As I was trying retire for the day albeit little too early, something in me told me not to. And, I would always listen to my intuition, being a Piscean- as they say, I just held onto my bean bag fingers crossed. Well, why only fingers – I even had my legs crossed. Being superstitious that I am ( always and ONLY when Sachin is batting, I had to tell myself –‘don’t just get up until the job is done’. As it unfolded after some nervous moments it was to be a gentle push-cum-drive to cover-point off the fiery Steyn. I don’t think there could have been a better occasion, at this moment, for baba ( well I fondly call him Baba) to raise this historic.
And what a coincidence, we just experienced arguably two of the best moments of both Test and ODI cricket history in the same year. Man, this 2010 will go down to cricketing history as ‘the year that was’..Awesome one for world cricket. Other coincidences- both the moments came against the same opposition as on both occasion MSD was at the non-striker’s end !!! ha ha...
My kiddo was grossly disappointed this morning as we had to postpone our picnic for some unavoidable reason. Now, in hindsight I just thank the goodness in God as He wanted me to witness history in making. As Harsha bhogle said y-day, even the 1st 300th test wicket was hailed as a big ‘history’ being witnessed then.. lolzzzzzzzz
A half century test centuries and a double century in ODI have certainly made my year-2010. However, being an insatiable Sachin fan, I just cannot wait to see his bat raise to acknowledge the applause for his 50th ODI ton and a World cup in his hand. So a ton o f tons and then u never know what wud be unfolded as we move on. Lets allow time some time as we did for this 50th ton, to unveil many more such wonderful moments that we should be proudly tell our grand children
I wish I could get 3 wishes from God now. BTW, I will use the 3rd one for mine.. ha ha ha……..
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Words' worth: Guangzhou
After a struggle to get the pronunciation right, am now fairly in control over Guangzhou. I must say its been fun keeping track of the action from the 3rd largest city of China. The river show set just abt the perfect tone for the sportive actions to follow. Esp after the gala show at CWG, all the eyeballs were on AG opening ceremony. And no prize for guessing- china produced a spectacle which the whole continent had no clue to until the curtain was raised. ZIMPLY AWEZOME !!! for Indian interest, i mean for those who love/follow Olympic sports, the games started on a not-so-great note with out much high rated shooters failing the targets over and over again. It was until the cue-ist Pankaj Advani struck in billiards, the yellow medal eluded the 2nd most populous country of the continent ( oops they are also the 2nd in the whole world). and then a long silence till the lanky army man got the well-deserved 2nd. Half way through it was a mixed-bag for the Indian contingent. However things suddenly changed as athletics events started. India has never been known as great prospects in the track and field so far as Intl meets are concerned. But this time around it was a different story. Started with Preeja and now the hurdlers ( Ashwini and Joseph), its been a great haul.....I just hope many more follow- esp the 4x400 women's relay team of which Ashwin is a member and not so many weeks ago they created history at CWG. It was heart-breaking to watch the women's discuss throw event. But then poor girls gave their best- and the silver lining being the bronze by Poonia. Shooters were not the only ones who failed to live upto their names, wrestlers also did so. Now that we have quite some prospects in boxing, am with my fingers crossed. Women's kabaddi team is on the verge of getting the 11th gold as I write. Hope the day gifts us at least 4-5 more yellow medals........all the best ...
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Word's Worth: oof yeh cwg!!! Delhi badnaam huyee darling tere liye!!
Some one just sent me an email which reads like this:
teacher: what does your dad do?
kid: he is a stripper in a gay bar.
after class
teacher: is that true about your dad?
kid: no, actually he works for the CWG with suresh kalmadi but i was too embarrassed to say that...
From financial bungling to bad organisation to the possibility of construction work not being complete on time -- it's all happening around the Delhi CWG. With days to go before the event begins, it's anyone's guess how the Games will unfold. Whatever happens now, one thing for sure if in past 5 years our CWG organisers couldn't do the proper arrangement, you cannot expect a miracle to rectify mistakes in whatever time is left. Out problem is , we are over tolerant people and let such things happen day in day out.
Now with the PM and the Delhi CM pitching in to do the damage control, all we need to do is go back to our routes and take the blanket of hospitality, love and appreciation for our visitors and convince them that they didn't make a wrong choice coming to India. Am sure some infra related things cannot just be fixed . And lets accept that and do whatever possible to ensure that they don’t create inconvenience to the athletes.
Give a facelift to the ‘filthy’ areas and clean the pavements if we can't fix them and make sure that the overall experience and security of visitors is as required if not exceeding expectation. Security in this part of the globe is the prime concern . so the margin of error has to be zero.
For the time being let the OC alone ( sideline them asap and afap). We will have a lifetime later on to catch the defaulters of the fiasco to punish them ( we must) for whatever they did or did not do. Right now save the image and country. Many of us are already hanging our heads in shame.
I read it somewhere the other day- “After bagging the CW games, responsibility of organizing the event should have been given to Private sector. BCCI organizes huge events like IPL and world cup without any fuss because there is no Government intervention. IPL is a huge tournament, is organized in many cities, there are large number of matches, is played over 45 day period, but still is organized beautifully and top of that makes profit. This shows the difference in organizing capabilities.” Well, it makes lot of sense to me...........
teacher: what does your dad do?
kid: he is a stripper in a gay bar.
after class
teacher: is that true about your dad?
kid: no, actually he works for the CWG with suresh kalmadi but i was too embarrassed to say that...
From financial bungling to bad organisation to the possibility of construction work not being complete on time -- it's all happening around the Delhi CWG. With days to go before the event begins, it's anyone's guess how the Games will unfold. Whatever happens now, one thing for sure if in past 5 years our CWG organisers couldn't do the proper arrangement, you cannot expect a miracle to rectify mistakes in whatever time is left. Out problem is , we are over tolerant people and let such things happen day in day out.
Now with the PM and the Delhi CM pitching in to do the damage control, all we need to do is go back to our routes and take the blanket of hospitality, love and appreciation for our visitors and convince them that they didn't make a wrong choice coming to India. Am sure some infra related things cannot just be fixed . And lets accept that and do whatever possible to ensure that they don’t create inconvenience to the athletes.
Give a facelift to the ‘filthy’ areas and clean the pavements if we can't fix them and make sure that the overall experience and security of visitors is as required if not exceeding expectation. Security in this part of the globe is the prime concern . so the margin of error has to be zero.
For the time being let the OC alone ( sideline them asap and afap). We will have a lifetime later on to catch the defaulters of the fiasco to punish them ( we must) for whatever they did or did not do. Right now save the image and country. Many of us are already hanging our heads in shame.
I read it somewhere the other day- “After bagging the CW games, responsibility of organizing the event should have been given to Private sector. BCCI organizes huge events like IPL and world cup without any fuss because there is no Government intervention. IPL is a huge tournament, is organized in many cities, there are large number of matches, is played over 45 day period, but still is organized beautifully and top of that makes profit. This shows the difference in organizing capabilities.” Well, it makes lot of sense to me...........
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
TON or NOT
So it is now open season on Suraj Randiv, who bowled the no-ball that ‘denied’ Virender Sehwag a century he truly deserved (In contrast to those knocks where he blazes away from ball one, on this particular occasion Sehwag absorbed the loss of his colleagues at the other end, battled with the demons of the pitch and atmosphere, revealed an unsuspected ability to do the grind, and fulfilled the fantasies of millions of Indian fans who, ever since the swashbuckler made his debut, have lusted after the possibility that one day, he will bat through an innings). It is also open season on Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, who if the transcription of words picked up from the stump mike is to believed, reminded Randiv, just as he prepared to bowl the decisive ball, that “If he hits it, he gets the run”.
Digression: Consider Randiv’s brains, or lack thereof. If Kumar was in fact instructing his bowler, was that instruction to bowl a no-ball? Ridiculous – a batsman can and, in this instance did, hit a no-ball. A more canny bowler would have bowled a wide – because it is the wide that, by definition, you cannot hit.
But back to cases: So everyone, from the Sri Lankan cricket board to sundry Indian stars of yesteryear, have been banging on about the Lankans’ lack of sportsmanship (If there is any irony in Mohammad Azharuddin, who was banned from international cricket for match-fixing and related activities, talking of the spirit of the sportsman, ignore it, please – it is also the silly season).
What strikes us is how the public discourse, and wall to wall ‘exclusive’ coverage on television channels, misses the point: Sehwag was denied his century not by the Kumar-Suraj combine, but by scorers and umpires who were clearly asleep and/or ignorant of rules that, incidentally, have been framed so ambiguously as to convert a fairly simple proposition into a complicated situation.
Here is what happened, pure and simple: Randiv bowled. The umpire called ‘no-ball’. There is a reason the umpire calls it as soon as a bowler bowls one – it is to let the batsman know that there are no real penalties attached to having a go. A batsman, on hearing that call, knows he can have a swing without running the risk of being bowled, caught, declared LBW.
So Randiv bowled. The umpire called. Sehwag had a swing, and despatched the ball over the ropes.
That logically is seven runs added to the total – one to the team total as an extra, the other six to Sehwag, the batsman who was quick to seize on the opportunity. Simple.
This is where the idiocy of umpires and the ambiguity of the rule book come in: How could the game be over as soon as Randiv over-stepped? A ball, to be deemed bowled, has to be delivered; the batsman has to play/miss it; in the case of the former the ball has to be retrieved while the batsman runs, or not…there is no provision in cricket for declaring a result, and ending a match, at some intermediate stage of this process.
Thus, for umpires to declare that the game was over as soon as Randiv overstepped is plain folly. To understand this, consider a hypothetical situation: Randiv bowls. It is a no-ball. Sehwag decides the game is over, lets the ball go and walks off. Sangakkara collects and whips off the bails.
Is the batsman out? Of course he is. The extra run cannot be counted until the ball in question is officially dead; in our example Sehwag left his crease while the ball was in play, therefore he is out.
So, if his dismissal off a no ball counts, why were the runs he scored off that no ball not counted to his name?
The question, simplified: How could the umpires, or the scorers, or both, consider the match over before the ball had completed its necessary course?
Read Law 24 (No ball)
Runs resulting from a No ball
The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras.
Where is the ambiguity? The law clearly says that any runs completed by the batsman, or a boundary allowance, off a no ball shall be credited to the striker.
Sehwag ‘completed’ a sixer. His score – unless the scorer is a congenital idiot – should have been 105. End of story.
The key is to understand that a game is not declared over midway through a cricketing action – which is the space between a ball being ‘live’ and being ‘dead’. Consider this example: India needs one run to win. Sehwag whacks the ball high in the air. While the ball is in the air, the batsman cross over and complete a run. The ball comes down, and is caught.
Is the game over, simply because the batsmen had crossed while the ball was in the air, and had not yet been caught? No, the verdict in this case would be, the batsman is out, the run doesn’t count. So clearly, runs and results are not declared at some arbitrary point while the ball is live – such a determination happens only after the ball is ‘dead’.
The fallacy appears to be in the thinking that any runs accruing to the batsman and/or side after a result is achieved do not count. That is equally a fallacy. Here is an illustrative example:
India needs to get one run to win. Sehwag drives, and the batsman race across for a single. The ball then goes on to cross the boundary. Do you award Sehwag one run, or four? Clearly, the answer is ‘four’ – despite the fact that the first of those runs won the game.
It is not the intention of this post to ‘excuse’ what Randiv did, or what Sangakkara asked him to do. That action was clearly unsporting, childish, petty. Here was one of the great batsman of the modern era, in challenging conditions, digging deep within himself to play a match-winning innings that was contrary to type. A gracious opposition would have admired, applauded; instead, the Lankans appear to have conspired to score a childish ‘victory’.
Fair enough. What beats us, though, is this: Why is there, amidst all this noise, no attempt to question the outcome declared by the scorers? Why is there no debate on the central question? Where were the umpires, the match referee? And where, incidentally, was the Indian team management that it did not think to question the scorers’ declared result?
Source: http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/17/sehwag-did-get-his-century/
Digression: Consider Randiv’s brains, or lack thereof. If Kumar was in fact instructing his bowler, was that instruction to bowl a no-ball? Ridiculous – a batsman can and, in this instance did, hit a no-ball. A more canny bowler would have bowled a wide – because it is the wide that, by definition, you cannot hit.
But back to cases: So everyone, from the Sri Lankan cricket board to sundry Indian stars of yesteryear, have been banging on about the Lankans’ lack of sportsmanship (If there is any irony in Mohammad Azharuddin, who was banned from international cricket for match-fixing and related activities, talking of the spirit of the sportsman, ignore it, please – it is also the silly season).
What strikes us is how the public discourse, and wall to wall ‘exclusive’ coverage on television channels, misses the point: Sehwag was denied his century not by the Kumar-Suraj combine, but by scorers and umpires who were clearly asleep and/or ignorant of rules that, incidentally, have been framed so ambiguously as to convert a fairly simple proposition into a complicated situation.
Here is what happened, pure and simple: Randiv bowled. The umpire called ‘no-ball’. There is a reason the umpire calls it as soon as a bowler bowls one – it is to let the batsman know that there are no real penalties attached to having a go. A batsman, on hearing that call, knows he can have a swing without running the risk of being bowled, caught, declared LBW.
So Randiv bowled. The umpire called. Sehwag had a swing, and despatched the ball over the ropes.
That logically is seven runs added to the total – one to the team total as an extra, the other six to Sehwag, the batsman who was quick to seize on the opportunity. Simple.
This is where the idiocy of umpires and the ambiguity of the rule book come in: How could the game be over as soon as Randiv over-stepped? A ball, to be deemed bowled, has to be delivered; the batsman has to play/miss it; in the case of the former the ball has to be retrieved while the batsman runs, or not…there is no provision in cricket for declaring a result, and ending a match, at some intermediate stage of this process.
Thus, for umpires to declare that the game was over as soon as Randiv overstepped is plain folly. To understand this, consider a hypothetical situation: Randiv bowls. It is a no-ball. Sehwag decides the game is over, lets the ball go and walks off. Sangakkara collects and whips off the bails.
Is the batsman out? Of course he is. The extra run cannot be counted until the ball in question is officially dead; in our example Sehwag left his crease while the ball was in play, therefore he is out.
So, if his dismissal off a no ball counts, why were the runs he scored off that no ball not counted to his name?
The question, simplified: How could the umpires, or the scorers, or both, consider the match over before the ball had completed its necessary course?
Read Law 24 (No ball)
Runs resulting from a No ball
The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras.
Where is the ambiguity? The law clearly says that any runs completed by the batsman, or a boundary allowance, off a no ball shall be credited to the striker.
Sehwag ‘completed’ a sixer. His score – unless the scorer is a congenital idiot – should have been 105. End of story.
The key is to understand that a game is not declared over midway through a cricketing action – which is the space between a ball being ‘live’ and being ‘dead’. Consider this example: India needs one run to win. Sehwag whacks the ball high in the air. While the ball is in the air, the batsman cross over and complete a run. The ball comes down, and is caught.
Is the game over, simply because the batsmen had crossed while the ball was in the air, and had not yet been caught? No, the verdict in this case would be, the batsman is out, the run doesn’t count. So clearly, runs and results are not declared at some arbitrary point while the ball is live – such a determination happens only after the ball is ‘dead’.
The fallacy appears to be in the thinking that any runs accruing to the batsman and/or side after a result is achieved do not count. That is equally a fallacy. Here is an illustrative example:
India needs to get one run to win. Sehwag drives, and the batsman race across for a single. The ball then goes on to cross the boundary. Do you award Sehwag one run, or four? Clearly, the answer is ‘four’ – despite the fact that the first of those runs won the game.
It is not the intention of this post to ‘excuse’ what Randiv did, or what Sangakkara asked him to do. That action was clearly unsporting, childish, petty. Here was one of the great batsman of the modern era, in challenging conditions, digging deep within himself to play a match-winning innings that was contrary to type. A gracious opposition would have admired, applauded; instead, the Lankans appear to have conspired to score a childish ‘victory’.
Fair enough. What beats us, though, is this: Why is there, amidst all this noise, no attempt to question the outcome declared by the scorers? Why is there no debate on the central question? Where were the umpires, the match referee? And where, incidentally, was the Indian team management that it did not think to question the scorers’ declared result?
Source: http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/17/sehwag-did-get-his-century/
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sach is the in(m)pact...
‘Failure making headlines’ is a strong indicator of success. At least such (sach) is the case in India (+in = Sachin). Having a cursory look at the media reports in past few days gives an idea how this little (?) man has been under scanner for over two decades now. I was going through a piece this morning on rediff which talked abt the records that this man does not hold until now. And guess what- some of them would soon be in his kitty. That is besides the point here. Conducting oneself for over 20 years without the starry tantrums off the field and consistently scoring on the field are what has made him what he truly is. Take a bow!!! Zahanpanna- tusi great ho...
What I am afraid of, of late- is whether cricket in india will be the same after Sachin retires. On a personal note I cannot even think abt cricket without this great ambassador of the game. I don’t know if I wud follow the game the way i have been doing for over two decades now. It pains when Sachin gets injured or prefers to be rested for a series or a tournament. Imagining that someday he would hang his boots is nothing less than a nightmare.
Being what he is or has been with the changing rules of the game is awesome. I have always hated to compare anyone with sachin or the other way round. But I would never hesitate to add the numero uno tag with his name, no matter what! If he is not then who is !!! I am not quite sure what plans he has in mind before he calls it a day. But one thing I am quite certain that the millions of fans around would want him to score at least a half century of centuries in both the forms, a century of half centuries in ODIs, now that a double ton in ODI is already in his kitty- can there be a test-triple as well?-, and a world cup which has been eluding the most successful ODI batsman of the game..The list is not too big, but then many like me would love to see these ticked sooner than later. There is no denying to the fact that whatever he has achieved so far is unmatchable. But the insatiable fans want to see more against his name even if he thinks otherwise. I can only put these items in my wish list and hope that he ticks them before finally seeing his active days off.
What I am afraid of, of late- is whether cricket in india will be the same after Sachin retires. On a personal note I cannot even think abt cricket without this great ambassador of the game. I don’t know if I wud follow the game the way i have been doing for over two decades now. It pains when Sachin gets injured or prefers to be rested for a series or a tournament. Imagining that someday he would hang his boots is nothing less than a nightmare.
Being what he is or has been with the changing rules of the game is awesome. I have always hated to compare anyone with sachin or the other way round. But I would never hesitate to add the numero uno tag with his name, no matter what! If he is not then who is !!! I am not quite sure what plans he has in mind before he calls it a day. But one thing I am quite certain that the millions of fans around would want him to score at least a half century of centuries in both the forms, a century of half centuries in ODIs, now that a double ton in ODI is already in his kitty- can there be a test-triple as well?-, and a world cup which has been eluding the most successful ODI batsman of the game..The list is not too big, but then many like me would love to see these ticked sooner than later. There is no denying to the fact that whatever he has achieved so far is unmatchable. But the insatiable fans want to see more against his name even if he thinks otherwise. I can only put these items in my wish list and hope that he ticks them before finally seeing his active days off.
Monday, July 26, 2010
To be(at) or not to be(at) !
I don’t think a national sport would have been abused anywhere else on the plant the way Hockey has been managed in India. Even cricket in West Indies and Zimbabwe would be dwarfed by the sorry state of affairs in Hockey India.
Hockey in India has become a football which gets kicked by people who don’t know an iota of sports and games let alone hockey. The legacy left behind by the big names (who have made us proud with the 8 Olympic golds- which unfortunately has become a part of our folklore) is witnessing something which is an all time low. Guess, the infighting during KPS’ rein was not enough. HI was created out of a sheer farce and what followed its creation has become a ludicrous thing. Am sure many hockey lovers in India would hand their heads in shame for the fallen grace of the game. The current young brigade is immensely talented. But the only thing that’s eluding them is a good management of the admin affairs. But what in offer now is yet another dirty politics surrounding the control over the game’s administration. The ongoing series in Europe has taken a backseat and hockey lovers in India have been forced to wait to see the outcome of the much-awaited polls. An 83-yrs old Vidya Stokes ( for heavens sake let her do what people at 80 should do) locking arms with one of the best in his trade that the game has ever seen- Pargat Singh. Well, i have no idea how good or bad administrator Pargat Singh would turn out to be. But even a 4th grader would say who is what. And guess what- I am just told that the govt’s guideline on age limitation has also been violated. God bless these Indian politicians. They are awesome in humbling even Napoleon. Poor hockey lovers like us have to bear with some more dirt slinging before we get to see or hear about the team’s performance. Such has been the impact of the game’s administration. Wow (hockey) India wow!!!
Hockey in India has become a football which gets kicked by people who don’t know an iota of sports and games let alone hockey. The legacy left behind by the big names (who have made us proud with the 8 Olympic golds- which unfortunately has become a part of our folklore) is witnessing something which is an all time low. Guess, the infighting during KPS’ rein was not enough. HI was created out of a sheer farce and what followed its creation has become a ludicrous thing. Am sure many hockey lovers in India would hand their heads in shame for the fallen grace of the game. The current young brigade is immensely talented. But the only thing that’s eluding them is a good management of the admin affairs. But what in offer now is yet another dirty politics surrounding the control over the game’s administration. The ongoing series in Europe has taken a backseat and hockey lovers in India have been forced to wait to see the outcome of the much-awaited polls. An 83-yrs old Vidya Stokes ( for heavens sake let her do what people at 80 should do) locking arms with one of the best in his trade that the game has ever seen- Pargat Singh. Well, i have no idea how good or bad administrator Pargat Singh would turn out to be. But even a 4th grader would say who is what. And guess what- I am just told that the govt’s guideline on age limitation has also been violated. God bless these Indian politicians. They are awesome in humbling even Napoleon. Poor hockey lovers like us have to bear with some more dirt slinging before we get to see or hear about the team’s performance. Such has been the impact of the game’s administration. Wow (hockey) India wow!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Aaall izz well...
Sadly its curtains for the soccer extravaganza now. With Spain emerging as the king of the game for at least until 2014, many analysts, critics and gurus have been left scratching their heads. Btw, what went wrong? Well, for me- nothing. Am glad that the better team of the day has won. And it was the case for most of the matches played in the land of rainbows barring few heart-breaks like Ghana-Uruguay match. Like for Paul, the whole football world was split down the middle for Suarez. May be, his million-$ celebration after Gyan missed the stroke did not go down well with many. Any ways, thats past now. I just hope FIFA feels it a serious business to amend or introduce some rules. With many high points like Higuain’s hat trick, Ghana making to the last-4, brave shows by teams like NZ and North Korea, etc., this edition will also down to history as one with many forgetful things. But then, don’t we say this after every edition? Lolz...........Paul the unlikely hero will now be provided z+ security. Hope we get it to India some day. Thats a great business idea. Kuchh ho na ho, it will make lots and lots of money. Am sure there wud be a beeline stretching a lightyear to get Paul predict people’s lives here. Less to say abt our Netas, the better. On a personal note, I am very happy for Spain and I would have been equally happy if the Dutch team was to be crowned. Such is the impact of the game.....
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