cricket & more ...
The Australians take home the future cup with a 4-2 series win, but many will agree that it has been a very significant series for Indian cricket. Lacking a polished pace attack, the Indian camp under its new leadership managed two emphatic wins and a close game (which they lost) against the mighty and meticulous Aussies.
Watching Mumbai celebrate after the T20 cup win, I felt that enough headiness had been induced in the team for a 7-0 defeat. A debacle was averted in Bangalore with Lord Indra offering some perspective to the Indians without letting the spirits dampen too much. The returning "veterans" were also a cause of concern. Having said that, I did not for once doubt the value they were going to add in terms of the cricket, but the concern was about their impact on the cohesion of the team. Dhoni has to be appreciated for the gutsy move to play only two of the trio per game. I just hope there aren't any hurt egos around to interfere with the programme.
Once again Dravid has set out to re-invent his game. Last time he did that in South-Africa he earned himself "the wall". If he can learn to pull-off this new thing he wants to try while maintaining his sturdy defense, it would be indescribably invaluable for the team. And we will have to come up with a new title. Maybe Superman? :)
All in all, I get the feeling that the indian worm is looking skyward and there are some exciting times ahead. Cheers to that, lets move ahead ..
The final match of the ODI series offered some important lessons to be learnt. The way Australia managed to rattle the top order yet struggle against the tail-enders proved how much they depended on their research. How knowing the opposition made a difference. All the people, including BCCI supremo, who believe India can do without a coach, should be listening. We are in dire need of a non-tyrannical coach cum analyst, who can provide vital inputs and direction to the team.
There was some drama off the field that I feel needs some retrospect. I am referring to the hue and cry over the "racial abuse". Now there's no denying that there was sneering and jeering from the crowd, which is very very natural and not local to this part of the world. And it is well understood that there are always going to be some some jack-asses who would also cross the line. Symonds was affected but even he was not willing to take it too far. Everything would have settled just fine, up until the BCCI denied the whole thing and the Vadodra police commissioner offered some absurd explanations. Now you tell me who the real jack-asses are.
Also within the realms of the sport, is the Woolmer inquest, where there are testimonies being revised and explanations being offered. Somehow it doesn't give one that comfortable feeling. We all know there's an underbelly to the sport which has been exposed earlier, leading to major disenchantments. And don't we all know that there are powerful boards and bodies which will be working towards the "best interest" of the game? To me, at least it causes more disenchantment if justice is not met, but then I guess we would never really know. I pray for strength and reason to Bob Woolmer's family to believe and accept whatever comes through from the inquest.
Watching Mumbai celebrate after the T20 cup win, I felt that enough headiness had been induced in the team for a 7-0 defeat. A debacle was averted in Bangalore with Lord Indra offering some perspective to the Indians without letting the spirits dampen too much. The returning "veterans" were also a cause of concern. Having said that, I did not for once doubt the value they were going to add in terms of the cricket, but the concern was about their impact on the cohesion of the team. Dhoni has to be appreciated for the gutsy move to play only two of the trio per game. I just hope there aren't any hurt egos around to interfere with the programme.
Once again Dravid has set out to re-invent his game. Last time he did that in South-Africa he earned himself "the wall". If he can learn to pull-off this new thing he wants to try while maintaining his sturdy defense, it would be indescribably invaluable for the team. And we will have to come up with a new title. Maybe Superman? :)
All in all, I get the feeling that the indian worm is looking skyward and there are some exciting times ahead. Cheers to that, lets move ahead ..
The final match of the ODI series offered some important lessons to be learnt. The way Australia managed to rattle the top order yet struggle against the tail-enders proved how much they depended on their research. How knowing the opposition made a difference. All the people, including BCCI supremo, who believe India can do without a coach, should be listening. We are in dire need of a non-tyrannical coach cum analyst, who can provide vital inputs and direction to the team.
There was some drama off the field that I feel needs some retrospect. I am referring to the hue and cry over the "racial abuse". Now there's no denying that there was sneering and jeering from the crowd, which is very very natural and not local to this part of the world. And it is well understood that there are always going to be some some jack-asses who would also cross the line. Symonds was affected but even he was not willing to take it too far. Everything would have settled just fine, up until the BCCI denied the whole thing and the Vadodra police commissioner offered some absurd explanations. Now you tell me who the real jack-asses are.
Also within the realms of the sport, is the Woolmer inquest, where there are testimonies being revised and explanations being offered. Somehow it doesn't give one that comfortable feeling. We all know there's an underbelly to the sport which has been exposed earlier, leading to major disenchantments. And don't we all know that there are powerful boards and bodies which will be working towards the "best interest" of the game? To me, at least it causes more disenchantment if justice is not met, but then I guess we would never really know. I pray for strength and reason to Bob Woolmer's family to believe and accept whatever comes through from the inquest.
posted by Unknown @ 12:14 AM
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