Well people, I write this blog imeediately after reading some senseless and freaky comments about Sachin Tendulkar. Iam sure the people who made the comments were in a state of trance or they haven't seen cricket as keenly as I have seen and digested, or followed. If they find it amusing writing off Sachin , then Iam sorry they don't deserve their bloody lives and they deserve seclusion from the society. These people are either Ponting supporters , Dravid supporters , etc and they write it from sheer frustration that Sachin is a better batsman than their favourite cricketer. Well Sachin is cricket's best batsman and it absolutely makes null sense when we say someone is better than Sachin. The simple reason being he has not only ruled the cricketing fraternity but also a billion hearts for more than 2 decades now.
1) Sachin isn't a better match-winner than Sir viv richards or ponting.
Well this is may seem very convincing for you. But its not so if you have followed cricket intensly.
When Viv Richards scored a century you had malcolm marshall , courtney walsh, andy roberts, joel Garner to bowl out the opposition or restrict the opposition to a decent total. Compare these bowlers to Javagal Srinath , Venkatapathy Raju , Ajith Agarkar etc. These bowlers didn't have the skill to bowl out the opposition or restrict them to a chasable total. So, many centuries of Sachin has gone in vain even though he has a whooping 93 centuries under his belt. The Indian line up in the early 90s had atleast 3 match fixers who could lose any game from a winning position. Psychologically playing with match fixers in your side may diminish your performance but that wasn't the case. His perfomance was always above par. A famous comment from one of the culprits of fixing went as "we fix a match only after Sachin gets out".
Coming to Ponting, he too had sensational bowlers in Mcgrath Warne and others. His fellow batsmen namely gilly , haydos, martin , the waugh brothers , bevan etc were way more consistent than azharuddin, jadega, etc. So every century of him would be a winning one with the help of his talented team mates. It wasn't the case with Sachin. We all know some famous matches where Sachin played a blinder and the rest of the team played blindly. Some of Sachin's great knocks have been in a losing cause and hence haven't been highlighted. So to sum it up Sachin was a one man army for India until some players like rahul saurav yuvi dhoni etc blossomed. This rubbishes the sentance Sachin is not a match winner.
2) Sachin doesn't perform in crucial matches
This is crazy people. Utter crap. This emotes laughter in me. Sachin has the best average in finals and has a better average than anyone in the world cup and is the highest run scorer in the world cup.
3) Sachin can't tolerate the pressures of captaincy and takes the pressure to his head.
He was the best player when he was the captain. His average was booming when he was leading the side. His bad win ratio as captain may be attributed to the facts such as match fixing , other team mates' averages below 20, etc. He was the only player who performed during his tenure as captain.
These were the most striking criticisms made and some more junk was written, not worth mentioning. So people when you compare cricketers please don't include Sachin in the discussion as you would be making a utter fool of yourself. Sachin by himself is a cricket bible. So learn from it.
Sachin is God
(just as we say JAI HIND)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
My team and line-up for the 2011 WC
guys.. This team is selected keeping the current trends in mind. Things may change in the next 8 months or so..
To begin with lets look into the openers' slot.
Its a pretty no-brainer. Its the world's best batsman Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and the world's most devastating batsman Virender Sehwag. Though few people claim it should be gambhir and viru, i would strongly go in Sachin. Sachin's record as an opener is just breathtaking and his world cup record in the opening slot too is very convincing. Hope you remember the 2003 world cup. One of the greatest mistakes committed by Greg Chappell in the 2007 world cup was playing Sachin down the order and shuffling the total batting line-up. Dravid too was a party to it and was just a puppet. Sachin is at his best when he opens the innings and you when sachin is at his best he takes care of the rest.
Next comes the one down slot. 1 down, 2 down, 3 down make up all the confusions.. You have Gambhir, Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvi and Dhoni to fill these slots. But i would go in with Gambhir at 3, rohit at 4, yuvi at 5 and dhoni at 6. The explanation to which comes as Gambhir has by far been the most consistent player. His solidity is very much needed in the sub continent conditions. Rohit too has been rock solid and has been very strong technically. He is very much capable of facing the raising deliveries and negotiates spin as well. Yuvi at no. 5 is an automatic choice. He is India's trump card. A player capable of rewriting a game's script. A player capable of giving a twist to the tale. Mahi at no.6 is the only choice. He has an unique ability to play at any position and steadying the sinking ship. He has evolved into a spectacular finisher. The Indian skipper is coming along the lines of the Aussie great Michel Bevan( though the technique is missing in dhoni, still bowlers can't get him easily) At no.7 you need an allrounder. Yusuf Pathan is one option. Consistency plays an important role in this slot. I doubt his ability to play pace. So in the death overs he may find it tough to negotiate a steyn or a dirk nannes or etc etc... You surely need a big hitter and the option of Ravindra Jadeja is ruled out. It may be surprising but the perfect choice would be Raina. Iam sorry to play him at no. 7 but this is the only slot left. No. 4 and No. 7 may be interchanged by Rohit and Raina at times dependin on the match situation.
Now, coming to the bowling department, since the world cup is played in the subcontinent and most of the tracks are dry and dusty and assist spin, we may be forced to go in with 2 spinners and 2 seamers. Zaheer and Bajji are obvious selections. The 2nd seamer and 2nd spinner can be played by Nehra and Ashwin/Ojha. I feel very depressed about the fact that many of our seamers like I.Pathan, RP Singh, Ishanth, Sreesanth and even Agarkar have failed to cement their places. Its very disheartening. It surely rings the alarm bell and i hope the selectors give it an ear. We need a strong pace foundation in place. The BCCI needs to spend some of its black money stuck in the hands of its authorities for setting up these institutions. The NCA needs to expand and open up more branches. All this can only be done by BCCI( world's richest cricket board). So, coming back to the team selection here is the 15 member squad.
1) V.Sehwag
2) S.Tendulkar*
3)G.Gambhir
4)R.Sharma/S.Raina
5)Y.Singh
6)M.S.Dhoni
7)S.Raina/R.Sharma
8)R.Ashwin
9)H.Singh
10)Z.Khan
11)A.Nehra
RESERVES:
1) P.Kumar
2)P.Ojha
3)V.Kohli
4)D.Karthick
To begin with lets look into the openers' slot.
Its a pretty no-brainer. Its the world's best batsman Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and the world's most devastating batsman Virender Sehwag. Though few people claim it should be gambhir and viru, i would strongly go in Sachin. Sachin's record as an opener is just breathtaking and his world cup record in the opening slot too is very convincing. Hope you remember the 2003 world cup. One of the greatest mistakes committed by Greg Chappell in the 2007 world cup was playing Sachin down the order and shuffling the total batting line-up. Dravid too was a party to it and was just a puppet. Sachin is at his best when he opens the innings and you when sachin is at his best he takes care of the rest.
Next comes the one down slot. 1 down, 2 down, 3 down make up all the confusions.. You have Gambhir, Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvi and Dhoni to fill these slots. But i would go in with Gambhir at 3, rohit at 4, yuvi at 5 and dhoni at 6. The explanation to which comes as Gambhir has by far been the most consistent player. His solidity is very much needed in the sub continent conditions. Rohit too has been rock solid and has been very strong technically. He is very much capable of facing the raising deliveries and negotiates spin as well. Yuvi at no. 5 is an automatic choice. He is India's trump card. A player capable of rewriting a game's script. A player capable of giving a twist to the tale. Mahi at no.6 is the only choice. He has an unique ability to play at any position and steadying the sinking ship. He has evolved into a spectacular finisher. The Indian skipper is coming along the lines of the Aussie great Michel Bevan( though the technique is missing in dhoni, still bowlers can't get him easily) At no.7 you need an allrounder. Yusuf Pathan is one option. Consistency plays an important role in this slot. I doubt his ability to play pace. So in the death overs he may find it tough to negotiate a steyn or a dirk nannes or etc etc... You surely need a big hitter and the option of Ravindra Jadeja is ruled out. It may be surprising but the perfect choice would be Raina. Iam sorry to play him at no. 7 but this is the only slot left. No. 4 and No. 7 may be interchanged by Rohit and Raina at times dependin on the match situation.
Now, coming to the bowling department, since the world cup is played in the subcontinent and most of the tracks are dry and dusty and assist spin, we may be forced to go in with 2 spinners and 2 seamers. Zaheer and Bajji are obvious selections. The 2nd seamer and 2nd spinner can be played by Nehra and Ashwin/Ojha. I feel very depressed about the fact that many of our seamers like I.Pathan, RP Singh, Ishanth, Sreesanth and even Agarkar have failed to cement their places. Its very disheartening. It surely rings the alarm bell and i hope the selectors give it an ear. We need a strong pace foundation in place. The BCCI needs to spend some of its black money stuck in the hands of its authorities for setting up these institutions. The NCA needs to expand and open up more branches. All this can only be done by BCCI( world's richest cricket board). So, coming back to the team selection here is the 15 member squad.
1) V.Sehwag
2) S.Tendulkar*
3)G.Gambhir
4)R.Sharma/S.Raina
5)Y.Singh
6)M.S.Dhoni
7)S.Raina/R.Sharma
8)R.Ashwin
9)H.Singh
10)Z.Khan
11)A.Nehra
RESERVES:
1) P.Kumar
2)P.Ojha
3)V.Kohli
4)D.Karthick
Sunday, June 6, 2010
India's T20 debacle
The big money bonanza IPL fondly known as INDIAN PAISA LEAGUE although its actual name being INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE had just concluded and India's largest religion- CRICKET FOLLOWERS were still addicted to the shortest format, the T20. The T20 world cup at the West Indies was received well in India thanks to the hype created by the media. The expectations were high on the Indian team, champions of the inaugral T20 world cup.
India's first match against the amateurs Afganistan was a cakewalk for the men in blue. TN opener M.Vijay had a decent match and so was Raina. Well, practically the first match for India was against the proteas at st.lucia. It was a fantastic contest on the cards. M.S.Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first. India's openers including the IPL star(though he scored only in 2 matches) M.Vijay failed to trouble the scorers leaving India in a spot of bother. Then the repair works started and went on very well as Raina scored a classy ton. A marvellous century. India posted a decent target and the Indian bowlers did a neat job to win the game for India. This was the only decent and a face saving match for India. For the next couple of days the media was upto its usual job of blowing things out of proportion and calling the men in blue "THE STRONG CONTENDERS FOR THE CUP". Our next game was against the aussies. Again a thrilling contest, but none knew it would be a horror movie for india. The batsmen got literally raped and molested by the lethal pace trio of Australia namely M.Johnson, S.Tait and D.Nannes . It clearly showcased our weakness against shortpitched bowling. India's test opener Gambhir too fell prey to stuff near the nose which is a serious concern. The same tactic was adopted by the host too in the next game. The Windies learnt from the aussies how to tame the famed Indian batting line-up. It was a dismal batting performance by the Indians and it cost the game for India. Now, to the media, the strong contenders became the most weak side in the world. Kudos to the news channels. India, now was facing a serious threat of forefeiting their semis birth. The equations and the number games started rolling out. India had to win the Lankans by a margin of 20 runs or 2 overs to advance to the semis assuming that Windies lose to the aussies. Even now, the "enthupattanies" were still keeping their fingers crossed and were hoping to see India in a semifinal fixture. I was one amongst the millions who watched the match against Sri Lanka hoping to see India win by the required margin even though my inner conscience kept telling me "Go and sleep..you know we cant win..". Finally as usual my inner conscience ended up winning and India ended up losing. Our 4th debacle in an ICC tournament. Moral of the story: In any format of the game you need to have your techniques strong. Only if your techniques are strong you can be a successful cricketer in all the versions. Especially to face the raising deliveries you need to know the textbook.
Lets hope to see India emerging the world champions in the 2011 ODI world cup. Probably Sachin's last world cup. The perfect gift to a master who gave a new dimension to batting and Indian cricket. A genius who brought about smiles in a million faces. An icon who carries the burdens of a billion everytime he walks into the field. To sum it up i call him "THE GOD of CRICKET" .
India's first match against the amateurs Afganistan was a cakewalk for the men in blue. TN opener M.Vijay had a decent match and so was Raina. Well, practically the first match for India was against the proteas at st.lucia. It was a fantastic contest on the cards. M.S.Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first. India's openers including the IPL star(though he scored only in 2 matches) M.Vijay failed to trouble the scorers leaving India in a spot of bother. Then the repair works started and went on very well as Raina scored a classy ton. A marvellous century. India posted a decent target and the Indian bowlers did a neat job to win the game for India. This was the only decent and a face saving match for India. For the next couple of days the media was upto its usual job of blowing things out of proportion and calling the men in blue "THE STRONG CONTENDERS FOR THE CUP". Our next game was against the aussies. Again a thrilling contest, but none knew it would be a horror movie for india. The batsmen got literally raped and molested by the lethal pace trio of Australia namely M.Johnson, S.Tait and D.Nannes . It clearly showcased our weakness against shortpitched bowling. India's test opener Gambhir too fell prey to stuff near the nose which is a serious concern. The same tactic was adopted by the host too in the next game. The Windies learnt from the aussies how to tame the famed Indian batting line-up. It was a dismal batting performance by the Indians and it cost the game for India. Now, to the media, the strong contenders became the most weak side in the world. Kudos to the news channels. India, now was facing a serious threat of forefeiting their semis birth. The equations and the number games started rolling out. India had to win the Lankans by a margin of 20 runs or 2 overs to advance to the semis assuming that Windies lose to the aussies. Even now, the "enthupattanies" were still keeping their fingers crossed and were hoping to see India in a semifinal fixture. I was one amongst the millions who watched the match against Sri Lanka hoping to see India win by the required margin even though my inner conscience kept telling me "Go and sleep..you know we cant win..". Finally as usual my inner conscience ended up winning and India ended up losing. Our 4th debacle in an ICC tournament. Moral of the story: In any format of the game you need to have your techniques strong. Only if your techniques are strong you can be a successful cricketer in all the versions. Especially to face the raising deliveries you need to know the textbook.
Lets hope to see India emerging the world champions in the 2011 ODI world cup. Probably Sachin's last world cup. The perfect gift to a master who gave a new dimension to batting and Indian cricket. A genius who brought about smiles in a million faces. An icon who carries the burdens of a billion everytime he walks into the field. To sum it up i call him "THE GOD of CRICKET" .
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