So long, Murali

I must confess at the outset that I’ve never tried following you that much because you were from another country. I perhaps first noticed you during the controversies that happened in Australia where you were so ridiculously no-balled repeatedly. I am a minimalist; purely following cricket for the purity and grace bereft of the technicalities. Never felt you were a chucker. I also felt that there were many other bowlers who ‘seemed’ to chuck but were never called. Everybody agreed that you were being humiliated. You stood strong in the midst of all this. I am sure you were proud of your captain at that time.

You came back stronger from those trials. Your strike rate never went down; nor did your smile. Even at the most desperate of situations I haven’t seen you frown at an opposite batsman or your own team member. Sure, you’ve shown disappointment which is pure instinctive.

You perhaps could easily have reached 1000 wickets if you wanted to – and you know that. But you choose to leave it all in one blaze of glory - choosing your final bow, achieving 8 wickets against a pretty good Indian team and going away in a fairytale ending. Being an Indian fan, I was wishing you could take the 9th wicket and it would start raining buckets in Galle but it was never to be!

Perhaps it was fitting that your team won, weather permitting or otherwise. You always were a winner, and a very nice guy; proving once again that nice guys don’t always finish last. You are respected as a person and as a cricketer all through my country and cricket is a loser today that you aren’t playing test cricket anymore.

The aura that is Sachin

No, Sachin is not why I got interested in cricket. As a child I thought Gavaskar always batted and Kapil bowled. The rest were just nameless faces I wasn't concerned about. I didn't think much about the intricacies of cricket, neither was I bothered. Nor did his being a little kid when he started representing India bowl me over. I must say that it was somewhere during the tour of Australia in 1992. That was the time I was perhaps feeding on a lot of cricket, almost hoping that India would win the World Cup. That was not to be but that was when Sachin caught my eye. Balance on his feet while batting, as if doing a ballet is amazing. In my opinion this is what makes him stand out even today. The faster Aussie pitches didn't seem to bother him at all. He was already one of the most exciting players in the world.

Almost twenty years later, nothing seems to have changed. He is still scoring runs; plays a lot more shots and is still admired the world over. Commemorating twenty years of Sachin as a cricketer there have been plaudits flowing in; some placing him at the highest pedestal and some criticizing that he could have done better. Everybody is entitled to an opinion and each one of them is right in their own way. But aren't such comparisons unfair to the greatest of talents? Doesn't Math teach us that two variables can be compared only when all other dependant variables are the same? I personally have admired other players of this generation as much as Sachin if not more. I don't quite find it rational to compare. I cannot for example subjectively analyze Ponting for example when he is whacking our bowlers all over especially when I want my team to win. There can never be one greatest batsman if I may put it that way.

One young kid set out to play cricket for India one day. He made us smile, we wept when we did, we listened to him when he asked us to support the team, the coach supposedly confided in him when there was fear of a match being fixed, we missed him when we was not around; let us enjoy the sparkle while he is around. If the recent match in Hyderabad against Australia is anything to go by he will light up a few more arenas before he decides to call it a day. Isn't just that thought worth looking forward to?

Bye bye Pakistan, and welcome to the maidens!!

A second upset on a single day. Ireland's grit got the better of a certain bunch of Pakistani cricketers. Sad for the World Cup stakes to see such an exciting team already headed home. Minnows alright, but winning the toss is becoming a huge advantage. I bet if this were in the subcontinent there would have been a big hue and cry over the pitches. But all's very fair and good for cricket when it happens outside of our place!!

Feel terribly agrieved that a player of Inzamam's stature took his last bow from World Cups in such a way. His exit has been as incredible as his entry was in '92. He deserved better but alas. Agree, all the conditions against them but Pakistan were poor like India were on the same day. And, you can't make two mistakes in such an early stage of the tournament.

Ireland showed a lot of grit and fantastic captaincy. They held their nerves, and cricket will only be richer with the spirit they showed yesterday. Looks like they have some decent players too. Super 8's will be richer with all the colors they bring in to the game. And it all looks much better with the pretty girls that follow them. I hope they keep winning ;)

Tigers vs Lambs

Father Losing, Son Winning - this was a placard held up by an enthusiastic Bangladeshi cricket fan at Queen's Park, Trinidad today. Bangladesh cricket is buzzing. If you have any doubts about this statement then go have a look at banglacricket.com. Their performance today makes a clear statement: they no more are minnows. For me, ICC and cricket was a winner because the tigers were simply brilliant today.

Disciplined bowling, electic fielding and stunning batting was on view. What more, the batsmen in question looked exuberant, classy and wily old foxes all put together in young 17 and 18 year olds. Tamim Iqbal's shimmy down the track to deposit Zaheer Khan in orbit created a superstar in cricket. He could be another Saeed Anwar in the making. Abdur Razzak beating Sachin in flight to get him caught behind was another sight of the day. Bangladesh didn't win today by luck. They outplayed the Indians.

A poor day at the office for the Indians. They looked the minnows!!

Agreed, the conditions were conducive to the bowlers. But I thought the batsmen weren't creative enough. Spinners were allowed to dictate, and they were too predictable when they attacked. Bangladesh exploited a lot of holes in India's lineup which are going to hurt as this Cup progresses. Well, that is if we are going to progress too far :)

All's not lost though because we have always been slow starters. But, today belonged to the Bangladeshis. Today was their day in the Sun. Take a bow folks. They just gave us a kick on the backside. The Tigers playing against the Lambs.

World Cup – India and my dark horse.....

Cricket's greatest extravaganza and how can I resist not turning into a writer. These days we see predictions, team analysis and what not from almost everybody around. Maybe I am not the expert, but that does not stop me from jotting down my 2 cents of knowledge (or crap!!).

The first week has already floated away and I don't think we are disappointed. We've already had a tie, and all the top players have been spectacular of the blocks. All that bodes for the best world cup ever. It's exciting when the world's very best are going to be in their top form when they do battle in 'the' premier tournament.

India kick-off on the morrow. Where do we stand? For once everything looks relaxed. Well, is it?

There is a sense of coldness developing in our performance these days. I see a constant effort to get the job done, which means we've cut of some frills associated with our game. We have a captain who accepts our shortcomings. Nobody as yet gives them us chance, but nobody can ever write down such a dangerous side. I find this good enough for our boys. But you know what – all the bicker is going to start from tomorrow (lol).

This is going to be a swansong for most of our big boys, so we should expect a feast from them. Do you expect Sehwag to do better? Well, I do. Expect a few surprises up the order too because I feel something's cooking in our dressing room. We can expect Saurav, Sachin and Dravid to be rock solid. Take away every else people. These folks are going to win us a few matches. Yuvi and Dhoni are our focus players and very important one's too, and for once we have a pace attack that people are looking up to. Well, I see a team I can look forward too...

Coming to my other favorite – The Black Caps. New Zealand are on a hot streak, that's as if today's performance wasn't testimony enough. They have the best captain (I think so, and believe me there are a few who say so), steady bowling, Bond – for sheer pace and almost everybody can bat. They are no more the dibly doblers of cricket. They are serious contenders now. I have a gut feeling that they are on a roll which is probably going to take them a long way and surprise a few teams along the way.

I cheer for India, I have a very strong feeling that it's the Black Caps this time. I would like to stick my neck out and say that I'd be happy if my favorite teams can make it to the semis. Well, wait and watch.

Inspiring Generations

Indian cricket and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar have been synonymous for the past 16 years. Is there a reason to believe that all that is on the wane? Multiple injuries haven't helped, nor have the failures which one should say is becoming more frequent. Is he at a premium in the side? Am not a cricket expert, but let's try and dissect this premise – from a cricketing side, from a fan's side and above all India's side.

Exciting talent, a captain who is fast improving and a side that is winning – that's Indian cricket this season. There are many stars who have become the flavor of the people, who are slowly going to be getting more endorsements, and become more famous. Where does Sachin stand amongst all this? I would take you back to the third one-day international against Pakistan at Lahore this season. I wouldn't go into stats, but India had a big total to chase. Having lost two quick wickets, it was time for Sachin and Dravid to steer India out of trouble. And boy did they.

But here's where you'll find and interesting paradox. Dravid is a giant amongst contemporary batsmen. The most technically correct, and the most consistent. And here's where I would like to put all the talk about “Tendulkar's end” to rest. India walked into seaming conditions,with the Pakistan opening bowlers making good use of it.Dravid, played, missed and looked all at sea.Sachin's knock was a lesson in batting,of perfect coordination,of letting go the good deliveries.For 35 overs it was a master teaching the cricket world on batting against the seaming ball.It's always been a pleasure watching Sachin decimate bowling attacks.But watching Sachin leave,was for me the stamp of his genius.He swerved,missed a few but kept the bowlers at bay.But never did he compromise on the scoring.And Dravid, all the while looked like a duck lost in a pond.I am by no means belittling his contribution to the important partnership,or his skill.It was a day where he looked second best to genius.And you have to accept that.

The signature straight drive,the seering pull shot,the exquisite cover drive and the cheeky paddle past the keeper are still at their very best.

Even after 16 years of cricket which drains the very best people of their competitive juices, you'll still find that childish enthusiasm whenever he gets a bowl, the same intensity when he comes to bat and the same athleticism on the field.He still pulls his weight in the cricket team,be it with his performance or with the way he guides the youngsters.It was one of the saddest days in Indian cricket when some in the crowd(at Mumbai's Wankhede,3^rd test against England) booed Sachin after he got out in the second innings.

Sachin is again out on an injury break.Let us consider the worst and suppose Sachin never plays a test match for India again.In such a case Wankhede would have been his farewell match and what a farewell did we give to him.I know a few rotten oranges don't spoil the basket but is this the way we treat one of our beloved sons? I'm sorry, but we spoilt a few pages of our history here.We surely haven't seen the last of him.Lahore is a good enough example for me.India would have lost the match that day had it not been for his innings.

He is a shining example for sublime batsmanship, and a statesman cricketer.Let's hope the light keeps shining.