Speculations on Yuvinspiration !

Has Yuvraj Singh’s father spilled the beans ? Or is he as clueless as we are ? It is common knowledge in Indian Cricket that everyone wants to say, “Thank You Sachin” ! So I don’t really think we have to buy this. But we are too impatient to wait for the thing to come from the horse’s mouth.

Hence we thought it was time for Doctoring the Balls. Some investigations into this You-We-Inspiration needed. So went Dr. Ball Subramaniam [Dr. Balls for short] to do some research on Yuvinspiration. He met some possible candidates. And here is his report.

What Yograj Singh didn’t mention when Dr. Balls met him, “Well, I have bloody tortured, terrorized and trained the lad. There can be only one inspiration and that is ME, Yograj Singh, the ‘Baap’ of Yuvraj Singh. I am a very modest man you see and that is why I prefer to say “Thank You Sachin” !

So here we go…

Roy of Inspiration ?

Dr. Balls: Mr. Roy, are you the man who has inspired Yuvi to fire ? After all that happened in IPL-3, he was sulking, lost form and was at the lowest of his morale. It was you who stood by him. You were the only “Sahara” in whole of India for him. We think it has to be YOU !

Subrata Roy: Well of course, everyone has inspired Yuvi. He is a great guy. It should not be considered as a jab if I say he was let down by Punjab. Yuvi is a precious gem and we needed him and we got him. If he thinks I am his inspiration, I am honored. But for me, Yuvi is the inspiration. India will win the World Cup this time and our team will win the IPL-4 under Yuvi’s dynamic leadership.

Next…

Inventor of The Pallu Scoop !

Dr. Balls: Ma’am, you have been his strength and have brought him up through ‘Thin and Thick”. We have reasons to believe YOU are the person Yuvi has drawn inspiration. In this ‘Reincarnation of Yuvraj Singh’, you are the Mother India !

Shabnam Singh: Yuvi is a great boy. He has drawn inspiration from many people including Sachin and Saurav. I have only told him not to take inspiration from his father. I have been a devoted mother. I have taught him only one shot, ‘The Pallu Scoop’. It isn’t true that Dilshan invented it. I did. Yuvi thinks that is a ‘Girls’ shot and being the ‘Man’ he is he doesn’t like to play that. Otherwise my boy is a fantastic son. He has become ‘So Big‘ today solely because of his own efforts, hard work and talent. I am blessed to be his mother. If he thinks I am his inspiration, he is being nice to his mother and all mothers. I wish they win the World Cup this time.

Next…

Dada of his boys !

Dr. Balls: Dada, you had written a letter to Yuvi when you were Captain and he was out of form and out of team. There are reasons to believe you could have done it again. Are you the man who has ‘lifted’ Yuvi ?

Saurav: See, nobody lifts Yuvi, especially these days. He is his own man. I might have written a letter to him long ago. But I also wrote letters to Agarkar, Kartik and many others. They didn’t respond. I don’t want to spoil the party by telling you if I have written to Yuvi or not. Let them go all the way. I have never stolen the limelight from my team-mates. And I am proud of my boys, Viru, Yuvi, Zaks, Bhajji and all of them. But I would prefer him to disclose the name after winning the finals. We went a long way in 2003. I want this team to go one step further. All the best to Yuvi, Mahi and all of them.

Next…

Anchal me kya hai ?

Dr. Balls: Ms. Kumar, are you the inspiration of Yuvi the match winner ? Are you the one who has made him so determined ? Is it “Love ke liye kuch bhi karega” ?

Anchal Kumar: See, first thing first ! We are just good friends. In fact Family Friends ! So there is no question of my having an affair with Yuvi. And he is younger to me too. I have seen him grow up. I am happy he is doing well now. I don’t think I am his inspiration, but if my friendship has inspired him I’d be proud. I wish the team all the best. They should win the World Cup this time.

Next…

The Smile that Launched a Million Runs !

Dr. Balls: Sachin, an entire nation has taken inspiration from you. Now everyone is eager to know who is the mysterious inspiration in Yuvi’s life. Yuvi’s father believes it is YOU. What do you think ?

Sachin: Well, he called me ‘Grandpa’ and inspired me to score a Double century in one day Cricket. I haven’t called him any names in public even though I threatened. That was all in good spirit. I really don’t know if I have inspired him or anyone. But it is nice to be of inspiration to someone. To know who is his inspiration, you should ask Yuvraj and not me. But I think you should wait till he decides to tell. Now let him concentrate on the game. I just hope he keeps performing and everyone performs well and we manage to win the World Cup.

Govind Raj Shenoy for DieHard Cricket Fans

Snapshot – Last Week Of The Biggest Cricket Event

The Cup That Counts

We have now reached the very last part or the real business of CWC 2K11 with only 3 matches & 4 teams remaining in contention. We have seen some great contests throughout the tournament & a few upsets. Though these did not cause a huge heart break with the 8 most expected teams reaching the quarter final stage. The so called minnows existed after putting up some show but none of them could reach the knock-out stage & perished in the league round.

Expect the Unexpected: With Australia & South-Africa out, one can never be sure about who will win the title; these 2 powerful contender’s exit is a warning for predictors. The playing conditions of the sub-continent is a major reason for this & we have 3 Asian teams in the semis along with the unexpected Kiwi team.

The Match-up: Semis match-up is New-Zealand v/s Sri-Lanka @ Colombo on March 29; & kiwis will have to play really good cricket to stop Lankans from reaching to their second consecutive world cup finale.

Second semi final can really be called the “GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT” where arch rivals India & Pakistan meet @ Mohali on March 30; the game will be high on cricket & political quotient and will be heart breaking for one of the two sides, can uproot the best of the sports predictors and heart-patients are advised to stay away. It definitely will be thrasher of a game.

Finale: The winners of the aforesaid game will match up @ Mumbai’s renovated Wankhade stadium on April 2. All four contenders have their eyes set on this date & venue but only two will reach there. So next week is definitely cricket lover’s delight.

Bookies Call: Bookies are backing the “men in blue” i.e team India the most serious contender of the title with quotes as follows: India- 1.90; Sri-Lanka- 4.70; Pakistan- 5.20 & New-Zealand- 7.50… I have already explained the concept of this pricing in my previous article.

So, the fans call is to follow great cricket coming up; back their sides if they are in contention or choose a loyalty out of the remaining teams and enjoy the best entertainment.

Jitin Mehrotra For DieHard Cricket Fans

Good Bye to a Bloody Mean Champion Cricketer !

A lot of people are rejoicing the fall of a Champion.
Let Australia sulk. Stronger or weaker, they will come back.
But there was one man who went out tonight perhaps for the last time in a World Cup.

I never liked Ponting. His earliest claim to fame was on a juniors tour of India when he flayed all the junior Indian bowlers. Many of them never played senior Cricket. Then he made more news for pub brawls than for his on field exploits. Ever since he made his debut, I had a special dislike for him.

I disliked Ponting because…

He had the best team playing with him or under him through most of his career.
He blasted India in the 2003 World Cup Final and that scar can’t heal. Not even after this win.
He had Shane Warne and Glen McGrath giving him wickets whenever he wanted.
He was the most prolific scorer in the new millennium and not Sachin.
He almost threatened to overtake Sachin at one time and break most of his records.
He had three World Cups in his kitty and two of them as as Captain.
But most importantly, he had never lost a World Cup match as a Captain.

I hated Ponting because…

He had transgressed the spirit of Cricket more often than anyone could care to remember.
But he somehow escaped with much lighter punishment than others, especially Asians.
He lead from the front all the unholy activity during the infamous Sydney Test in 2008.
Forget walking, he regularly contested Umpiring decisions and mostly escaped Scott free.
And most importantly for never walking but expecting opponents to ‘walk’ !

There can be a million reasons to dislike Ponting and hate Ponting.
But he was a Genius without a doubt. A flawed Genius if there is one.

For one who had not lost a single World Cup match and had overseen annihilation of all the 3 South Asian Teams in 3 successive World Cup Finals, Ponting went out against 3 South Asian Teams. He couldn’t beat any one of them this time.

Sri Lanka were in a very good position before the rains intervened.
Pakistan gave Ponting the first taste of World Cup defeat in a dozen years.
And India knocked him and his team out of the World Cup tonight.

He was under pressure from all corners. For the LCD episode. For the Steve Smith episode. For not walking. For talking. And for being Ricky Ponting ! But what a way to go. He was out of form for longer than even Rahul Dravid. Boy, did he choose a match to strike form ? He couldn’t have done anything more or better. He and his team just ran into a slightly better team on the day.

Ricky Ponting has tormented Indians for so long and so badly, it is a relief to see him walk away into sunset or to hell.

But before that, let us say gracefully…

He was such a bloody mean Champion Cricketer !

And he went out with his head held high !

Good bye Ponting !

Govind Raj Shenoy for DieHard Cricket Fans

Munaf Patel for Captain : Let the Helicopter Fly !

Munaf and Dhoni Celebrating

Cricket is all about skills. Multiple levels of skills. Batting, Bowling, Fielding. It also involves the cerebral, like strategizing, planning and of course execution.
I don’t know what were the plans and strategies Team India had deployed when they played Australia. Most things they did went well and some things the Aussies did, did not. The luck factor too was more often with the Indians except the coin.
Virendar Sehwag’s shoulder and knee and Gautam Gambhir’s suicidal mania apart, Team India gave more or less 100%. All the 10 ‘Players’ in the team did their best. And then there was Munaf Patel. What is he doing in the team ? I have harped on this before, but let us take one more look.

Except Bangladesh defending 370, he’s never threatened to take a wicket any time.
He has gone for over 6 an over after the first match. 5 wickets for 268 in 44 overs.
Most of these wickets have come at the end of an expensive over.
Twice out of two chances to bowl at death, he has been whacked by tail-enders.
He is an Opening bowler who seldom opens the bowling these days.
Bowls no Yorker, no bouncer and can’t reverse the ball even if Dhoni were to bite it.
He is the only ‘fast bowler’ who is consistent. He consistently bowls length balls at death.
After Abey Kuruvilla, Munaf has inherited the mantle of ‘Slowest Fast Bowler’ on earth.
Ashwin and Pathan have bowled more during Power plays than Munaf.
He was taken to the cleaners by Haddin and Ponting while others toiled.
He hasn’t completed his quota of 10 overs in the last 5 matches.
He inspires confidence in Dhoni. Sachin bowled at death and did better.
Fielding has fluctuated between pathetic to comic, never threatening to improve.
His visits to the batting crease have been ‘blink and you miss’ guest appearances.

With all these ‘Qualifications’, how does he manage to continue in the team ?

Here are the possibilities…

India want to fool the opponents by creating some false sense of well being.
He is some kind of a lucky mascot for the highly superstitious Indians.
The Captain doesn’t have confidence in the available alternatives.
The Team believes he can deliver in crunch situations.

But none of these are good enough reasons to keep him in the team. Yusuf Pathan has bowled 35 overs [mostly during power plays] and gone for 167 runs at 4.77 though wickets have eluded him. So it would be a better option to go ahead with Yusuf purely as a bowler. Whatever runs he scores and all the fielding he does are all bonus.

So who should be playing against Pakistan ? Let us take a Man vs Man look at our next opponents.

Pit Munaf against Umar Gul. Oh, forget it. Pit him against rookie Wahab, still not a match. Pit him against the slower Abdul Razack and Munaf comes across as useless. If Pakistan manage to beat India at Mohali, the difference will be Munaf Patel.

So if the ‘Think Tank’ still thinks Munaf should play, please do us a favor…

Dhoni has been burdened by Captaincy. His batting has suffered and the Helicopter isn’t flying. So relieve him of Captaincy. Make Munaf Patel the Captain. He will be true to himself and as usual do nothing. The Team can take care of itself and let the Helicopter fly !

Enough is Munaf !

Govind Raj Shenoy for DieHard Cricket Fans

You Don’t Mess With The Proteas!

After that spectacular first innings,you would have thought the Proteas were on their way to a comfortable victory, but suddenly things started to go wrong and one by one the batting order began to collapse, before you knew it South Africa were already 7 down, needing 70 somewhat runs off just 10 overs. Possible – yes, likely – no.What can you do? As a devoted fan you can’t help but stare blankly at the television wondering what went wrong and why this was happening…but hold on,it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee,don’t be so quick to desert or undermine this team just yet!

As the Proteas go home, out come the critics.’Chokers’,they spew out this word like a mantra every-time something goes wrong. Don’t they know that just a few days ago, this very team topped group B or has their memory ‘choked’ as well. So whenever a team does badly the media will be quick to criticize the team but when a win comes along they are suddenly praising their efforts? As confusing, sad and hypocritical as this is, this is what humanity has come to be! It’s time we banish the losing blues and face our demons, It’s time to man up!! Win or lose South Africa still has one of the best balanced sides this world cup had to offer and yet it’s not enough to some!It may be a disappointment to exit in such an unlikely manner, but that’s cricket, being human we just have to separate the positives from the negatives if we’re ever going to succeed in life. In South Africa’s case there are many positives, like Robbie P finding his groove and the rest of the bowling attack which followed, our batsmen had their ups and downs but all looks good as everyone was able to work together as a unit. It’s not the end for the Proteas,we may not have gotten that shiny piece of metal to hoard for the next four years but as a team and as a country we came out with experiences and lessons to last a lifetime. This is not the end,but the beginning,the beginning of a new era of South African cricket. We don’t have to be no.1 to be the best,a mere position will never be able to define true talent and determination. A die-hard fan stands by their team,no matter what the outcome!

Whether it be O.D.I, test or T20, I will always remain behind my boys just like any other fan would for their team. So through destruction,I keep my head held high and my dignity intact because the phoenix must rise again from the ashes to soar across the horizon, welcoming a new day.My blood is green and my heart is gold, I am forever Pure-Protea!

Surekha Bhugeloo for DieHard Cricket Fans

The 6th cut is the deepest

Howzaaat!!!
They say time heals all wounds, but sadly after the Proteas’ loss today…the clock was turned back and all the emotions attached to 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 & 2007 came flooding back.
It truly is a horrible feeling, especially when you know your team (on paper) can conquer everyone. However, cricket isn’t played with stationary; hence it’s out there…in the middle that it counts – not only on the pitch, but also between the ears.

Once again the opportunity was there for the taking, but sadly it was not meant to be. Credit has to go to New Zealand for digging deep and coming out on top. I personally never gave them a chance, especially after the Proteas dominated the group stage (barring the England game). Alas…New Zealand proved that the knockout stage is indeed a different beast and they managed to tame it magnificently.

In all honesty…there’s not much that I can say, as the pain of today’s result is just too much to bear. As such…I’m keeping this post short and “bitter” I‘m afraid. The Proteas had a good ride, but unfortunately…they (once again) lost control of the wheel at a crucial junction.

In the end…it’ll be a welcome relief to watch the rest of the tournament without stress and a lump in my throat *cough* In addition…I can also take comfort in the fact that our two time rugby World Cup Champions…the Springboks, will have a chance to retain their title later this year!

All that’s left now is for another South African (and I’m not referring to some English players here) to win the World Cup – go Gary Kirsten and team India!!!

Sharief ‘Sheriff’ Allie for DieHard Cricket Fans