IPL

Call it a cash making cricket destroying match machine. But all is forgiven when you see the efforts of unknown cricketers getting notice for what they do at IPL. Today it was Paul Valthaty. He played a great innings and man was he happy! He might never play anything like this. But well it does not matter. Nobody can take away what he had done today! 

The debate

Well everybody is writing, talking, fighting, tweeting, blogging, facebooking and whatever it might be thats the latest fad about Anna Hazare's fast.

There are people who belive that holding the goivernment ransom by fasting is wrong. Probably it is, but there isn't a better way. So let it go on

There are people who argue that the bill is draconian and will lead to a group of vested interestes getting hold of it just as today the political process is subverted. Probably, but well yuou can't not try!

Overall, its a tough call to take sides and I am sceptical of what will happen. I don't feel all that rgeat about the bill and its implications. 

I find this piece by Niranjan Rajadakhsya a much more elgenat solution. Please go on with the Lok Pal bill but ensure that economic reforms go on so that every little guy does not have to go to a big guy to get things done (thats when corruption begins). Yes it is a slow painful process, not as "fame providing" or liberating as the outburst on corruption but probably more effective. Until we realize this is an option like (anantha Nageswaran mentions here) we will not make great progress.

Well thats just me !

 

Dileep

hits the nail on its head here!

Some excerpts

Two decades from now, you can expect a similar treatise from a middle-aged Indian. Only, this one will be called How Dhoni Ruined Everything. One fluid swing of the bat, the ball soaring into Mumbai's night and a foothold on cricket's highest peak. You can only go downhill from there.

What else can I say!

 

Sometimes all you

can say is there isn't enough justice in this world. Read this piece and you might agree with me

 

The winning moments and later

As I watch the celebrations again and again, it makes you realize this is something special, really special!

Poetic Justice

1992 was the year I was initiated into cricket seriously. I watched cricket before that, but 1992 world cupm was when I became a serious follower of cricket. I was 10 at that point. The world cup was hosted by Australia and New Zealand. I remember getting up at 3AM with my dad and watching the India matches. I was still learning about cricket. i still remember the India pakistan match. We were winning comfortably, and then there was the Javed frog jump mocking More. Well, More had the last laugh. I also remember a great fighting inning by Azhar against Australia and we ended up losing by a couple of runs. Then came 1996 world cup in India. India were one of the favorites. I was expecting India to win or rather cheering passionately for an Indian win. We reached the QF. We defeated Pakistan in a match where Jadeja flayed Waqar in Bangalore. And then the SF was with Sri Lanka. We were humiliated. A series of miscalculations by our team that resulted in tears for me. That was when I realized what cricket means to me. Slowly, but surely I was becoming really passionate about the game. I did not have too much ability to play the game, but analysis, statistics and history of the game were things I loved. So, I continued learning about the game and soon 1999 came around. We had a disasterous world cup in England. It was after 1999 world cup that Ganguly started leading Team India. In his own style mind you. We went into the 2003 World Cup in bad form losing to New Zealand. But then Zaheer, Srinath and Nehra had a great tournament in South Africa and we made it to the finals (of course we only had to beat kenya in the S/F, not our mistake is it!). Then a giant screen viewing experience was arranged in IITM and after a drubbing by Ponting and Co. the dream of world cup win remained elusive. Then, we seemed very well prepared for the 2007 version in West Indies. Alas, it was one of the worst tournaments. We were eliminated in the prelimniary rounds. So, one day legends like Dravid and Ganguly never won a world cup. Of all the one day legends Sachin remained continuing his quest for the elusive cup. Then came 2011 world cup in India. And in this one after a wait covering six world cups I witnessed India winning a World Cup. Yes, you read it correct. India now are the World Champions of Cricket. After playing every world cup I watched as a kid (1992 through 2011 -  6 in total), Sachin finally has the World Cup medal. Its poetic justice that he won it after playing for 20 years! Amazing! Just Amazing. Also, Sachin was the leading scorer for India in this World Cup too. Yet in the final it was the generation next players (Gambhir, Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj) that batted to ensure we won the world cup. Most of them would have took up the game because of Sachin. I find this a perfect tribute to the Little Master. I feel if there was anyone who deserved the cup medal it was him and the script was perfect! Not to mention the bonus of my dude sehwag winning the medal too! Its great. 

Coming to me, after having watched cricket for 19 years I can finally say I have watched India win a World Cup. I was not sure how long I will have to wait for saying that words. 19 years and it was worth the wait. i just hope the wait for the next time will be shorter :)

Thanks Team India and enjoy the awards and glory that comes your way!

One more thing, I am extremely impressed at the unbelievable ability of Dhoni to absorb the pressure. Dude you are amazing!

 

A splendid piece that reverberates

some of my own personal feelings on THE match by Aakash Chopra.

Some Excerpts

It's about time that we, as a nation, answer these questions. Are we going to behave like this every time we play Pakistan? If we detest them so much, it may not be a bad idea to severe all cricketing ties with them, for a cricket match can't be used as a benchmark to prove our superiority as a nation. Every time we behave like the way we did this time, it pulls us down as a responsible nation. The choice is ours.

Have to agree with him! How can you not?