlikely" event that you'd be disgusted at the conclusion of the 1st Test in Nagpur..

At the risk of jinxing it..

Well.. hello Mr.Pandey!

Remembering Curtly

The Comeback!

About time..

Finally

Alas, poor Dravid

I guess the key part of it all is:

"He doesn't seem to mind, but I do."

I had to look this country up..

Now now.. here..

That Russian Player

Oh, what the fuck!

Dedh Dimaak?

David Shepherd is no more

its not jst abt lingo-chaa

*Bump*

Is this what we love about sport?

Truth be told

T20 Champions

Zing Zing!

Welcome the latest Madridista!

French Open '09

IPL

The neverending summer and the welcome drizzle

It's a..

Still not catching up.

Thank you Mr. Tony Grieg....

Retribution at last....

Klarstellung bitte

Ha Ha!

Zing Zing!

Ross o' Ross!

We are outsourcing! Howzzat Mr.Friedman!

Another win (play a Red Sparowes song)

Tongue in cheek?

The travelling goon

Elsewhere in the world..

Oy! Teri maaki...

OT, meet Jose..

I believe (?)

Free Kiwis

Me first, me first!! =)

Too easy!

Casabianca?

IPL 2009?

NOOOOOOOOOO! A time warp!!!!

Machcha's Million Dollar Baby?

Ahem!

Bend it like Dias

Funny how...

Happy Budday....

Hope trickles down from USA....

is it time...

One can't help but feel sad..

The Debut

Bump