Who Won World Cup 2019?

Once in four years ICC organize a grand event called World Cup to decide who the champion team among all is.

The ten best teams of the world compete with each other for almost 2 months and then the best two

among them play a final to get their hands on the trophy. We have had seen many close

encounters, but we have never seen something that happened in Lords on Sunday, 14th July,

2019.

It was a world cup final between the two best teams of tournament who reached there, beating

the current world champions Australia and the number one team from league stage- India.

England and New Zealand were playing finals looking for their first ever world cup title.

Everyone have chosen their side for winning but no one knew that none of the side would lose

this one!

Usually when we talk about finals one team freezes under the pressure. Yesterday neither team

did that! It was a final in which both teams gave their hundred percent, as a result of which

both teams ended up scoring same total in the end, which means match was tied and super

over needs to be played to decide the winner between them. They played again, and result was

same this time as well- a tie, but England won the world cup! Wonder how? By ICC rules!!

Looking at the way these two teams played top class match, probably the best in the history of

cricket, the flaws in the ICC rules came into radar. Here are the few which will remain a matter

of discussion until an amendment is made

1. New Zealand scored 241 for 8. England were all out 241. Having lost 2 wickets less, NZ could have

been declared the winner. There was no question of having a super over.

2. Both teams scored equal runs in super over but winner was decided on the basis of who

scored more boundaries in the match. The silliness of this rule got realized when the

cost for losing the match was a world cup trophy. The most fair outcome in this situation

should be a shared trophy or a continuation of super over until we get a definite winner.

3. There should be a rule when someone especially batsman unintentionally gets his bat

on the ball while ball is travelling on the field. Because that unintentional bat on ball

actually decided the fate of the match.

4. A blunder pointed out by cricket's best umpire that there was an error of judgment in

umpiring. The 6 runs that were awarded for the over through should have been 5, since

batsmen didn't crossed at the time of throw.

People often say the rules are already agreed upon at the start, but the worst case scenario

seems to be written in hurry, and nobody cared what if it will ever happen, that too in a world cup

final!!! The rules seemed illogical looking at the gob-smacked cricket displayed by the two

teams, as a result of which, the cup is with England but the World is with New Zealand.

IPL 2019 Final Review: A Final That Exposed Weakness of MI and CSK

Finally, IPL 2019 has got its old champion who loves to keep the trophy with them every alternate year. Rather than saying MI won the title, I would say CSK have lost it. Despite doing everything wrong, MI won and as they say everything is good if the ending is good so they looked at the positives they have achieved. It was an IPL of last overs finishes and its final concluded in the same way.
Let's have a look at things which encapsulated the final-

1. Fielding- They say catches win matches. Well, Mumbai Indians didn't have the great day in the field and it can easily be concluded from the fact that they had dropped a single player Watson four times. So, they have dropped all the catches and lost it so many times in the match but somehow managed to win the title.

2. Never run for a misfield- No matter how much unorthodox you become you cannot ignore any basic rule of cricket. And one such rule is- One should never run for a misfield. Ignoring this basic rule cost Chennai Super Kings the trophy.

MS Dhoni got run out while trying to steal a second run which was actually not there. Batting has always been a matter of concern for CSK throughout the season and the one man on which they had heavily relied got out in a manner no one had imagined. He got run out after 2 years and that too at such a crucial moment!

Another turning point was when a set batsman who had already been gifted four lives and took Chennai Super Kings on the verge of victory single-handedly hesitantly decided to take a second run. Has he not taken that run CSK would have comfortably won the match.

3. Umpiring Standard- The one thing which has been in radar throughout this IPL is umpiring. One decision of wrong run out eliminated RCB and another one made CSK lose the trophy. Serious amendments need to be done to make this gentleman's game fairer. Also, the standard of umpiring needs to be improved on priority.

4. Pressure Game- Honestly speaking throughout the match Mumbai Indians felt the pressure of final no matter how much they deny. That wicket keeping blunder by de-cock, those simple dropped catches by their fielder and that second last penultimate over by Krunal Pandya is the proof of that. Chennai Super Kings was much more composed looking at the kind of experience they had in their team but CSK batting got exposed after Dhoni's dismissal. And last over was simply the contest between an experienced player and an inexperienced one. Lasith Malinga stuck to the basics and his strength and used his 12 years of IPL experience and bowled toe-crushing yorker in the last over which restricted CSK to even equal the title.

All in all, it was not the final anyone would have expected. While Chennai Super Kings fans are still in disbelief, the Mumbai Indians fans are happy about the fact that they have clinched the trophy.

A Battle Between Tactics of India's Most Successful Captains

The Qualifier 2 is actually the final that we all would have wanted in IPL 2019, but unfortunately only one of the two teams would proceed to the finals from here on. The situation is more like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battling in the semi-finals itself. The reason why I am saying so is that it is the contest between India's two most successful captains. While the coach of one team is the pied piper of the Indian cricket team and the captain of the other one is the man with Midas touch.

The situation is more like the India and Australia world cup 2003 final. Where India (Delhi Capitals) had qualified for the final for the first time while Australia (Chennai Super Kings) on the other hand is usually the confirmed finalist of the tournament. Looking at the fact that Delhi Capitals have reached this stage for the very first time, the match seems to be much in favor of Chennai Super Kings. Not to forget their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni performs best under pressure.

The intensity of this match will be altogether different. While Delhi would surely try to do some fancy since they are the first timer, the Chennai Super Kings would simply take advantage of this and would wait for them to make mistakes. The previous performance of these two teams does not really matter at this stage, since in T20 what matter is how well you perform on that particular day.

The Chennai does seem to be heavily dependent on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, therefore, his wicket might make difference in the result but I think it's the bowling which is going to be the key factor in this match. The one who bowls well is going to win this one and Chennai Super Kings seems to have an advantage here and for me are the winners of this match.

Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians: A Clash For IPL 2019 Title

Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians, the final which all would have wanted for IPL 2019. The two most successful teams of IPL history with three titles each would be battling to add a fourth title and show their superiority.

Chennai Super Kings
Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK which has been to seven IPL finals earlier have already won three IPL titles. The yellow army is the Australia of IPL, and it is hard to beat them. CSK has been to playoffs in all the 10 seasons of IPL in which they have participated. In IPL 2019 CSK has performed as per expectations but the only team which had bothered them in this season is Mumbai Indians. Batting has been a matter of concern throughout the season for this team, but the way their batsmen have performed in the Qualifier 2 might be a sign of relief for the team.

Mumbai Indians 
Mumbai Indian which had always looked good on paper, had a usual IPL outing this season as well, they started off with losing streak and ended up on top. Mumbai Indians have been to playoffs in 8 times in their 12 IPL outings. They have 100% record against Chennai Super Kings this season, and with their all in-form players, they have been able to execute their plans and have exploited the weakness of Chennai Super Kings really well.

Both teams have faced each other in finals thrice earlier, out of which Mumbai Indians have clinched the title twice. Both MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are big match players and with CSK batting line up clicking up at the right time and already having all in-form spinners, it would be a contest to watch out for on slow pitch of Hyderabad. Since it's a final and your previous performance hardly matters but your experience does, so it looks like Chennai Super Kings is having an advantage here and would be able to increase the title counter by 1.

The Change Is Being Called

23rd July 2017, World Cup Final

It was a packed house at the Mecca of Cricket and an entire cricket crazy nation was glued to their TV sets. A world cup final between India and England, two nations for whom cricket is everything, were fighting to win the coveted trophy. Obviously no one wants to miss such an exciting clash which was expected to go down to the wire for sure.

But there was something more historic which was happening for the first time. It was a women's world cup final and the cricket crazy nation-India, who has been entirely gender biased while following cricket since so many years was willing to watch the match with the same enthusiasm. Yes, for the very first time an entire women's world cup is been telecast-ed on television and got the same response as the men's cricket gets.

I always believe media has the power to bring any change and the change this world cup coverage has bought should turn out to be a stepping stone in changing the fortune of women's cricket in India. People had not only followed the entire tournament but also got to that just like men's cricket the highest run scorer in the history of ODI in Women's cricket also belongs to India. In fact Women cricket is a step ahead and we also have highest wicket takers as well in the world.

Although it would have been great if India would have won the world cup but their spectacular campaign in world cup has won the attraction of entire nation and received accolades from everywhere.

'Swag' is a most-abused word in English. It is often misunderstood as bold, brash overconfidence when it actually means an assured self-confidence that reflects in actions and words. By that yardstick, Mithali Raj owns the term. What a calm and composed player she is both on and off the field.

Moreover his is the change I have been waiting for, this is the change about which I had mentioned about in my book 'Being A Female Cricket Fan' as well and is finally happy to see that it actually happened.  

Being A Female Cricket Fan- A Rare Book On Cricket

Yes!! I had now written a book ‘Being A Female Cricket Fan’ for the love of game, which was always on cards ever since i started writing blog on Cricket. And it was my book which has helped me getting noticed by eminent players of the game. I am really overwhelmed by the response i got from so personality related to cricket like- Kumar Sangakkara, Virender Sehwag, Dwayne Bravo, Herschelle Gibbs, Jason Gillespie, Aakash Chopra, Murali Kartik, Darren Sammy, VVS Laxman, Yogesh Golwalkar, Mohandas Menon and Surrey Women Cricket. Sounds unreal right!! It should be to a normal cricket fan like us because we do follow cricket but even if actually meet anyone in real we surly will not believe it for some time and even if we do, others won’t.

It is after writing the book ‘Being A Female Cricket Fan’ i realized what it means to be a female cricket fan more. The response and interest which i had received from people related to the game and the interest people have shown in reading it, boosted my confidence.

To top the list is the name which could make you totally go awe, because the king khan of bollywood Shah Rukh Khan shared my books link and said ‘All the Best. Will try and read it too’. Many couldn’t believe that couldn’t believe that this had happened. The point here is that no matter how much successful you become your success always seems achievable to people around you.

The book is presently available in e-book format which can be read using Kindle device or simply by downloading kindle app on your phone. If you like reading in printed form then soon book will be available in paperback form.

At the end I would really like to thank all the people who have read, shared and provided great review for my book.

You can find the book at- https://www.amazon.in/Being-Female-Cricket-Fan-Vinita-ebook/dp/B018CKGPJE

How Difficult It Is To Score A Century

If you want to know what exactly it means when one say  he is having lots of potential but his achievements don’t tell the true story, then i am having a perfect example for you all .

It took 33 years for him to prove his potential, an age when most of the players plan to retire from cricket, he established himself in that age. A player who has potential to fit and excel in any format of the game , an unflappable middle-order mainstay, who has accumulated 5,122 runs — the most runs by any player in ODIs without a ton, well this record don’t have any competition, we can call it an achievement of his .He is the most non-pakistani captain of Pakistan who recently took retirement from ODI’s- Misbah-ul-haq.One of Pakistan's most stable captain and a player of his own class, who has saved Pakistan cricket team from many difficult situations. A reliable player on which team always look for in difficult situation,who can stick around and can play until the end, an attacking player who can torment any bowling attack at his will and a nightmare for bowlers who find it difficult to bowl a delivery that can get him out. Yes ,he is a versatile player, be it T20 , ODI or Test he fits everywhere. 

We all know almost every player who is a genuine batsmen and  holds a key position in teams batting line up have at least a century against their name, but he is an exception.He played till end n numbers of time but it seems like was never interested in getting a three figure mark but was chasing a unique record ,so now at least he would be alone holding this record and would always be remembered in history for that. We all admire Sachin Tendulkar's awe inspiring record of 100 hundreds, but with this it is clear that it actually is not easy to score a century especially in  ODI's and we should respect the effort's of ones who have at least a single ton against their name irrespective of their batting order, because there do exist legends like Misbah who had to retire scoring none.         

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When 'We' Lost The World Cup

India lost the world cup and I lost a part of mine !!

Cricket is a complete entertainment package, but if you try to look and play it for personal competition than instead of becoming the energy booster, this will engage your whole mind and will absorb all your positive energy, which you could have utilized in other productive work.

The reason why i have written the above almost impossible to decipher lines is because i have been victim of this phenomenon twice. One IPL and a World Cup entertainment is what it cost me. This post is complete out of the league from previous posts of my blog and mostly contains less technical details of cricket but would surly be helpful to keep an innocent cricket fan alive in you. Let me now try to explain what exactly i want to say. In the previous post as i had mentioned that i am playing the role of  Nostradamus in this world cup, so the result of it is obviously negative thats why i have to write a post full of philosophy to convince myself and move on. I could have won the competition but i lost!! I lost to my heart and mind battle and  i lost to my anger. I could have won it had i had not gave up at the last moment and putted a stop button at my anger. Had it be me alone predicting it, then i wont be that much hurt but once other people look for help from you because of your passion for game and their success is related with yours than you certainly lose a part of yours.You blame yourself for their loss and you have to live with this burden forever. My situation reminds me of one of my favorite dialogue from the movie Chak De India - "uss haar ka bojh kitna bhaari hota hai tum samaz nahi paayoge..itni taakat nahi kisi main ". 

Feeling relived !!! Would try not to repeat the same mistake again and like always would enjoy the game and not relate their success with mine by becoming result oriented.

With this note i gear up myself for the IPL and will watch it purely for fun. By the way I am supporting Chennai Super Kings like every year, but Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore looks promising too.

Thanks for reading . 

   

Good Start Is Half The Battle Won

India started its world cup campaign with arch rivals Pakistan and like they say history matters -have won against Pakistan like all previous six encounters in the world cup. Most importantly  India have won the match which matters  probably more than the  world cup and as the proverb says  ‘good start is half the battle won ‘  India have actually won half the battle already. Another team which is proving it right is New Zealand -the co-host of the ICC World Cup 2015 ,which unexpectedly became the first team to enter the super eight of world cup with three wins in a row. Home conditions matters !!!

Looking at the India’s performance in the past few months in Australia no one was expecting the world champions to perform well on foreign conditions. Probably the people have forgotten the fact that India is placed in a pool which donot have Australia and New Zealand and for all other teams these conditions are as much foreign as it is for India. India is playing like champion in its group and had qualified for the quarter finals with four consecutive wins, which means India would probably finish at top in its group, which further makes India;s path smooth in the next rounds.

This world cup is looking open in group stage and we won’t give it back is looking like a possibility from here. If Dhoni can do this for India then his records would probably become unbreakable in Indian cricket  history. But the matches after this would be the knock out ones and your performance on that particular day would matter. Cricket is a game of unpredictability, your can apply all possible if and else statement here.

And to test my analytical thinking, I am watching this world cup with a new perspective as I am  trying to become Nostradamus. Yes, I am predicting the winners and man of the match for every match and expectedly is predicting at least one thing right. Experience matters you know !!  

Lets hope team India and I keep their winning sting going till 29^th March and emerge as champions.  

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Chooses To Fed Away From Tests

You Just Cant Predict Him

There came a magician who had taken Indian cricket to the greatest heights and made this cricket crazy nation believed that India can conquer any thing and then suddenly he choose to retire from the purest form of Cricket in which he had made team number one for the very first time, without giving any reason. The retirement reminds me of the statement which Mahendra Singh Dhoni made in one of the press conference when he was asked about 2015 world cup, in response to which he replied that he even is not sure whether he will be alive and playing cricket or not. He also once stated that he could leave playing tests in coming years, so this might be the date which Dhoni had selected from lucky draw.Well I wont appreciate the timing of decision looking at the all important world cup, as this decision would surly be blamed for if India will not perform as per the expectations and its consequences would be even worse. But lets not forget the fact that he had always been valiant in taking unorthodox decision and proven himself right, hope this goes in his favor as well. 

The plot was already set when for the first time in his career Mahendra Singh Dhoni was rested because of an injury rather then simply stating it as a rest by the officials. Another thing is Mahendra Singh Dhoni just choose to fed away for tests and even did not himself announced his retirement, it was the tweet by BCCI which made it viral and left all the questions unanswered of cricket fans .  Whether it was his own decision or not, will soon be cleared from India’s performance in the upcoming ODI series and world cup, but the decision once again shows that how competitive cricket has become now a days. The modern day cricket requires continues performance .

As Dhoni had already given signs that he will quit tests in future, the reason for it was clear that his style donot actually fits for test cricket.He was made T20 captain first and then ODI and later forcefully after the retirement of Kumble the test captain. But he actually could not perform to his potential in this format because this format had never suited his batting and captaincy style and he already knew it from starting. Dhoni keep calm and then explode and his style of taking retirement was not an exception.   

Another interesting fact got associated with Dhoni's retirement is that -Ganguly , Kumble , Dravid and Dhoni all four test captains retired while playing against Australia ,which actually gives a logical conclusion and a buzzing title for the Australia tour as 'The tour where legends announce retirement'.

Lets accept the fact now and thank Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his contribution to the test cricket and keep our faith in the phrase that every thing happens for a good reason and hope for the best in the coming time. 

Playing It My Way - Sachin Tendulkar's Autobiography

Playing It My Way - an autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar.Yes, the maestro has named it correctly and he is going to share the experiences of his glorious cricketing career through his book. The reason why i said that he has named it correctly is because he has made his own decisions, innovated his own techniques, challenged all the odds and hence achieved success like no one else in the international cricket.

Needless to say that the book is a must read for everyone and will be as successful as was Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing career. Releasing on November 6 the book will cover many lesser known events of Sachin Tendulkar's career and life for the public.

Its been over ten months of his retirement and for those who were blown by the present happenings in cricket and have forgotten the greatest batsman ever, this book will make them go through the memory lane and make alive all the memorable innings of Sachin Tendulkar which they were proud of throughout his career. Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography will bring his fans even more closer to him, as it will reveal many personal things of maestro.The book will surely be a great source for inspiration for a kid who want to become Sachin Tendulkar and will guide them in right direction as it is direct from the horse mouth.  

Playing It  My Way will actually be a historic thing because throughout his career of twenty four years he hardly gets into conversation and shared things with people. Get ready to relive the amazing Sachin Tendulkar era which you have seen who has dedicated his entire life on the principle Always Cricket First. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Great Gambler Of Cricket

Finally came a day when one of the greatest finishers in world could not finish the  game in his teams favor with his taking the game to the last ball and all the audience on their seats with heart in their mouth .Like all the memorable wins which he had given to India with his trademark approach, this lost will also be remembered ,as he rarely fails !!

Sunday September 7 2014, Edgbaston ,was the day which will be remembered by many ,especially by the Dhoni's critics who donot agree with Mahendra Singh Dhoni's gambling tactics in cricket .Like usual he took the game to the last ball for the powerful fireworks but eventually fell short of a hit ,which was the difference between the results which two teams got.The reason why people say gambling is bad because once you start getting results in your favor you become so much addicted to it that you almost forget the probability of losing and  start believing that no matter what you will get the result in your favor .

Cricket is all about challenging each other .Every ball by a bowler is a challenge to the batsmen and if batsmen decides to dominate the bowler and play on his own will than it’s the biggest challenge a bowler can ever get. Mahendra Singh Dhoni loves to challenge the bowlers each times he comes to bat and hence loves to test his powerful hitting each time he comes to bat. Yesterday Dhoni once again the man with strong will power has shown how much faith he had in himself and how much he enjoy the game and the challenges.

Even after losing the game at Edgbaston against England Dhoni took the blame and responded by saying that it was his responsibility to finish the game as he is better known for finishing the game .Well, he always takes this responsibility of finishing the game take any match which you can remember be it world cup final or countless IPl innings. It is really admirable that team India’s captain known his role both as a captain and as a player. He takes decisions for team , he keeps for team ,he finishes for team overall he took the whole responsibility of winning the game for India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tactics are so full proof that maximum time the only possible result team India could get is a win. His tactics are perfect for shorter formats like ODI and T20 and the heights which team India achieved under his captaincy need not to be recited all the times.Lets forget the loss and hope for many more wins. Long live the wins!!

   

Cricket Commentary Adds Life To Cricket

"Welcome to the Chinnaswamy stadium here in Bangalore, to the day two of the second test match between India and Australia, India in the commanding position here.."

"We have got the two captions out there, Heads is the call and its tails "

"India have won the toss and they have elected to field first "

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the post match presentation ceremony we had witnessed some extraordinary cricket today ..over 700 runs have been scored but at the end it was India that have managed to win this one"

Yes, Cricket is not only about bat and ball, it is also about commentary. Its the cricket commentary which adds life to the game and makes every moment alive. Just imagine a match without commentary, I bet you wont watch the full quota of match. Commentary involves you to the game and if there is no commentary there are chances that many will not even understand whats going on. A wicket will not be wicket, fours and sixes will never look like the ones without commentary.

There lies a parallel world of commentary with cricket. Ravi Shastri, Harsh Bhogle, Ramiz Raja, Sanjay Manjrekar are the ones who rule this world. With their unique speaking styles and use of adjectives  they had grabbed viewer attention on television and are the ones whom people wait to here. It is because of commentary only match starts thirty minutes before for many, just to watch the toss and pitch report which is been presented by commentators in their own defining styles and ends after thirty minutes after the actual match ends.

Bang on target, that's hammered away through the covers, jam packed stadium, electrifying atmosphere, the ball raced away to the boundary, ball will win the race, thats going going and gone, maximum, using the pace of the bowler and giving direction from bat, thats dusra for you, helicopter shot, upper cut, edged and taken are some of the synonyms used for describing all the cricketing actions going on the field and this is how those action become live for the audience watching it on television. Commentary make you familiar with actions and brings you more closer to the game by explaining all the things going around on the field.

Although, I  doubt their might be any one who is not impacted by cricket commentary but still if you are the one I will suggest you to listen to commentary as well while watching cricket, you will surly enjoy the game like never before.

Mahela Jayawardene - A perfect Cricketer

If cricket is a team game than he is a complete team man , if a teams performance depends on its captain than he is a as clever a captain that every team demands ,if cricket is all about scoring runs than he had thousands of them to count ,if cricket is all about performing consistently than his long cricketing career answers your question.Cricket is blessed to have a student like Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene (Mahela Jayawardene) who had respected the game and played it with the defined set of rules of cricket.

Over 17 years in international cricket , more than 23 thousand runs under his belt ,50 international hundreds ,highest number of catches in ODI (204) -the stats says it all about the former Sri Lankan Captain who  had announced his retirement from Test cricket on 14 July 2014,which means another gem of a player became history in test cricket.

Mahela Jayawardene was among the Sri Lanka's most successful captains who had made me his admirer through his great cricketing mind . He has that gifted ability to switch his  game according to the format- be its ODI ,Tests or T20,thats the reason that he had not only scored runs in all the format but is among the rarest cricketers in this modern day competitive cricket on whom selection committee relied and elected as a captain in all the formats.In fact it is because of captaincy only he has been the first choice for captain for IPL teams as well. Always Cricket First is the principle which he had followed rigorously throughout his career   and hence was always available for Sri Lankan team whether it is for selection , for taking his team out from difficult situations or helping in the reformation of team .

15 May 2011 was the day when i got the opportunity to watch  this iconic cricketer live in action on cricketing field from stands. I really consider myself lucky that i got the opportunity to watch his captaincy ,watch his batting , watch his fielding,watch his team winning under his captaincy ,all live on ground.The memories of that day are still alive and would always be.

I wonder whether world cricket will have another nearly perfect cricketer ever who had achieved all the milestones with his fair play and inculcated the same in his team.

What a captain , what a player ,actually a perfect cricketer.

Losing Is Dangerous In Cricket

“ There was a duck with two ducks behind it, a duck with 2 ducks ahead of it, and a duck with a duck ahead and a duck behind”..defines the Indian innings debacle in recent India Vs England test series.

So I was actually right when I mentioned after the retirement of test match specialists  Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman that ,if we had to measure what impact it will have on team India ,than just reduce two days in any test match featuring India.

And here  we are ,maximum test matches in which India plays ends in three days .Yes, India is not even able to play for the full quota of five days ,since the retirement of two greats , forget about the result. Two successive tours of England both away and home ,India faced humiliating defeat and straight away goes the radar on all the non performing players of India. Each defeat brings out the statistics of your failures which have a far bad impact than the ones which comes out when you perform well.

Whether it’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni -  India’s most successful captain who had won coveted titles for India through its unorthodox captaincy and was cynosure of every Indian or Virat Kohli - the emerging superstar of India who  had proved his mantle in all the formats of cricket through his consistence performance ,defeat in recent test series with England had put a question mark on their capabilities.

A defeat raises all the points which are being covered under the shadows of win and actually doesn’t matter as long as team is winning. But same points become critical issues or matters to look for if they are not working your way. Some people blame it on IPL ,some on lack of practice , some on lack of experience ,some on lack of skills ,some on lack of international exposure and they all can prove themselves right as long as you are losing.

Winning is a continuous process while losing is not. Its true that Indian team is like Rafael Nadal, Champion on clay, struggles on grass.The need of the hour for the world champions India is  to live their game and lift their team. Rather than playing the blaming game they should focus on what next ,and what they can do from here and can at least play to their potential on grass.

   

World Twenty20 Is Back

It all started in the year 2007 when the young ,inexperienced Indian team had conquered the world .A world cup win for a cricket crazy nation after so many years and its celebrations are still alive in the memory lane of every  Indian. Yes the ICC T20 world cup is back with its fourth edition .The format where games changes at a  much higher pace than it progresses ,the format where  all the sayings about the game can be proven right is back on the world stage  .So is the uncertainty of this format that if you dare to predict the game then you are either too brave to do that or you are actually an idiot.

Watching a T20 reminds me of my exam hall, where we have to solve the entire question paper in the given time period and have to finish it in rush so as to attempt the maximum part we know and to attain good marks. Its alike you could have done better  but you ran out of time or you were not able to perform well because you actually donot know what is being asked and have plenty of time left or the worst case that you fell short of time in spite of knowing all the answers .!!Happens many a times in T20 isn’t it. Sometimes you have wickets in hand but you don’t have balls left, well the other way is also true that you have balls left but you have wickets in hand or you are not able to achieve the target because of some good cricket from the opposition or your lack of experience. Hold your nerves and get ready to experience all drama in action in  t he cricket ground.

The format which is known to have brought so many changes in international cricket after its introduction is back with a changed stumps and a new way of beginning the game with a countdown. Yes it was the turn of stumps this time to get colored in T20 format with LED lights .Camera, mike, screen  and now LED lights so far this is the progress technology has made inside the cricket field. The format  also looks like it will give a new champion to the world . The opening game of super 10 phase  itself was enough to attract the world toward cricket and the fanciness of both groups should surly bring more attention to the action.

Before the big world cup of cricket ,all the top teams are competing for one last time with each other to test their mantels.Get ready to watch all your super heroes in action in the enthralling  trailer of ICC World Cup  2015.

    

Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar

If you dream to become a cricketer ,you want to have a career like him. On 15^th November 1989 he made his test debut and on 15^th November  2013 he got out one last time-you surly want to have a fitting ending to your legendary biography in this way. 24 years in international cricket  ,highest run scorer in tests and one day internationals ,hundred international centuries , retired from all formats with a win ,his team mates feel proud to have played and shared dressing room with him, a nation stand behind him ,pray for him ,fast for him ,switch off TV once he gets out !!!The man need no introduction and Ramiz Raja  was right when he said I don’t know how to introduce a maestro like Sachin Tendulkar because even I had attempted many a times to write about him but actually never wrote satisfactorily. And this post is another attempt in the same league.

Sachin Tendulkar  represented India for 24 years and made India proud in different parts of the world .He has been the person who had inspired every children to play cricket for over two decades. Sachin was the reason why we had jam-packed stadium in his last test match with the zing of Sachinnn-Sachinnn. He may had taken retirement at the age of 40 but he became the youngest person to be honored with highest civilian award of country ‘Bharat Ratna’-the best prefix which could have been be added to his name .

Thanks for all the wonderful memories ,giving a legacy of cricket in the form of next generation who is going  to represent India and making cricket a common language for every Indian .Special thanks for giving me this one thing which I can surly say I like the most ’Cricket’ .

When World No.1 And World No.2 Battled

He surly is the destiny’s child, impossible actually is nothing for him, that’s why with each passing match he is taking team India to new heights. With the kind of success he has achieved, the man with Midas touch is surly going to be considered as one of the greatest leader India has ever got. The man in talking is once again the caption of team India –Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

When a team scores 359 runs they are considered to be winner by themselves and everyone, because chances of chasing such a huge target in ODI’s are generally theoretical , with lots of  if’s . But this Indian team believes in making things happen. I always wonder what  Mahendra Singh Dhoni actually says to his team members that they always perform for him  and for the first time I had heard from the man himself."I just told them in the innings break that we have done this in past when we had made  414 runs and Sri Lanka had made some 412-413 runs  .Just go their and don’t look at the scoreboard and try to play the shots in right shape”. Easily said than done !! But these things count when a team actually achieve it.

16 October 2013 was a historic day in world cricket when world no.1 and world no.2 team battled to produce a historic event for the ODI history. Australia scored 359/5 thanks to the awful  bowling performance by Indians and in reply India scored 362/1 thanks to the awe-inspiring batting performance of Indians. India chased down the target in 43.3 overs which turned out to be the second highest chase in the history of game and could have been the highest ever, had Australia scored 435. Only on very few occasions such scores had been chased by any team and unfortunately Australia was always at the receiving end in the top four ones.

It was raining fours and sixes at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur last night. If score was rare then their has to be some rare feast achieved by the teams and players. This match was not an exception  ,their was a fastest hundred scored by any Indian involved in it along with the 176 runs opening partnership against Australia by India. Top five Australian batsmen scored 50 and equaled the previous record on the pitch which surly proved to be a graveyard for bowlers with only 6 wicket fell in the match and 721 runs were scored. These achievement of last night surly proves that history is yet to be written and records are made to be broken.  

Cricket Would Be Soon Godless

The 5 wise men who first selected him in 1989:

RS Dungarpur, Akash Lal, Ramesh Saxena, GR Viswanath & Naren Tamhane

He made his Test debut in Karachi in November 1989 when he was just 16 years 205 days old.

From past 24 years this line is being repeated so many times to introduce the maestro ,that the first name which strikes to any cricket follower mind  is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

In my last post I talked about the speculation and today came the news –Sachin Tendulkar to retire after 200^th test.Yes, You got to believe this. Cricket would soon be a Godless sport.15 Nov 1989 to 18 Nov 2013 ,On the 8771th day, God will hang his shoes .

Here is a recap of what virtuoso has left for us in the purest form of cricket-

He has had the 5th-longest Test career ever in terms of time & played on 59 different Test grounds – more than anyone else.

Has had played 200 tests and scored over 15800 runs .

He has played with 108 different team mates and played against 485 different players in Test cricket .

He has played 146 Tests with Rahul Dravid, 122 with Anil Kumble, 120 with VVS Laxman and 103 with Sourav Ganguly.

47 of his Tests were under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin - more than any other captain.

He has never batted at number 3 in his Test career.

He has batted with 65 different players and has top-scored on 78 occasions – more than any other Test player.

He has only been stumped once – at Bengaluru in 2001 by James Foster off Ashley Giles.

He played 84 successive Tests from 15 November 1989 to 15 June 2001.

He has had the 5th-longest Test career ever in terms of time & played on 59 different Test grounds – more than anyone else.

You were a great habit ,in fact an addiction .Not seeing you playing in the future sounds scary.We all will live every moment of these last two games

Sachin Tendulkar Era

"That flick would be missed; the delicately placed shot off the pads, the trademark straight-drive with the manufacturer’s logo so visible; the punch to cover; it will all be missed. That innings in a one-day international which always used to be more like a highlights package would be missed maestro .Thanks a lot for so many proud moments, it was an honor watching you batting .The ODI cricket will miss its most fastidious student Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar .”

Words really fell short for me to express what the news of Sachin’s retirement from ODI meant to a true cricket fan like me. We all knew that this is going to happen but the way Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement didn’t give anyone chance to even live and cherish the memories of witnessing the greatest batsman ever in world cricket one last time. He got a chance to end his ODI career against the same  team from which he started but he  just choose to fed away.

As cricket is now being played in different formats a player has to announce his retirement from international cricket thrice viz. Test , ODI and T20.And from IPL , CLT20 post retirement from international cricket. But Sachin Tendulkar became the only player who has announced his retirement from IPL and CLT20 before getting retired from Test cricket.

 24 years in international cricket  and out of which 22 years he had spent without  being part of a world cup winning team. And now ICC World Cup, IPL, CLT20, Ranji Trophy all are currently held by Sachin Tendulkar's team!! May be it’s the accomplishments which are tempting him to take retirements or in his own words that youngsters are now ready to take the responsibilities, in the shorter formats of game atleast, which indirectly means they are still not prepared for tests! But we as a spectator are so much addicted to watch him that many had decided to take retirement from watching  ODI’s post his announcement and remaining  were watching  with the hope that Sachin will still play Test cricket, IPL and CLT20. But now with his retirement from IPL and CLT20 their only hope is test cricket.

More than his scores media’s focus  is now on counting the number of more matches he will play and how much older he is getting .With the speculations that Sachin can retire after West Indies series, I hope we will some how manage to keep watching live cricket by watching the sensational Sachin Tendulkar Era on internet for keeping our interest alive, all thanks to the technology.