What is this I now read about Vengsarkar and Dravid not being able to build a bond?
So is this the truth behind why he stepped down from his captaincy? Is this the truth behind why he was dropped? Or is this all pure media hype, simply being blown up by the Indian media- as it often does?
Will Vengsarkar leave him out of the Test squad as well? I will spontaneously combust if that happens, I swear.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Fall of the Wall?
I can't believe this. I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BELIEVE THIS.
Two shocks in a day are too much. First it was Dhoni's hair. And now, they're dropping DRAVID from the 1st two ODIs against Pakistan? (Geez, that sentence doesn't even SOUND acceptable- drop and Dravid in the same sentence? Since when?)
Does anybody even REALISE the implication of that? RAHUL DRAVID, Mr Reliable himself, The Great Wall of India (who's evolved into much more than just a wall), DROPPED? Just because he had ONE bad series?
And his replacement?
Virender Sehwag.
No I'm not joking. Virender Sehwag, who was dropped unglamorously from the team for his inconsistency and his lousy form. Virender Sehwag whom they gave chance after chance for almost 3 series, despite his low scores. Virender Sehwag, who is now (sadly) the captain of the India Blues and happened to have a couple of good knocks.
I ask, so what? He was given chances for eons, despite the fact that he wasn't performing. And after all the talk from the selectors about how Dravid was just "rested" for the last ODI against Australia, and how he is a great player who he will pick up his form in the next series, they drop him? How's he supposed to "pick up his form" if he's not even playing, hmmm?
Well, I don't know what to say anymore. All I can say now is that I want Dravid back in the side for the last 3 ODIs, and I hope he comes back and justifies his place in the side. I know he's going to retire soon, but I'm not going to sit quietly if they drop him unglamorously for having ONE bad series. Jammy deserves a grand exit if and when he decides to retire. And I sincerely hope he's not going to get anything less.
Why must we consistently have selectors who make the WEIRDEST and most depressing selection decisions in the world?
P.S.: I promise I'll try not to be so emotionally motivated next time. Just give me leeway when it comes to Rahul Dravid- he's been my idol for 8.5 years and I can't bear to see him on the receiving end of injustice.
Two shocks in a day are too much. First it was Dhoni's hair. And now, they're dropping DRAVID from the 1st two ODIs against Pakistan? (Geez, that sentence doesn't even SOUND acceptable- drop and Dravid in the same sentence? Since when?)
Does anybody even REALISE the implication of that? RAHUL DRAVID, Mr Reliable himself, The Great Wall of India (who's evolved into much more than just a wall), DROPPED? Just because he had ONE bad series?
And his replacement?
Virender Sehwag.
No I'm not joking. Virender Sehwag, who was dropped unglamorously from the team for his inconsistency and his lousy form. Virender Sehwag whom they gave chance after chance for almost 3 series, despite his low scores. Virender Sehwag, who is now (sadly) the captain of the India Blues and happened to have a couple of good knocks.
I ask, so what? He was given chances for eons, despite the fact that he wasn't performing. And after all the talk from the selectors about how Dravid was just "rested" for the last ODI against Australia, and how he is a great player who he will pick up his form in the next series, they drop him? How's he supposed to "pick up his form" if he's not even playing, hmmm?
Well, I don't know what to say anymore. All I can say now is that I want Dravid back in the side for the last 3 ODIs, and I hope he comes back and justifies his place in the side. I know he's going to retire soon, but I'm not going to sit quietly if they drop him unglamorously for having ONE bad series. Jammy deserves a grand exit if and when he decides to retire. And I sincerely hope he's not going to get anything less.
Why must we consistently have selectors who make the WEIRDEST and most depressing selection decisions in the world?
P.S.: I promise I'll try not to be so emotionally motivated next time. Just give me leeway when it comes to Rahul Dravid- he's been my idol for 8.5 years and I can't bear to see him on the receiving end of injustice.
Anhoni Ho Gayi Honi, Aur Main Ban Gaya... Kaun?
I am extremely disappointed with Dhoni.
No it's not because he captained badly. No, he didn't keep wickets dismally either. And nope, he did not get consecutive ducks.
...
He cut his hair.
HE CUT HIS HAIR. No it's not a trim. It's a crewcut ala John Abraham. I'm not sure the ground beneath me is firm enough anymore because this has shaken my foundations. Come on, Dhoni= LongFlowingTresses + Classic EarToEarGrin. How can he mess up that equation?
And is the media overhyping the influence of a certain Miss Padukone in this issue or could it possibly be... fact? Interesting, this.
But it doesn't do anything to alleviate my disappointment. Please grow your hair back Dhoni. I miss it already (and he hasn't even played a match with his short hair yet).
Here is a *cringe* picture.
P.S.: If you don't get the title, it means "The impossible became possible, and I became... who?". It is in reference to a 7UP ad that Dhoni does, where he says "Anhoni ho gayi honi, aur main ban gaya Dhoni". Which means, "The impossible became possible, and I became Dhoni".
No it's not because he captained badly. No, he didn't keep wickets dismally either. And nope, he did not get consecutive ducks.
...
He cut his hair.
HE CUT HIS HAIR. No it's not a trim. It's a crewcut ala John Abraham. I'm not sure the ground beneath me is firm enough anymore because this has shaken my foundations. Come on, Dhoni= LongFlowingTresses + Classic EarToEarGrin. How can he mess up that equation?
And is the media overhyping the influence of a certain Miss Padukone in this issue or could it possibly be... fact? Interesting, this.
But it doesn't do anything to alleviate my disappointment. Please grow your hair back Dhoni. I miss it already (and he hasn't even played a match with his short hair yet).
Here is a *cringe* picture.
P.S.: If you don't get the title, it means "The impossible became possible, and I became... who?". It is in reference to a 7UP ad that Dhoni does, where he says "Anhoni ho gayi honi, aur main ban gaya Dhoni". Which means, "The impossible became possible, and I became Dhoni".
Sunday, October 21, 2007
No Flash In The Pan.
A marvelous win once again, agaist Australia, this time in the Twenty20 format! But then again, we ARE the world champions...
Although with India that could effectively mean nothing, this time that wasn't the case. They truly showed Australia WHY they are the Twenty20 Champions, and they did so in style. The batsmen looked utterly at ease in this format of the game and they way Dhoni finished the game- with a big six- truly said everything.
Hats off to you India, for the way you played yesterday. :)
The funniest, cutest and silliest part, of course, came at the post-match presentation. Gambhir won the MoM award for his brilliant half-century and he won a car. The minute Gambhir was announced as MoM, he got COMPLETELY drenched in Coca Cola by the team. He went up to collect his award and give his interview looking like he climbed out of a pool filled with coke. It was hilarious. And the minute the ceremony ended, everyone forced him into the new car (cola dripping and all) and the rest of the team climbed on top of the car, a few on the bonnet, a few on the roof and the rest leaning against it, and posed for a photo. Hilarious. The commentators were distressing about how they were going to dent the car, but not a single Indian player looked bothered in the least, Gambhir included.
Off the field, they are like five year olds. Truly. For all the maturity that some of them display during the match, off the field, they are the total opposite. I think they leave their maturity on the pitch. But I love precisely for this utterly adorable trait.
For example, Robin Uthappa played brilliant, attacking cricket yesterday, but then he got out and soon after, the camera focussed on him sitting at the dugout in his sleeveless tee and training pants and chappals. The minute he saw the camera, he waved and winked (which in itself was adorable to the max) and at that point, Irfan, who was sitting in front of him, fell back on him on purpose and Uthappa hugged him and they both started laughing. It was so cute. After a while, the camera focussed on Uthappa again and this time he waved and mouthed "Hi Mama. I love you!" and blew a kiss. Such a sweet mummy's boy. :D
See what I mean by five year olds?
In other news, gossip (and some very interesting guests at yesterday's match) seem to hint that our dearest captain has been clean bowled- no not by one of Brett Lee's yorkers, but by a lovely young maiden.
To be more specific, Deepika Padukone. Yes, that pretty new actress in Om Shanti Om. She invited him to the OSO premier and he invited her to yesterday's match. And she supposedly cancelled another engagement to "watch Dhoni in action". Now now now, isn't that sweet? :) Deepika and Dhoni. Has a pretty nice ring to it!
To quote an article I read, "Bat, ball and Bollywood" indeed. Well, time will tell how true it is!
Although with India that could effectively mean nothing, this time that wasn't the case. They truly showed Australia WHY they are the Twenty20 Champions, and they did so in style. The batsmen looked utterly at ease in this format of the game and they way Dhoni finished the game- with a big six- truly said everything.
Hats off to you India, for the way you played yesterday. :)
The funniest, cutest and silliest part, of course, came at the post-match presentation. Gambhir won the MoM award for his brilliant half-century and he won a car. The minute Gambhir was announced as MoM, he got COMPLETELY drenched in Coca Cola by the team. He went up to collect his award and give his interview looking like he climbed out of a pool filled with coke. It was hilarious. And the minute the ceremony ended, everyone forced him into the new car (cola dripping and all) and the rest of the team climbed on top of the car, a few on the bonnet, a few on the roof and the rest leaning against it, and posed for a photo. Hilarious. The commentators were distressing about how they were going to dent the car, but not a single Indian player looked bothered in the least, Gambhir included.
Off the field, they are like five year olds. Truly. For all the maturity that some of them display during the match, off the field, they are the total opposite. I think they leave their maturity on the pitch. But I love precisely for this utterly adorable trait.
For example, Robin Uthappa played brilliant, attacking cricket yesterday, but then he got out and soon after, the camera focussed on him sitting at the dugout in his sleeveless tee and training pants and chappals. The minute he saw the camera, he waved and winked (which in itself was adorable to the max) and at that point, Irfan, who was sitting in front of him, fell back on him on purpose and Uthappa hugged him and they both started laughing. It was so cute. After a while, the camera focussed on Uthappa again and this time he waved and mouthed "Hi Mama. I love you!" and blew a kiss. Such a sweet mummy's boy. :D
See what I mean by five year olds?
In other news, gossip (and some very interesting guests at yesterday's match) seem to hint that our dearest captain has been clean bowled- no not by one of Brett Lee's yorkers, but by a lovely young maiden.
To be more specific, Deepika Padukone. Yes, that pretty new actress in Om Shanti Om. She invited him to the OSO premier and he invited her to yesterday's match. And she supposedly cancelled another engagement to "watch Dhoni in action". Now now now, isn't that sweet? :) Deepika and Dhoni. Has a pretty nice ring to it!
To quote an article I read, "Bat, ball and Bollywood" indeed. Well, time will tell how true it is!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Consolatory Win and the Dhoni.
It is time for me to once again inadequately analyse India's superb victory over Australia in yesterday's match.
Once again, we lost the series. But no matter, we won the final match and since it was against Australia, it was a HUGE morale boost.
Now the highlight of yesterday's match was another unsung hero (you'll find that TeamIndia generally has either unsung heroes or overhyped heroes. There's rarely an inbetween... but I'm not complaining). Murali Karthik. He had made a small name for himself with sudden shows of brilliance and then a long retreat into oblivion. In fact, this time round, he had already joined the commentary team of Neo Sports, when halfway through the series, he was called to join the playing 11. He went on to play 3 matches, in all of which he played very well, but yesterday's performance was the showstopper, without a doubt. 6 wickets for 27 runs in 10 over. A couple of maiden overs, one 2 wicket maiden and one 3 wicket maiden. He was on a hat-trick twice. The best performance by a left arm spinner in the history of ODI cricket, and the best performance by any Indian bowler against Australia.
And to top it all off, he batted like a hero at the end, supporting Zaheer Khan, playing and missing many times, but never losing courage and in the end, seeing India through to a memorable victory. Could we Indian supporters ask for more?
I think all our batsmen need to stand up and applaud our bowlers and humbly accept that they were one-upped by the bowlers yesterday. Let's face it, our bowlers bowled Australia out for a paltry 193 and then went on to bat bravely at the end to see India home. This game was won by our bowlers' gutsiness, Dhoni's captaincy and Uthappa's knock of 47. So everyone else really needs to graciously step away and let these heroes take the attention for this game. The way they were celebrating, honestly anyone could have been forgiven for assuming they won the series. But that is the joy that comes from giving it back to the World Champions in the 50 over format.
I loved watching the interview with Zaks and Karthik at the end of the game. The way the two of them were laughing and poking fun at each other was heartnening to watch. Their attitude towards the victory was also nice to see, the enthusiasm was clearly there, though neither is a youngster.
But beyond all the celebratory scenes, what I loved MOST was Dhoni's reaction. He was evidently pleased (which captain wouldn't be, what with the way the bowlers stood up to the task at hand?), but the calmness with which he accepted the victory, the grace with which he immediately went out to shake the Australian players' hands was very nice to watch. I suppose you could say that was because they lost the series here. But go back and look at his reactions after they won the T20 World Cup. He NEVER got carried away. The minute they won, he gathered his team into a huddle and apparently, uttered a surprising but rather admirable one-liner advice: "Sab kuch normal rakhne ka." Meaning, keep everything normal. He knew how they would be elevated to holy status by their fans, but he also knew how fickle these fans were and how they wouldn't hesitate to stab them in the back if they were to lose in the next series. And he had had first hand taste of this when fans stoned his under construction house in Ranchi when he scored a duck in the WC match against SL earlier this year.
It was very heartening to know that we have at the helm of the Indian team ship, a captain whose feet are firmly planted in the ground, whose heart lies with the team first and whose head thinks sensibly and rationally. His honesty is refreshing, his diplomacy always has a twist to it, his dry wit is chuckle-worthy and his confidence, enthusiasm and spirit has obviously seeped through to the rest of the team. Even when they are losing, his attitude never seems defeated, his comments at the post match presentation and press conferences are to the point and he doesn't avoid the blame or try to shift the blame to any one player. His positive, smiling attitude and his agressive, biker dude image, oxymoronic as they may be, truly emphasize the little twist of character that he has brought to TeamIndia. All in all, I find him a thoroughly likeable captain.
I hope he stays that way, and I hope his popularity continues to build. :)
Once again, we lost the series. But no matter, we won the final match and since it was against Australia, it was a HUGE morale boost.
Now the highlight of yesterday's match was another unsung hero (you'll find that TeamIndia generally has either unsung heroes or overhyped heroes. There's rarely an inbetween... but I'm not complaining). Murali Karthik. He had made a small name for himself with sudden shows of brilliance and then a long retreat into oblivion. In fact, this time round, he had already joined the commentary team of Neo Sports, when halfway through the series, he was called to join the playing 11. He went on to play 3 matches, in all of which he played very well, but yesterday's performance was the showstopper, without a doubt. 6 wickets for 27 runs in 10 over. A couple of maiden overs, one 2 wicket maiden and one 3 wicket maiden. He was on a hat-trick twice. The best performance by a left arm spinner in the history of ODI cricket, and the best performance by any Indian bowler against Australia.
And to top it all off, he batted like a hero at the end, supporting Zaheer Khan, playing and missing many times, but never losing courage and in the end, seeing India through to a memorable victory. Could we Indian supporters ask for more?
I think all our batsmen need to stand up and applaud our bowlers and humbly accept that they were one-upped by the bowlers yesterday. Let's face it, our bowlers bowled Australia out for a paltry 193 and then went on to bat bravely at the end to see India home. This game was won by our bowlers' gutsiness, Dhoni's captaincy and Uthappa's knock of 47. So everyone else really needs to graciously step away and let these heroes take the attention for this game. The way they were celebrating, honestly anyone could have been forgiven for assuming they won the series. But that is the joy that comes from giving it back to the World Champions in the 50 over format.
I loved watching the interview with Zaks and Karthik at the end of the game. The way the two of them were laughing and poking fun at each other was heartnening to watch. Their attitude towards the victory was also nice to see, the enthusiasm was clearly there, though neither is a youngster.
But beyond all the celebratory scenes, what I loved MOST was Dhoni's reaction. He was evidently pleased (which captain wouldn't be, what with the way the bowlers stood up to the task at hand?), but the calmness with which he accepted the victory, the grace with which he immediately went out to shake the Australian players' hands was very nice to watch. I suppose you could say that was because they lost the series here. But go back and look at his reactions after they won the T20 World Cup. He NEVER got carried away. The minute they won, he gathered his team into a huddle and apparently, uttered a surprising but rather admirable one-liner advice: "Sab kuch normal rakhne ka." Meaning, keep everything normal. He knew how they would be elevated to holy status by their fans, but he also knew how fickle these fans were and how they wouldn't hesitate to stab them in the back if they were to lose in the next series. And he had had first hand taste of this when fans stoned his under construction house in Ranchi when he scored a duck in the WC match against SL earlier this year.
It was very heartening to know that we have at the helm of the Indian team ship, a captain whose feet are firmly planted in the ground, whose heart lies with the team first and whose head thinks sensibly and rationally. His honesty is refreshing, his diplomacy always has a twist to it, his dry wit is chuckle-worthy and his confidence, enthusiasm and spirit has obviously seeped through to the rest of the team. Even when they are losing, his attitude never seems defeated, his comments at the post match presentation and press conferences are to the point and he doesn't avoid the blame or try to shift the blame to any one player. His positive, smiling attitude and his agressive, biker dude image, oxymoronic as they may be, truly emphasize the little twist of character that he has brought to TeamIndia. All in all, I find him a thoroughly likeable captain.
I hope he stays that way, and I hope his popularity continues to build. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
