Sports Quarter

Oh my God! What just happened here

2006-03-12T22:46:00.000+05:30

In an era where superlatives are used to describe even insanely ordinary performances in sports, today is an exception.

We have wittnessed the greatest game in cricket history... by far. Australia setting the highest total in one day internationals of 434 would have made it a memorable day in itself. But the tenacity of South Africa to spectacularly chase it down is what made it so special.

And to top it all off, its Australia on the losing side. I wonder who the 'chokers' are now.

Kudos to South Africa as we step into, most likely, a new age in one day cricket...

What next? I cannot even begin to imagine

India Win the Hong Kong Super Sixes

2005-10-23T17:56:00.000+05:30

Kudos to Robin Singh and the rest of the Indian team.

They defeated the West Indies in the finals of the Hong Kong Super Sixes to lift the $100,000 trophy. This was Robin Singh 7th appearance in this tournament.

Way to go guys...!

Let the battle begin!

2005-09-26T15:30:00.000+05:30

The brewing Ganguly vs Chappel fiasco, has a sour taste to it. From the onsent it looked like Ganguly had it stage managed.

Following a six hour long century @ Bulawayo, Ganguly gave an interview on ESPN with Harsha Bhogle and Sunil Gavaskar. The questions were asked and answered in such silken fashion that it looked rehearsed.

Ganguly might be more stable mentally than what Chappel suggests. So much so that I think he is masterminding the doom of Chappel.

Step by step, move by move he is going to get the coach kicked out of the Indian team. Playing curcial part in this game of chess are fellow players like Harbhajan, BCCI heavy weights like Dalhmia and media gurus like Harsha Bhogle and Ravi Shastri.

The chess game has begun. Lets see how long it takes to check mate the coach. Its not a question of 'if', its just a question of 'when'.

My name is Bond... Shane Bond

2005-08-29T10:54:00.000+05:30

My deepest fears were realized on friday afternoon, when Shane Bond decimated the indian top order with 6/19, as India slumped to defeat in the second ODI of the Videocon Cup.

It was some gritty batting by JP Yadav and Irfan Pathan, which saved grace by preventing India the ignominy of their lowest one day score, being 44/8 at one stage of the game.

By the way, JP Yadav now holds the world record for the highest score by a number 9 batsman with 69.

Good going.... So far.

2005-08-26T17:00:00.000+05:30

Accurate swing bowling, by the indian openers Pathan and Nehra saw the New Zelanders realing at 36 with half the size back in the pavillion. But some gritty batting by McMillian and the tail took them past the 200 mark.

Indians now have a modest target of 216, on this bright and sunny day at Bulawayo. Lets hope they do not make heavy weather of it.

On the other side of the globe, Flintoff and G. Jones are helping England into a strong position in the fourth Ashes test. The going is getting tougher for the Aussies by the day.

Hope to see India win today and England post a 500+ score in the first innings.

The Boxing Day Punch

2004-12-27T09:54:00.000+05:30

A spirited effort by Bangladesh came as a heavy blow to the Indians. They became only the third test playing nation after Pakistan and Zimbabwe to lose to Bangladesh.

No better occasion to create history than their 100th ODI. But, helping them on the way was some complacent and lack luster performance by the Indians.

All credit to the tigers though. The Boxing Day punch had been dealt. It was a hard upper cut that hit the Indians right on the jaws. They are hurt, bleeding and looking for revenge.

Well, will we see a fight back from the men in Blue, or will they present the other cheek.

Just a day to wait…

All the best Bangladesh… and congratulations

The Two Disasters

2004-12-27T09:52:00.000+05:30

It was a quite Sunday morning, the weather was pleasant, and it was the day after Christmas. It was six in the morning and there were routing joggers on the Marina beach, some children were enjoying a match of short pitch cricket unaware of an event that occurred more than 1500 kilometers away.

In the deep seas off Indonesia about 40 kilometers below the ocean bed a devastating earthquake shook South East Asia. It measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, that’s equivalent to 32 billion tons of TNT exploding.

The earthquake triggered tidal waves known as tsunami, traveling at over 750 kilometers per hour and topping 20 feet in height, towards the shores of India and Sri Lanka. The waves shook the east coast with a force never fathomed before, everyone were taken off guard.

Elsewhere in the wee hours of the morning, in small rooms of a Bangladesh hotel, a team of eleven were planning a plot. A plot that would create history. Led by a dedicated and focused coach, Dave Whatmore, the one who put Sri Lanka on the world map of cricket, Bangladesh would witness their team win their first international match at home in the history of their cricket.

The start was pretty poor for Bangladesh as usual, losing wickets at regular intervals. But a rear guard action by the bowlers in the last few overs saw the Bangladeshis put up a modest 229 on the board. At one point it looked as if the Indian bowlers were giving away runs so that their batsmen would have something to score during the second innings.

But the Indians were in for a surprise. They were caught totally off guard by superb opening spells from the opening bowlers Murthaza and Bashar. This saw the backs of Sewag and Ganguly early. Aided by some exception fielding from the young guns of Bangladesh and some poor cricket by their counterparts, we saw India lose wickets at awkward moments.

The end was totally unexpected but inevitable and it came as the run out of Murli Karthik by Rajin Saleh. Forty thousand people cramped in a stadium of twenty five roared. A nation celebrated, they had found new heroes in this time of grave difficulties. The Christmas party had begun… late but sweet.

One cannot imagine it was the same team that played in the test matches just a few weeks back. The tigers looked a changed side, and so did the men in blue. The Bangladeshis looked rejuvenated. The Indians… well just one word… unprofessional.

The Black Sunday finally came to an end, over 5000 Indians lost their lives and millions, their heart.

Sidduisams - A Collection

2004-12-21T11:17:00.000+05:30

A collection of famous quotes by Navjot Singh Sidhu
(made during his commentary of cricket matches)

1.That ball went so high it could have got an airhostess down with it.
2.There is light at the end of the tunnel for India, but it's that of an incoming train which will run them over.
3.Experience is like a comb that life gives you when you are bald.
5.Sri Lankan score is running like an Indian taximeter.
7.Wickets are like wives - you never know which way they will turn!
8.He is like Indian three-wheeler, which will suck a lot of diesel but cannot go beyond 30!
9.The Indians are going to beat the Kiwis! Let me tell you, my friend, that the Kiwi is the only bird in the whole world, which does not have wings!
10.As uncomfortable as a bum on a porcupine.
11.The ball whizzes past like a bumblebee and the Indians are in the sea.
12.The Indians are finding the gaps like a pin in a haystack.
13.The pitch is as dead as a dodo.
14.Deep Dasgupta is as confused as a child is in a topless bar!
15.The way Indian wickets are falling reminds of the cycle stand
at Rajendra Talkies in Patiala..! one falls and everything else falls!
16.Indian team without Sachin is like giving a Kiss without a Squeeze.
17.You cannot make Omlets without breaking the eggs.
18.Deep Dasgupta is not a Wicket Keeper, he is a goalkeeper. He
must be given a free transfer to Manchester United.
19.He will fight a rattlesnake and give it the first two bites too.
20.One, who doesn't throw the dice, can never expect to score a six.
22.Anybody can pilot a ship when the sea is calm.
23.Nobody travels on the road to success without a puncture or two.
24.You got to choose between tightening your belt or losing your pants.
25.The cat with gloves catches no mice.
26.Age has been perfect fire extinguisher for flaming youth.
27.You may have a heart of gold, but so does! a hard-boiled egg.
28.He is like a one-legged man in a bum kicking competition.
29.The third umpires should be changed as often as nappies and for the same reason.
30. The world is all about mind and matter, I don't mind and U don't matter...
31. In London they drive on the left, in India we drive on what is left!

The Unnecessary X Factor

2004-12-21T11:13:00.000+05:30

Flipping through an old edition of Wisden Cricket I found an interesting write-up on how there has been a drastic decline in the number of people who truly understand the game and appreciate it.

Once upon a time (yes, it sounds like a long time ago) cricket lovers used to know about cricket. They used to know about the basics of footwork and seam position. Now, everybody it seems loves cricket which is great for the games revenue but not for us serious cricket lovers.

We see everyone talking about cricket. Even the house maid will give you a detailed description of a Sachin’s innings she heard about the previous day. There is no difference between a Bajji’s one handed hoik over deep mid-wicket for six and an elegant cover drive by Ganguly (though they have become quite rare now a days). After all Bajji fetched you more runs and made it look good at that.

Fancy stories and paraphernalia’s surrounding cricketers draw more attention than the game itself. People are more interested in what’s happing at Sachin’s restaurant and what trouble Shane Warne has gotn’ into.

To cater to this large mass of so to speak uneducated people who call themselves cricket lovers, TV channels have adapted themselves and moved to a new form of commentary; one that brings in the X factor. It was started by Set Max during the world cup where Mandira Bedi with her bubbly character and boyish ignorance set the screen alive for the illiterate.

With such enthusiasm she would ask trivial questions related to cricket. “Does the pitch refer to the brown strip in the center of the field?” In utter disbelief and struggling to keep a straight face we would here a soft reply “yes” from a thoroughly embarrassed Charu Sharma sitting next to her.

During the match itself we would have Tony Greg going ballistic over a single where he would say “Jonty… He is so quick between the wickets…” and Ruby Bhatia would add “He is a fast runner too…” and spoil it all.

What’s more we now have other sports channels like DD Sports following in similar lines bringing in women, clad in fancy clothing to light up the screen. Mind you I do not have anything against women commentators; after all there was Donna Symonds during the same world cup who knew exactly what she was talking about and did quite well.

Do we really need this? Do we need to spoil the game by bringing in people who know absolutely nothing about cricket to talk about it, just to make it look good and attract more viewers? More over do we really need viewers who tune in just to watch them and not the cricket?

Compare this to the crisp and comprehensive analysis provided by the experienced and high quality commentary team on ESPN-Star Sports. On the one hand we have Harsh Bhogle with his exceptional compeering and hosting skills and on the other, the likes of Ravi Shastri and Sunny who describe a straight drive by Dravid to perfection. So much so that it brings joy to our lives. Isn’t this the real X factor?

I remember watching an ad on TV where some barn yard animals give their expert opinion on cricket. I cannot recollect the product advertised but one point came through crystal clear… If this continues cricket will go to the dogs.

By the way what happened to Sidhu and his commentary career… Just kidding :-)

Cricket Forever

2004-12-20T17:52:00.000+05:30

I am a HUGE cricket fan, to say the least. Now, you might add, well all Indians are.

Not true. Most Indians are fans not of cricket but of "Indian Cricket". Not so long ago Indians were not even fans of "Indian Cricket", but were of a small fraction of the team, if fact just one man. No, no prizes for any guesses... Sachin.

Thanks to some awesome team performances in the last few seasons aided by some exceptional individual brilliance, a large faction of the Sachin fan club have now convinently moved to the Indian Cricket Fan Club

Maybe it is a wrong time to write about brilliant Indian performances considering our series loss at home agains the Aussies, but face it we are witnessing the best cricket Team India has played for a long time.

Indian cricket is the true crowd puller. To put things into perspective, in the recently concluded ICC Champions trophy held in England Mr Ehsan Mani President of ICC was extatic while quoting the attendance figures for the entire tournament. He said.. "an amazing 133 thousand people attended the matches". I am sure Mr Mani was quoting this with pleasure, but a single match in Eden Gardens would be witnessed by 120 thousand people and as many waiting outside to get into the arena.

No wonder most of us are just Indian Cricket fans. Well, not me. I am a "True Cricket Fan". You would find me watching a Bangaladesh Zimbabwe match with the same keeness as a Indo-Pak or a Aus-NZ match.

Just a couple of days back we saw two contrasting but interesting performances. One, a lone battles by 20 year old Mohammad Ashraful in the first innings of the second test against India in what was most obviously a lost cause, but did fetch him and most deservably so the man of the match; and the other a one man army demolishing the Pakistanis, yes McGrath producing his career best figures of 8/24 in his fading years of test cricket.

Events like this, is what makes cricket so special and me a die-hard fan of it... FOREVER.