Speculations on Yuvinspiration !

Yograj: His Son's Father !

Has Yuveraj Singh's father spilled the beans ? Or is he as clueless as we are ? It is common knowledge in Indian Cricket that everyone wants to say, "Thank You Sachin" ! So I don't really think we have to buy this. But we are too impatient to wait for the thing to come from the horse's mouth.

Hence we thought it was time for Doctoring the Balls. Some investigations into this You-We-Inspiration needed. So went Dr. Ball Subramaniam [Dr. Balls for short] to do some research on Yuvinspiration. He met some possible candidates. And here is his report.

What Yograj Singh didn't mention when Dr. Balls met him, "Well, I have bloody tortured, terrorized and trained the lad. There can be only one inspiration and that is ME, Yograj Singh, the 'Baap' of Yuveraj Singh. I am a very modest man you see and that is why I prefer to say "Thank You Sachin" !

So here we go...

Roy of Inspiration ?

Dr. Balls: Mr. Roy, are you the man who has inspired Yuvi to fire ? After all that happened in IPL-3, he was sulking, lost form and was at the lowest ebb of his morale. It was you who stood by him. You were the only "Sahara" in whole of India for him. We think it has to be YOU !

Subrata Roy: Well of course, everyone has inspired Yuvi. He is a great guy. It should not be considered as a jab if I say he was let down by Punjab. Yuvi is a precious gem and we needed him and we got him. If he thinks I am his inspiration, I am honored. But for me, Yuvi is the inspiration. India will win the World Cup this time and our team will win the IPL-4 under Yuvi's dynamic leadership.

Next...

Inventor of The Pallu Scoop !

Dr. Balls: Ma'am, you have been his strength and have brought him up through 'Thin and Thick". We have reasons to believe YOU are the person Yuvi has drawn inspiration. In this 'Reincarnation of Yuveraj Singh', you are the Mother India !

Shabnam Singh: Yuvi is a great boy. He has drawn inspiration from many people including Sachin and Saurav. I have only told him not to take inspiration from his father. I have been a devoted mother. I have taught him only one shot, 'The Pallu Scoop'. It isn't true that Dilshan invented it. I did. Yuvi thinks that is a 'Girls' shot and being the 'Man' he is, he doesn't like to play that. Otherwise my boy is a fantastic son. He has become 'So Big' today solely because of his own efforts, hard work and talent. I am blessed to be his mother. If he thinks I am his inspiration, he is being nice to his mother and all mothers. I wish they win the World Cup this time.

Next...

Dada of his boys !

 Dr. Balls: Dada, you had written a letter to Yuvi when you were Captain and he was out of form and out of team. There are reasons to believe you could have done it again. Are you the man who has 'lifted' Yuvi ?

Saurav: See, nobody lifts Yuvi, especially these days. He is his own man. I might have written a letter to him long ago. But I also wrote letters to Agarkar, Kartik and many others. They didn't respond. I don't want to spoil the party by telling you if I have written to Yuvi or not. Let them go all the way. I have never stolen the limelight from my team-mates. And I am proud of my boys, Viru, Yuvi, Zaks, Bhajji and all of them. But I would prefer him to disclose the name after winning the finals. We went a long way in 2003. I want this team to go one step further. All the best to Yuvi, Mahi and all of them.

Next...

Anchal me kya hai ?

Dr. Balls: Ms. Kumar, are you the inspiration of Yuvi the match winner ? Are you the one who has made him so determined ? Is it "Love ke liye kuch bhi karega" ?

Anchal Kumar: See, first thing first ! We are just good friends. In fact Family Friends ! So there is no question of my having an affair with Yuvi. And he is younger to me too. I have seen him grow up. I am happy he is doing well now. I don't think I am his inspiration, but if my friendship has inspired him I'd be proud. I wish the team all the best. They should win the World Cup this time.

Next...

The Smile that Launched a Million Runs !

Dr. Balls: Sachin, an entire nation has taken inspiration from you. Now everyone is eager to know who is the mysterious inspiration in Yuvi's life. Yuvi's father believes it is YOU. What do you think ?

Sachin: Well, he called me 'Grandpa' and inspired me to score a Double century in one day Cricket. I haven't called him any names in public even though I threatened to do so. That was all in good spirit. I really don't know if I have inspired him or anyone. But it is nice to be of inspiration to someone. To know who is his inspiration, you should ask Yuveraj and not me. But I think you should wait till he decides to tell. Now let him concentrate on the game. I just hope he keeps performing and everyone performs well and we manage to win the World Cup.

Thank You Sachin !


SPun Doctor
Also blogs @ http://diehardcricketfans.org/category/contributed/govind-raj-shenoy/

Munaf Patel for Captain : Let the Helicopter Fly !

Cricket is all about skills. Multiple levels of skills. Batting, Bowling, Fielding. It also involves the cerebral, like strategizing, planning and of course execution.

I don't know what were the plans and strategies Team India had deployed when they played Australia. Most things they did went well and some things the Aussies did, did not. The luck factor too was more often with the Indians except the coin.

Virendar Sehwag's shoulder and knee and Gautam Gambhir's suicidal mania apart, Team India gave more or less 100%. All the 10 'Players' in the team did their best. And then there was Munaf Patel. What is he doing in the team ? I have harped on this before, but let us take one more look.

Except Bangladesh defending 370, he's never threatened to take a wicket any time.
He has gone for over 6 an over after the first match. 5 wickets for 268 in 44 overs.
Most of these wickets have come at the end of an expensive over.
Twice out of two chances to bowl at death, he has been whacked by tail-enders.
He is an Opening bowler who seldom opens the bowling these days.
Bowls no Yorker, no bouncer and can't reverse the ball even if Dhoni were to bite it.
He is the only 'fast bowler' who is consistent. He consistently bowls length balls at death.
After Abey Kuruvilla, Munaf has inherited the mantle of 'Slowest Fast Bowler' on earth.
Ashwin and Pathan have bowled more during Power plays than Munaf.
He was taken to the cleaners by Haddin and Ponting while others toiled.
He hasn't completed his quota of 10 overs in the last 5 matches.
He inspires confidence in Dhoni. Sachin bowled at death and did better.
Fielding has fluctuated between pathetic to comic, never threatening to improve.
His visits to the batting crease have been 'blink and you miss' guest appearances.

With all these 'Qualifications', how does he manage to continue in the team ?

Here are the possibilities...

India want to fool the opponents by creating some false sense of well being.
He is some kind of a lucky mascot for the highly superstitious Indians.
The Captain doesn't have confidence in the available alternatives.
The Team believes he can deliver in crunch situations.

But none of these are good enough reasons to keep him in the team. Yusuf Pathan has bowled 35 overs [mostly during power plays] and gone for 167 runs at 4.77 though wickets have eluded him. So it would be a better option to go ahead with Yusuf purely as a bowler. Whatever runs he scores and all the fielding he does are all bonus.

So who should be playing against Pakistan ? Let us take a Man vs Man look at our next opponents.

Pit Munaf against Umar Gul. Oh, forget it. Pit him against rookie Wahab, still not a match. Pit him against the slower Abdul Razack and Munaf comes across as useless. If Pakistan manage to beat India at Mohali, the difference will be Munaf Patel.

So if the 'Think Tank' still thinks Munaf should play, please do us a favor...

Dhoni has been burdened by Captaincy. His batting has suffered and the Helicopter isn't flying. So relieve him of Captaincy. Make Munaf Patel the Captain. He will be true to himself and as usual do nothing. The Team can take care of itself and let the Helicopter fly !

Enough is Munaf !




SPun Doctor
Also blogs @ http://diehardcricketfans.org/category/contributed/govind-raj-shenoy/

Good Bye to a Bloody Mean Champion Cricketer !

A young friend of mine tweeted after tonight's match...
Australia meet West Indies... at the Airport !

That was funny and a lot of people are rejoicing the fall of a Champion.
Let Australia sulk. Stronger or weaker, they will come back.
But there was one man who went out tonight perhaps for the last time in a World Cup.

I never liked Ponting. His earliest claim to fame was on a juniors tour of India when he flayed all the junior Indian bowlers. Many of them never played senior Cricket. Then he made more news for pub brawls than for his on field exploits. Ever since he made his debut, I had a special dislike for him.

I disliked Ponting because...

He had the best team playing with him or under him through most of his career.
He blasted India in the 2003 World Cup Final and that scar can't heal. Not even after this win.
He had Shane Warne and Glen McGrath giving him wickets whenever he wanted.
He was the most prolific scorer in the new millennium and not Sachin.
He almost threatened to overtake Sachin at one time and break most of his records.
He had three World Cups in his kitty and two of them as as Captain.
But most importantly, he had never lost a World Cup match as a Captain.

I hated Ponting because...

He had transgressed the spirit of Cricket more often than anyone could care to remember.
But he somehow escaped with much lighter punishment than others, especially Asians.
He lead from the front all the unholy activity during the infamous Sydney Test in 2008.
Forget walking, he regularly contested Umpiring decisions and mostly escaped Scott free.
And most importantly for never walking but expecting opponents to 'walk' !

There can be a million reasons to dislike Ponting and hate Ponting.
But he was a Genius without a doubt. A flawed Genius if there is one.

For one who had not lost a single World Cup match and had overseen annihilation of all the 3 South Asian Teams in 3 successive World Cup Finals, Ponting went out against 3 South Asian Teams. He couldn't beat any one of them this time.

Sri Lanka were in a very good position before the rains intervened.
Pakistan gave Ponting the first taste of World Cup defeat in a dozen years.
And India knocked him and his team out of the World Cup tonight.

He was under pressure from all corners. For the LCD episode. For the Steve Smith episode. For not walking. For talking. And for being Ricky Ponting ! But what a way to go. He was out of form for longer than even Rahul Dravid. Boy, did he choose a match to strike form ? He couldn't have done anything more or better. He and his team just ran into a slightly better team on the day.

Ricky Ponting has tormented Indians for so long and so badly, it is a relief to see him walk away into sunset or to hell.

But before that, let us say gracefully...

He was such a bloody mean Champion Cricketer !

And he went out with his head held high !

Good bye Ponting !



SPun Doctor
Also blogs @ http://diehardcricketfans.org/category/contributed/govind-raj-shenoy/

WTF - The Pressure is always on India !

Before India - England group match, Strauss said, "The Pressure is on India. They are playing at home". England tied a match they should have lost first and then won easily. Both teams choked and out-choked each other for a tie.

Smith was quoted, "It is a big match. The Pressure is on Indians. We are coming from a series win against them. They are playing at home and that can act against them". South Africa came back strongly from a lashing and restricted India. But then choked in the middle and would have lost but for some luck towards end.

Smith said during the series prior played on South African grounds, "The Pressure is on India. They are known to be susceptible on fast and bouncy pitches. We will go all out at them". India tied the Test series 1-1. Won the T-20 and lost the ODI series 3-2 with a depleted team.

Sammy said, "We will target the chinks in the Indian batting. We will go all out for a win. The Pressure is on Indians". Chasing 269 for a win, West Indies collapsed from 153 / 2 and lost by 80 runs.

Even minnows love to have a go at India. Shakib al Hassan said, "We won against them the last time. So the Pressure is on the Indians". Viru and Virat plastered Bangladesh bowlers and India cantered home in spite of an off color bowling.

We have seen almost all Captains playing against India coming up with almost same pre-match / pre-series quotes. So much so, Saurav Ganguly once said, "Yes, the Pressure is always on us. When we play at home, the Pressure is on us because we are playing in front of huge huge crowds with huge expectations. When we play away from home, the Pressure is on us because we are playing on fast tracks and in alien conditions. I would like to know when the Pressure is on others !"

If India lose, everyone can say, "We said so. Didn't we ?"

When India manage to win at home in spite of all this unbearable Pressure; they say, "Well, they always play well at home and are a formidable team in these conditions".

And when India manage to win abroad against all odds and in spite of all the Pressure; what do we get to hear... ?
"Well, they did play well. We could have done with a little bit of luck here and there"
"We didn't play up to our potential"
"Well, it is tough, we let ourselves down"
"A few decisions too went against us"
"We just had one bad session and lost the match"
"We had a bad day in the office. We will come back hard"
"Well, nothing went according to our plans. But we will work out strategies to hit back"

Why is it that 'The Pressure" is always on India ? WTF ?

And today, Australia believe the 'Pressure' is on India. Because there are a lot of expectations and they are playing at home...



SPun Doctor
Also blogs @
http://diehardcricketfans.org/category/contributed/govind-raj-shenoy/

Pricky Apologies and other World Cup Trivia, Part-3

After a lot of those Trivia, we have finally entered the Knockout stage of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. There was some Cricket, a lot of action, minnows, reverse swing, collapses, drama, choking and then Shoaib Akhtar. So here is a little ruminating on the action so far. 

Lost and Found [Theme] Team: A Gayle-less and KRoach-less West Indies 'Lost' to India and 'Found' an allegedly easier Quarterfinal match with Pakistan.

Moral of the story: Some teams still fear Australia !

A shitting Farewell: Steve Tikolo, arguably the Greatest African batsman outside South Africa was given a typical farewell by his team. They showed him how they have depended on him all these years and how he will be missed. He looked like 'Budhdha' and always had a saintly calm about him. His records never did justice to his talent.

Budhdha Smiling !

Astralialogers Day: An eminent Astrologer in India predicted an India - Australia Final. Well, he probably meant "A Final before Final" ! 5 people predicted 5 different things without a single winner. Ass-trology sucks big time.

Clutching at the last Strauss: England did a Houdini to enter the Quarterfinals with the distinction of being the team that beat teams above them in Test Rankings and lost to teams below them and then tied with the No. 1 ranked team. West Indies as usual bucked the trend.

PRicky Apologies: Australian Captain has 'apologized' in advance to no one in particular. He will give the reasons for his apology during the press conference after the India - Australia Quarterfinal. The honored recipient of his apology too will be declared on that day.

Birds of the same leather: Steven Smith and Munaf Patel have more than some things in common. Both are supposed to be bowlers, but have not completed their quota of 10 overs in living memory. Both are forgotten by their Captains when the white leather cherry has to be used for some effect. And both are in their respective teams with no specific roles.

Survival of the un-fittest: Munaf Patel also is the 'Greatest survivor'. He twice went for too many at death. A number 10 batsman hit Patel over the top facing his first ball in the world cup. He neither has a yorker nor a bouncer. Reverse swing is Latin. He is an opening bowler who seldom opens. Took a catch to avoid getting smashed in his face by the ball. Fitness at best can be compared to that of Ranatunga [No Idea how fit he is today]. And he continues to play for India !

MOM Player of the First Round: From being dropped for Raina, Yuvi has come a long way to rain runs and wickets. Though fitness still appears to be below par, Yuvi is throwing his weight around and in the right places. He has more MOMs than anyone else [Man Of the Match awards I mean] this time.

Most Exciting World Cup Debut: Kohli Viratified himself as a Class act with a century on debut. Devendra Bishoo has definitely impressed. Rampaul took a five for. But the most exciting Debutant is Tahir Imran. No explanations deemed necessary.

Most Under-rated Player: Umar Gul has bowled probably the best except for one match. He has swung the new ball and the old ball in almost all conditions. Take him out and Pakistan would struggle. But so far we have heard noise about Afridi, Sehwag, Sachin, Taylor, Roach, Malinga and even Ashwin.

One Man Army: Ever since the days of Kumble, India have remained a 'One Man Bowling Army'. Thanks to Ashwin, now they have two and a half bowlers in a 'One Man Army' that is Zaheer Khan.

Most Improved Player: Kakmal hasn't dropped anything since that fateful match against the Kiwis. That is an improvement unlikely to be improved upon.

Contenders, nay Pretenders: Bangladesh punched above their might to beat England. But their bowling was exposed by Sehwag and Kohli and batting by KRoach and Tsotsobe. They would do well to be realistic about their chances. One series win against a reluctant New Zealand doesn't make them contenders. They still remain what they are; Pretenders.

Giant Minnows of the Cup: Ireland stood tall throughout. They chased down 300 twice [Only team so far to do so]. Different people have stood up on different occasions. Stirling, O'Brien brothers, Dockrell, Porterfield, Cusack, Johnston and Wilson made it a memorable world cup. Hats off. They should break into Test league soon.

Fodder of all Collapses: India collapsed twice. Pakistan collapsed against New Zealand. England Collapsed against anyone they liked. Australia collapsed against Pakistan. New Zealand collapsed against Sri Lanka. Collapses were collapsing all over. But the fodder of all collapses was when South Africa collapsed against England chasing 172. They collapsed twice in the same innings !

Tell-Tail signs of the World Cup: Ravichandran Ashwin has scored more runs in one innings than all the runs scored by Bhajji, Zaheer, Nehra, Munaf and Chawla in all the matches put together. Indian tail appears to be ever ready to 'Curtail' !

Walk for the Heart: After watching the inevitable collapses following his fall, Tendulkar is a 'Heart-broken' man. Hence he 'walked' against the West Indies, because the Doctors say walking is good for the heart. Dr. Hayden should advise a certain Mr. Ponting to walk once in a while. He badly needs to walk, at least after the Umpire has ruled him out.

A-shock-ing Decision: There was Bucknor, there was Hair and there still is Bowden. But the most shockingly incompetent Umpire on the 'Elite' panel must be Ashock De Silva. It doesn't get any worse. We hope not to see any 'Silva' line in the cloud during knockouts.

Gesture to Cherish: Pakistan's continued support of KAkmal. Like it or not, once you are in a team, the team has to stand behind the player facing a rough patch. Dhoni would do well to learn a lesson regarding Sreesanth. Kakmal has already lost more matches for Pakistan than any player ever could manage in a lifetime.

This story again has grown like India's power play woes. So, let me curtail this here like Steyn did to Indian tail. Hope to be back with more Trivia. Cricket will never run out of Trivia like Murali with his tricks !

SPun Doctor

Kakmal, Super Moon and other World Cup Trivia, Part 2

If there is a Part-1, there has to be sequel. So I had to come with Part-2 to "Yuckmal and other World Cup Trivia". Who else could have inspired this post other than the Akmals ? So here we go again...

Please Read the post at "DieHard Cricket Fans"


SPun Doctor

No Pace = No Peace !

My last post was my most serious ever. That emanated from the fact that I am depressed with the way Team India have struggled during this cup. But looking back, I gave India no chances of winning at all.

From the day Munaf got that Man of the Match award in South Africa, I knew India were doomed. Why do I believe so ? Just look at our opponents from that series. South Africa are playing this cup without the man who got more wickets and bowled much better than Munaf during the same match and the same series.

Why do I dislike Munaf Patel ? As much as the Team members, Captain and Selectors repose faith in him, I strongly believe Munaf is not the guy we need in our campaign if we want to win. And why do I 'believe' so ? Let us look at Munaf's repertory.

What He is: Decent line and length bowler. Can keep it in the corridor with the new ball.
What He ain't: At best a trundler. No Pace. No Yorker. No Bouncer. Not much Reverse Swing. Regularly bowls length balls at death. Can't run to save his own life or that of his wife. Batting is a single digit lottery; you win once in one million chances.

How can India depend on a bowler who depends upon the pressure created at the other end or by huge scores to survive ? He has got 9 wickets to his credit so far. But at what cost ? Except the Bangladesh match, he has consistently gone for runs when it mattered the most. People remember Nehra went for 13 runs in the last over. But they have forgotten Munaf went for 14 in the 48th over against Saffers. He also bowled a pathetic last over against England.

Unfortunately the wise men in the garbs of Selectors left Team India with no other options. Dhoni's zeal for Piyush Chawla is tough to understand. That boy hasn't played any meaningful ODI Cricket for ages. The selectors should have known with the "Handle with Care" tag that both Ashish and Zaheer come, we should have had one more Pacer in the 15 member army.

Piyush Chawla will go down in the history as the costliest blunder ever by a bunch of Selectors. I am not being wise in retrospection. I have from the beginning believed Nehra, Munaf and Piyush were misfits and said so.

We are now facing a possibility of a second successive first round exit at the World Cup. Many people believe India have already qualified for the Quarters. But that is far from true. There are so many possibilities.

Imagine England beat West Indies by a big margin tonight. West Indies then rout India on Sunday, again with a big margin. And Bangladesh upset Saffers, India will probably be pipped to the post by England. How do we like that ? Though there are a lot of ifs, it isn't impossible.

And if that happens, we needn't worry about our combination for the next round. Our highest paid players can straightaway start preparations for IPL-4. There is some relief. Only an Indian Team will win IPL, come what may !

What is the Carry Home message ?

Australia have Lee, Johnson and Tait; all doing well.
Saffers have Steyn and Morkel, the best pair in the business today.
England have a ready Pace replacement for every Pace bowler that gets injured.
Pakistan have Aqthar, Gul and Riaz and a factory of Fast bowlers.
Sri Lanka have Malinga and a bunch of disciplined medium pacers.
West Indies have Roach, Russel and a number of support bowlers.
New Zealand have Southee, Mills, Franklin and many slow medium pacers.

What do India have ?

Zaheer Khan !

Don't even mention Nehra and Munaf. We already have seen them, discussed them and done with. Sreesanth ? He doesn't have the confidence of his own Captain.

So the situation is simple...

No Pace = No Peace !

That is "The End" !



SPun Doctor

Victory has many Fathers; Let them all be !

Victory has many Fathers; Let them all be !

Disclaimer: This is my most serious post ever. I have never been so serious. No, not even while I was waiting for my daughter's arrival through a complicated Cesarean section 12 seasons ago. I am so very dead serious because I am seeing a good chance of winning 'A Cup for Mr. Tendulkar' is going up in smoke thanks to a few rectifiable factors. So I am making a serious attempt to find a way of of the mess.

I have often been accused of trivializing the serious issues with my mirth. It hurts but what else can one do when the team one adores continues to play like idiots when it matters the most.

Let us take stock. India are No. 1 side in Tests and No. 2 in ODI format. They won the T-20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 when none expected them to. They white-washed New Zealand recently with an under strength team. They also played pretty well without the bigwigs in the recently concluded ODI series in South Africa before going down 3-2.

But what happens to India when an ICC event comes up ? It perhaps isn't Team India that turns up. It must be some other team. You, Me and Hum don't know this team. This is my inference. Why do I think so ? Let us understand what is happening. 

Captain not so Cool 

Why does the Cool go Captain Fool during ICC events. His fixation with certain players and dislike for some others has cost us dear. It was His Highness Ravindra Jadeja during the T-20 World Cup. It happens to be Piyush Chawla and Munaf Patel this time.

Why does Dhoni want Munaf to bowl at death ? It invariably means instant death for the team. Munaf doesn't have the pace. He can't reverse swing and he bowled his last yorker about 9 years ago and that too accidentally. 

Batting Disorder 

Dhoni also is experimenting too much with the batting line up. It is fine if and when it works. But we saw it went wrong not once, not twice but thrice. Why do you want to upset the rhythm ? Well, Dhoni should know better. Both Virat and Yusuf stand undermined in confidence. If we want to win from here, Virat should bat higher and that means higher than Gautam.

Gambhir is capable of switching gears quicker. Hence he should be made to understand the importance of batting at No. 4. Yusuf should never bat before Yuveraj. He perhaps gets complacent when he knows there still are Dhoni, Yuvi and Virat in the pavilion waiting to bat. Best of Yusuf has come when he has batted with back to the wall with only the tail to follow. Let him carry on with his brand of Cricket.

Power Play Problems 

Time and again, things have fallen apart during the Batting Power Play. This happened in the 5th ODI in the South Africa series. Yusuf Pathan was indulging in savage hitting with a spread out field scoring 8 -10 runs an over without breaking much sweat. Then they took BPP and Yusuf fell promptly. India collapsed against England and then were decimated by South Africa. Why is it so happening ?

The answer is simple. We have a batting line up full of gigantic Egos. Left alone, they have the capabilities to clear any ground in the world. When the batting power play comes into action, somehow our boys think they have to hit every ball and score may be 100 runs from those 5 overs. And thus we end up getting all out from unbelievable positions.

So what do we do ? Simple again. Tell the boys, "Never bother about the Batting Power plays. When you have wickets in hands, runs will come. Don't throw your wicket." Sehwag and Pathan can be excused to a little extent for being impetuous but not others. Against England, Yuveraj and Dhoni got out in back to back overs playing injudicious shots and India were bowled out for at least 20 - 25 runs short of what would have been. Against South Africa, Sachin and Gambhir fell in back to back overs and that turned the tide. 

Reverse Swing 

Like it or not, Asian teams did well with reverse swing in the past. But now, all other teams have picked up and are in fact doing better. Taking BPP once the ball starts to reverse has proved counter productive. Even England lost the plot against India during BPP against Zaheer Khan's reverse swing.

What is the solution ? Take BPP earlier. If we have wickets in hands with batsmen in good nick, take BPP soon after the 15 overs. Then play those overs just like the first 15 overs. What are the benefits ?

1] Sachin / Sehwag or Sachin / Gambhir or Sehwag / Gambhir or Gambhir / Kohli pair can manage to score about 30 - 35 or even 40 runs from these overs without much risk. The wickets will be in hand for the final assault.

2] When the ball reverses, we are not compelled to take BPP. The opponents will not be risking close in fielders to prevent singles during this period even if the ball is reversing. This gives an option for settled batsmen to rotate strike and strike big when you get an opportunity. Four singles and a boundary can still get you 40 runs from 5 overs between overs 41 and 45. But with lesser batsmen at the crease, bowlers like Steyn and Malinga can become lethal. So earlier they play the BPP, better it will be.

3] 2 overs each lesser from bowlers like Steyn, Malinga or Gul during the death means that much lesser problem. Fast bowlers and reverse swing will not be so lethal without the field support and when in form top order batsmen at the crease. This is what happened when Ross Taylor caned the Pakistan bowling. 

Middle Over Crisis 

Like the middle age crisis, Team India faces middle over crisis. Sachin and Gambhir inexplicably slowed down during middle overs. It isn't possible to bat in fifth gear all the time. But keep it in fourth or at least third during middle overs. When a run rate of 8.5 RPO drops to just about 6.5 during middle overs, it allows the opponents to regroup. Allows lesser bowlers to squeeze in a lot of overs. And thus we end up with a lot lesser runs than what could have been. 

Team > Individual Milestones

 The 'Mantra' should be to keep the runs trickling. Personal milestones should have no roles and only the interest of team should matter. It was annoying to see Yusuf Pathan's generosity when he slowed down to allow Yuveraj to reach his 50 against Ireland. Just imagine if India get knocked out of the tourney in a tight tie for fourth place with England. It will be remembered that India lost the cup in a bid to give one of their players a World Cup record. Duminy will tell us that is not done by South Africans. 

Bowling Woes 

As of now we are unlikely to find a drastic solution. I was right from the beginning criticizing the selection of Nehra, Munaf and Chawla. I would have preferred any three from Irfan Pathan, R P Singh, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha and Sreesanth.

The troika I mentioned bring down the stock of the team thanks also to their fielding and absolute lack of batting. Whatever might have been his problems in longer version of Cricket, Irfan has done well in shorter formats and is a wicket taking bowler. Praveen Kumar is a loss, but he isn't exactly a Steyn or Malinga.

No use crying over split milk. What can we do with the available stock ? Bring back Sreesanth and give him some confidence. The Captain needs to back all his players. Not the selected ones like Chawla. Bring in Ashwin. He is a wicket taking bowler and can bowl at death or slog. Forget about bowling becoming one-dimensional. It is not. Bhajji and Ashwin are totally different bowlers and Pathan is the non-spinner who keeps things tight.

Squeeze in 10 - 12 overs from Yusuf and Yuveraj but keep faith in main bowlers. Sreesanth and not Zaheer is the best exponent of reverse swing in India. Bowl him in 4 spells of 3, 3, 2 and 2 overs like Steyn does. He just needs some support. Can we expect that from Dhoni ? 

Fielding the Best 11 

Well, they showed some commitment while fielding against Saffers. If we keep Munaf and Nehra out, one third of the fielding woes are solved. Shield Bhajji from mid-off and mid-on. Keep Sachin in the Third man and Bhajji in the mid-wicket / square leg. Zaheer is another slow mover who can be shielded in the fine-leg. Virat at point adds to the pressure. And we can frequently bring in Raina to cover up for slow movers.

So finally I would go in with...

Sehwag
Sachin
Kohli
Gambhir
Yuveraj
Dhoni
Yusuf
Bhajji
Ashwin
Zaheer
Sreesanth

If we still don't win, we will have two new scape-goats: Sreesanth and Ashwin. Makes no difference. Let them be !

If we go onto win... Victory has many fathers; let them all be !


SPun Doctor

Saffer ke baad Geet : A Musical Tribute to Team India !

After the Saffer debacle on Saturday, a lot of Indians are furious. Unjustified and justified depending upon why one is angry. The Team has suffered a defeat to Saffers in the Safar of this World Cup. But are we justified in castigating them ? No and Yes !

NO: If one is angry simply because India lost, that is not justified. It was just a game and a close one at that.

YES: If you are angry at the semantics after the match, that is reason to be angry with Dhoni and Co; Dhoni especially.

Hum Honge Kaamyaab Ek Din !

Here is an interesting post on BCC!. From here, one thing lead to another and I have dedicated songs to all our Players. 

This was inspired by my friend Balram Cheruparambil. He started with dedication on Facebook. I have made some changes from his original status according to my choice. But I am indebted to Balu for the inspiration.

So here we go as we sing along for the sake of Team India !

Sehwag: Aaj mai Upar, Aasmaan neeche, Aaj mai aage zamaana hai peeche !

[He is right now at the top of the heap and is busy with Upar Cut]

Sachin: Duniya me hum aaye hain toh jeena hi padega !

[How long and how much can he endure ?]

Gambhir: Mai Zindagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya !

[One who goes along the tide]

Virat Kohli: Ek, Do, Teen, Chaar, Paanch, Che, Saat, Aat, Nau, Dus, Gyaaraa, Baaraa, Tera !

[He doesn't know which is his number in the batting order]

Yuveraj: Saree Duniya Ka Bojh Hum Uthate Hain !

[Bat, bowl, field and then carry his weight. He is doing everything]

Dhoni: Hum Bolega toh Bologe ki Bolta hai !

[He talks, people say he is talking. He doesn't talk, people say, look he has nothing to say]

Pathan: Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna ab hamaare dil me hai !

[He walks to the Crease with a desire to be martyred]

Raina: Gardish me ho Taare, na ghabraana pyaare !

[His stock might be low, but not his spirit]

Bhajji: Mujhko dekhoge jahaan tak, mujhko paaoge wahaan tak, Raaston se Carvan tak, iss zameen se aasmaan tak, mai hi mai hoon, mai hi mai hoon "Doosra" koi nahin !

[He is stressing to Dhoni about his stature in the team as Un-expendable]

Zaheer: Akele hain chale aao kahaan ho !

[To any bowler who can bowl / restrict runs / pick a few wickets !] Is Kumble listening ? 

Munaf: Tohfa Tohfa Tohfa Tohfa Laya Laya Laya Laya !

[He is out there with a 'Gift' for the batsmen; as a bowler and as a fielder]

.

Nehra: Hum Bewafa hargiz na the, par hum wafa kar na sake !

[Has bowled some deadly death overs in the past. One bad day and he is Public Enemy No. 1. Not fair]

Sreesanth: Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe !

[Public admonitions, fines and bench; nothing can change him]

Chawla: Tujhse naaraaz nahin zindagi, hairaan hoon me !

[We can't even be angry with the lad. He just doesn't know he is making all Pareshaan]

Ashwin: Koi humdum na raha, koi Sahaara na raha, Hum kisike na rahe, Koi Humaara na raha !

[The most successful Indian spinner of recent times has no takers in the team]

The Theme [Team] Song for Team India and Supporters:

Yeh Safar bahut hai katin magar na udaas ho mere humsafar !

And finally...

Gary Kirsten: Hum to jate apne gaon, sabko Ram Ram Ram !

[He will sing this song to India after the World Cup]

SPun Doctor

A Tale of Two Tails !

The Cliffhanger between India and South Africa was without doubt a good advertisement for Cricket. It could have gone either way. But guys like Peterson, Botha and most importantly du Plessis held their nerves when Nehra lost it.

But in the end if we look at the match, both innings turned head over heals in the 40th over. India lost Sachin in their 40th and then started the procession. South Africa struggling for run rate had a big over of 17 runs by the otherwise brilliant Zaheer Khan and that perhaps pipped India in the end.

Let us talk about the collapse. The same happened against England. Our late order batters just threw their wickets away like they throw rotten eggs at Politicians. Agreed Steyn bowled well. But it wasn't as if he was unplayable.

Even a few singles and twos and India could have had a score 310 and that would have given Nehra a better chance. But as the cliche goes, Cricket is not a game of Ifs and Butts ! But if that is true, how come Ijaz Butt continues to rule Pakistan Cricket ?

South Africa had their share of idiots too. ABDV and Duminy were stupid to perish the way they did. Botha too played a bad shot. But they had more sane people than in the Indian 11.

Gautam Gambhir dropped a simple catch. Dhoni missed a should have been stumping. Munaf Patel continues to bowl length balls at death and even the No. 10 and 11 can hit him for sixes. He got a wicket solely because of the stupidity exhibited by Morne van Wyk.And Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Nehra are so very ordinary in the deep, they bled some precious runs. Virat and Raina were the only saving grace.

Dhoni decided to call Nehra even after Bhajji was bowling pretty well and went for only 7 in his last over. He was high on confidence compared to Nehra. Nehra has done it in the past for India. He has won some tight matches. But of late, he has been just rubbish. India needs to take at least one more look at Sreesanth and definitely not Piyush again. And of course, bring in Ashwin.

Finally, the main difference between the teams was at the rear end. South African tail clicked with Botha and Peterson scoring 41 runs of 22 balls sharing 4 boundaries and 2 sixes between them. Indian tail scored 3 runs of 16 balls with 3 ducks !

Thus in the end, it was "A Tale of Two Tails"; one that sucked and another that Clicked !
.

SPun Doctor

Aman ki Aasha : An India - Pakistan Peace Initiative !

There have been many 'Peace' initiatives between India and Pakistan since 1947. So many talks, back channel diplomacy and frontal attacks. But nothing succeeds like Cricket between the neighbors who are perpetually at loggerheads on the Political front.

There have been so many epic encounters. There was a complete psychological domination of India by Pakistan since This happened. It took a complete change of generation for India to emerge out of this rut. The tide perhaps changed after the arrival of Sehwag. Unfortunately Indo-Pak Cricket has become a rarity these days.

Pakistan believe India have let them down and blame India for everything that goes wrong with their Cricket, Country and everything else. India on the other hand have become too scornful of the way Pakistan Cricket is being run. There are nincompoops on both sides. Unfortunately the worst of them all runs Pakistan Cricket.

Butt from the Front !

So how do we find long lasting Peace ? Are we wrong if we expect our kids should grow up in a better world ? Is it unreasonable to expect Pakistanis to idolize Afridi and not Kasab ?

There is a place for 'Peace' and we don't want both countries to go into pieces. This is what they call "Aman Ki Aasha" ! 'Peace process' means there should be a lot of 'Give and Take'. So far we have seen a lot of give and take, but all in wrong manner. Pakistan have consistently 'Given' us terrorists, insurgents and bombs. And successive Indian administrations have 'Taken' almost everything lying down.

This has to change and we should have some meaningful exchange. And here is my principal suggestion !

'Give and Take' means what they don't have, we have to give them. And what we don't have, they have to give us.

You shake a tree in Pakistan and fast bowlers will fall down. A survey has shown that approximately 67% of all Pakistani men are fast bowlers. Of them, 34% are found to be world class. But they simply can't play all of them. Even if the best of their lot end up fixing matches, spots and then screwing themselves, they still have enough fast bowlers to supply not only to India, but perhaps to the entire Cricket playing world.

And what do we in India have ? Almost 33 years old Zaheer and Nehra and then nearly 128 years old Munaf Patel. Sreesanth doesn't inspire confidence in his Captain who prefers Chawla hemorrhaging runs to Sreesanth bleeding runs.

So we know what we want, right ?

Give us this guy and a few more. We don't mind exchanging 2 batsmen [Including Rohit Sharma] for one bowler. Except the current core, we can let Pakistan choose any batsman they want. Well, we will not give Che, just like they wouldn't give us their core.

And here is a 'Mega Bonus Offer"...

We will give Pakistan, Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel and Naman Ojha. If KAkmal is the only wicket-keeper Pakistan can bring to the World Cup, we know what they are lacking and we have to help them out. Any of the above mentioned can keep better than Yuckmal, even blindfolded. And Pakistan can finally 'Drop' Kakmal and do so forever.

So what will Kakmal do ? Pakistan can send him to Afghanistan to Coach the Afghan junior team. He will help them only with batting. They should never allow him to wear a Wicket-keeper's glove; never again. Just carry out these moves and there will be 'Peace' on either side of the border !



S-Pun Doctor

The Cup that Counts and Life after Retirement !

The promos of the Cricket World Cup claim this is "The Cup That Counts". I would love to know how much ? Or better still, till how much can this Cup count ? Or can it count at all ? I would like to begin a Counter that will count all counting and counter-counting.

But before that, and after watching  whatever Cricket I could during the past 3 weeks, I have come to worry about our Cricketers. No, not only Indians. But generally a lot of them. What will happen to them when they retire ?

Like failed Actors in Bollywood making mediocre Directors, many will go on to become Commentators and bore us to death before, during and after the play. But what about the rest ?

So I have devised some alternative careers for Cricketers. If anyone else has already thought of this noble thought before, I admit it is just a coincidence. But I invite them to join me in this initiative to found an Employment Agency for Retired Cricketers.

Since I am quite serious about this venture, I am not going to disclose all the details. Here are but a few sample of things to come... 

Tatenda Taibu: He played just 6 balls today. But the zeal he showed in trying to reverse sweep everything Murali hurled at him was motivating. He kept his slate clean. The first time he played straight, he was out. He should be made in charge of the sweeping and cleaning committee at our airports. Those places will be better with him and Cricket, without. 

Kamran Akmal: Pakistan should immediately appoint him the head of their calamity management team. He can remain calm even during a storm. Why ? He wouldn't even know there indeed was a storm. He will be especially good at 'Dropping' food packets for people stranded in flood hit areas. Who better to 'Drop' ? 

Rizwan Cheema: What do you expect him to make ? Lance Cairns, Ijaz Ahmed and Eddo Brandes; we have seen them all. And now we have seen Cheema. Never been there as graceful and as artistic a butcher of the Cricket ball before !

Piyush Chawla: Though he is terribly young to retire, I am quite inclined to retire him all the same. He can make a life out of playing the 'side kick' to the Hero in Bollywood movies.  He is chubby and cute, so little girls will love him. He plays the side kick role to perfection to Dhoni the Master. And he can knock a few small time punches thanks to the 'confidence' instilled by his Boss. 

Yusuf Pathan: Since he doesn't analyze the game much, he is unlikely to be a Coach or a Commentator. For quite some time now, he has threatened to send the ball to the orbit. Hence he should join ISRO after he retires. He might actually be able to launch satellites by just whacking them. We can make huge savings on fuel.

Yardy, Strauss, Ponting, Sehwag, Gayle, Price, Dilshan, O'Brien and name whom you want, we have an alternative career after retirement. IPL oops, IPR application pending.

All rights reserved by: "Doctoring the Balls" !!!


SPun Doctor

Yuckmal and other World Cup Trivia - Part-1

The Cricket World Cup is on and I landed back on Terra Firma with a resounding thud this evening. My second favorite team was Kamraned initially and then Taylored. From then it went all Southee-wards. So now we have some fun on the KumRun and Pakistan is back to being Pakistan.

Here is a random look at some of the trivia from the action up till now.

Finally... He caught something !

It is reported that 'KumRun' Akmal finally 'caught' something. Well, it turned out to be a stomach bug. And he 'dropped' again; this time in his pants ! His team-mates now call him Yuckmal !

Shoaib Aqthar recommended for Nobel Peace Prize. For not mugging Yuckmal.

People are unnecessarily being harsh on Kakmal. He confessed to his younger brother that he was just being nice to the Birthday Boy. But he is cut up with Taylor for not reciprocating the gesture.

Bollywood stunt masters have used boxing gloves, hockey sticks, stumps and even a basketball to wreck violence on celluloid. They now have added an exciting new weapon, "The Groin Protector" !

Bangladesh fans believed their team was full of 'Rock Stars'. But the team played as if they belonged to the 'Stone age'. So the 'Stones Rocked' and there was a Gayle storm on Twitter.

henrygayle Chris Gayle

This is some bullshit.....Bangladesh stoning our bus!!! Freaking glass Break!!! This is crap,can't believe..what next bullets!!!! Kiss teeth 4 Mar 

Piyush Chawla is taking his batting seriously. Well, who is taking his bowling seriously ?

Dhoni planning to promote Yusuf in the batting order. Then which position will he win matches from any position ?

Munaf Patel lauded by Dhoni for a fine effort in the field. He managed to beat the ball to the fence and picked it outside the ropes.

Ashish Nehra fit to play. He actually walked from the Team Bus to the ground on his own legs.

Sreesanth heard talking to a friend about cutting a music CD. Dhoni mistook it for LCD and gave Sree a public dressing down.

The Pepsi ad is doomed. 'Palti hit' has herniated. 'Upar Cut' isn't going Upar enough. 'Doosra' is missing in action. 'Pallu scoop' isn't Dilshining. Most importantly the 'Helicopter' hasn't taken wings and the 'Fan' is stuck.

But Indian Captain has rejected outright, the theory that he has lost the flair. Dhoni explained, "Helicopter is also called Chopper. You all must have noticed I am chopping a lot these days. So you still can watch me play 'Chopper Shots'. In the end, we all mature over a period of time"

Kohli is the newest addition to the 'Atheists' gang. He Viratified the Sachin LBW verdict and then asked the God to take a walk !

South Africa have rubbished the reports that they choked against England. Smith said, "We played our natural game and will continue to do so in future" !

Afridi is reported to be upset and asked Umar Gul, "How could you get How out ?". Jamie How made 4 runs of 29 balls with a striking strike rate of 13.79.

Umar Gul took the only catch in the New Zealand innings. All other catches went in One direction.

"Our bowling is weak" say Indian experts. An in depth analysis has revealed the reason. All our batsmen are on some kind of energy boosters. Like Sachin on Boost. But none of the bowlers are on anything. That explains Yuveraj's new found vigor. He has been "Revitalized" !

I just noticed I have completed a Century on "Doctoring the Balls". But to prevent this post from becoming a calamity like the 47th over of New Zealand innings, I declare here. I will come back, as random as random comes !



SPun Doctor

A Cup for Mr. Tendulkar : But how do we do it ?

I had written why India will struggle to win the ongoing World Cup. I know it was a little too dark and gloomy. I too want India to Win a World Cup for Mr. Sachin Tendulkar. But how do we manage do it ?

THIS is how we are going to do it ! Please read it on my blog @ Die Hard Cricket Fans !


S-Pun Doctor

Why India may not break the WC Jinx ?

I have received quite a lot of flak for predicting doom for India in this World Cup and a Pakistan win. People in India cannot accept either. Well guys, get ready with your stones and effigies. No, not me; who cares for me ? I am talking about Indian Cricketers...

THIS is my post for Die hard Cricket Fans ! I am providing the link here to avoid duplication issues with Google !


SPun Doctor

Shahid Afridi: The Day of the Whack-all !

The Day of the Whack-all or Reincarnation of Shahid Afridi !

Cricket is a Team game with individuals often making large impacts. I will deal with Kevin O'Brien some other day. One Knock Out there doesn't make a Champion. For now, let us just say he landed the KO punch on Poms last night.

I am old fashioned, slow and used to bowl leg-spin as a teenager. I retired to pursue my profession after watching THIS. Well, that actually was because I realized I was way too mediocre a bowler. But I still am a bowler at heart and love the bowlers getting the better of a batsman than watching those flat-track bullies go bombastic.Okay, Viru Sehwag is an exception.

That is why I loved 'The revenge of the Slinga" and today I just rooted for Afridi. From biting the ball, he has traveled a long way to make it take flight, hiss and bite back ! Shahid Afridi has been a revelation in this edition of the World Cup. Pray where is the Shahid Afridi we all knew till the other day ?

He has looked calm, mostly composed and not once bitten; no not the ball, I mean the tongue. And there aren't those expletives too.

We don't really know how old Afridi really is. Shah Rukh Khan once claimed Afridi made his debut when SRK went to college. That must be ages ago because SRK made his debut when I went to college and I myself went to college once upon a time.

He is Pakistan's Wicket taker in Chief. He is their most economical bowler. He is their motivator par excellence on field and he is not keeping wickets. If he were to know he'd have to live with KAkmal, he perhaps would have learned that too. And he is the 'fastest slow bowler' on the planet today.

Against Sri Lanka, he bowled a gem of a spell and picked up a wicket every time his team needed one. His dismissal of Lanka counterpart Sanga was one of the most important moments of this Cup.

He would like to carry the Premadasa minefield wherever he goes. No wonder he doesn't want to play in India before the final. One doubt though, does he really believe India will go that far ? Being an Indian, I don't.

Watching KO Brien's pyrotechnics, I was reminded of a younger and dangerous Afridi. Too much of maturity has 'Dhonied' him. He came as a batsman who could bowl. Today, he is a bowler who it is believed 'can bat'.

But what the heck ? Afridi is winning matches and that is what matters. I love Leg Spinners and when I say that, I don't mean Piyush Chawla.

Afridi had most of his wickets bowled or LBW, except for Gordon. The wides apart, his accuracy was immaculate.

Those who were waiting for another upset tonight, better look elsewhere. England and India are always there. If any team can defend any total, that has to be Pakistan. And their Captain has played a huge role in this rejuvenation. For me, Pakistan are Favorites.

He was the perpetual 'Whack-all' for a little too long. But he showed some kind of maturity during their T-20 WC win in 2009. Since then, he has blown hot and blown cold as a batsman. But his utility as a 'Team Man' has soared amazingly and he leads the MVP Race without scoring too many runs.

Towards the business end of this Cup, I suspect he might just peak with the bat too. Remember he wants to play the 'Final' in India and India doesn't have a Premadasa.

Sorry Murali, Sorry Sachin, Sorry Ricky, Sorry KP and Sorry everyone else...

I am afraid April 2, 2011 will be the "Day of the Whack-all" !




SPun Doctor

Toes and Woes: The Revenge of the Slinga !

Even as Ireland pipped England in a historical match at Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru, I prefer to dwell on what happened yesterday.

Whoever thought it was a boring match ? I haven't laughed as much even while watching Chatur's Balatkaar speech from '3 Idiots'. Well, I was laughing at the plight of Kenyan batsmen and also at what could be in store for the rest of the teams through the Cup.

Here are some interesting 'Slinga' facts from the Kenya - Sri Lanka match...

1] Revenge of the Slinga: Just like Sehwag, Malinga was waiting for this 'Revenge Match'. No, he wasn't around in 2003. But WTF, they beat us then and we have to extract revenge !

2] Save Toes Campaign: Cricket Pundits will have to quickly invent some devises to protect the toes of batsmen from those Malinga Yorkers.

3] Third Highest Contributor: Malinga had another distinction in the match. C and D Obuya brothers scored 103 runs between them. Kenya's third highest contributor was Malinga himself. He gave away 9 runs with no-balls and wides.

4] Don't Catch them, just crush them: Malinga again walks away with another distinction. All his victims were either bowled or LBW.

5] Accidental runs: Most of the 38 runs scored of his bowling were thanks to no balls, wide balls and edges apart from those inadvertent drives resulting from accidental contact of the speeding ball with the unsuspecting bats. 

6] UDRS Euthanasia: Tanmay Mishra labored around facing 13 balls without being able to get the ball out of the 5 yard circle, if there is one. And he had the cheek to ask for UDRS when another Malinga Yorker crushed his toes. The Third Umpire ruled him out, in what can be termed as the first ever incident of 'Active Euthanasia' on a Cricket field ! It is with this wicket that the 'Hat-trick' began. 

7] Denial of rights: Chamara Silva was severely reprimanded by Sri Lanka Cricket for running out Kamande. That fellow denied a certain seventh wicket to Malinga. How mean can some people get ! 

8] The Last Man Standing on his own toes: Odhiambo will go down as one of the World Cup Heroes in Kenya. He was the only one to find the boundary ropes with the ball after the fall of Obuya brothers. All others managed to cross the ropes this side and that side during the procession. Odhiambo then returned flattering bowling figures of 5-0-26-0, most economical for his team. Most importantly, 'He did not get Yorked by Malinga'. No mean achievement ! 

9] No Big ones: No Sixes were hit in the entire match because Malinga did not get to bat. So he settled for a 'Sixer' of wickets. 

10] Cup of woes: If he stays fit throughout the Cup, it could be the Cup of woes for a lot of batsmen !

11] The Last Man Talking: At the post match presentation, MOM Malinga talked in Sinhalese and that was a treat to watch or rather listen. His speech was faster than his sling shots. And honestly, it was tougher to comprehend than all of those toe-crushers !



SPun Doctor

De Ghumaake: I can take defeat, not disgrace !

This report in the media has left me dumb and numb. I really wish there's nothing in it. I have suffered enormous pain when some of my favorites like Azar, Cronje and Jadeja were damned in what must be the 'Dark Age' of Cricket.

Why do I admire Saurav Ganguly ? Precisely because he lifted the pall of gloom over Indian Cricket with his aggression, the will to win and his cover drive; in that order.

This current Indian Team, patronized by Sachin Tendulkar, the God and loved by millions is an absolute favorite for me. That is in spite of Sreesanth's antics, Dhoni's obstinacy and Munaf Patel's fielding.

Many a times in the past, there have been allegations about people in the current team being in contact with bookies. Suresh Raina was targeted by a section of Sri Lankan media. Never did I believe any of that. Neither do I want to believe now. But what happened during "Tie is a Tie is a Tie" does sound a little fishy !

Let us take a look...

It is amazing that India [Dhoni and Zaheer] didn't appeal when Strauss edged twice. Noise, what noise ? Every Indian is born and lives in a perpetual Railway Station. We can read and write examinations in the middle of bedlam. We can listen to Mohammed Rafi in the market and we can pick up snicks even in Eden.

Apart from this there were some strange things that happened. The BelLBW decision that went up and came unchanged was one. The way Munaf and Zaheer ran those one and three quarter useless runs was another. And then there was the most surprising of them all...

Of the last ball of the match, even as the fielder was swooping on the ball, the English pair had at their liberty the choice of running the second. At worse, they would have lost a wicket. The match would still have been a tie. And at best, there could have been an over-throw and England would have won.Why did they not run ?

Had everyone decided in advance that this match is a Tie ?

Strauss has gone on record that Shane Warne had predictweeted a Tie !

Now, am I reading too much ?

I sincerely hope this Cup is not fixed. I sincerely hope Dhoni and his boys just had 60% bad day in the office.

I was much younger when Azar declared "Maine match banaaya". Today, at forty, I am not strong enough to absorb another shock. Too passionate about Cricket for any more shocks.

I can take defeat, not disgrace !
Come on Team India, millions root for you, don't let the millions down.
Fix the problems in the bowling, fielding and late order batting.
Let nobody dare to fix matches !




SPun Doctor