Sachin Is The Biggest Phenomenon To Have Happened In International Cricket

There have been many great players in cricket. But none of them had the craze of Sachin Tendulkar. He was a phenomenon in the 1990s. When he was growing into a superstar, people could not believe that a cricket player could be this extraordinary. He was India’s first aggressive batsman. His rise to fame coincided with the emergence of Cable Television in the country. On one side he was growing bigger and bigger hitting century after century in every match and on the other side cable TV was making the game more and more popular in the nation with its charming, attractive and appealing presentation. All this made him all the more popular. There were many factors which went in his favour. He was an opening batsman. So he had more time and overs to play. So he could hit centuries easily. The fifteen over field restriction rule was introduced in 1995. This made the game more interesting. He played some heroic innings for eg the knocks in the final and semi final of the Sharjah Cup 1998. 1998 was his best year. He hit 9 one day centuries in that year and broke Desmond Haynes’ record of most one day centuries (17). He also surpassed Md Azharuddin’s aggregate of 9000 ODI runs in 2000 and reached 10000 in 2001. He was the most consistent batsman of his time. He hit centuries @ 1 per three matches in Tests and @ 1 per 7 matches in ODIs. Many batsmen have been compared to him – Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting for example. But none of them were as consistent as him in both forms of the game. Sachin is still rocking and entertaining the people. We wish him to continue in this form. May god give him stamina and strength to go on for long.

All the best Sachin.

This May Be A Graph-Changing Turnaround In Indian Cricket

After the dismal performance in England, Indian players are trying to come back and regain form. The performance in the first three one dayers of this series has been extraordinary. India surprised by making 300 runs in the first match, then dismissed England for a low total in the second ODI and after that chased a big target of 299 in Mohali. All three matches have been exceptional. The young guns are showing high caliber and capability and the team is looking good. Hopefully the team will get into momentum soon and will thrash England 5-0 in this one day series. The following series against WI will be easy as they are a weak team. India can beat them comprehensively in all the three Tests. It’s a very good chance for India to regain confidence and redeem and salvage the lost pride. In December we have to visit Australia. It is going to be a very tough tour. India should prepare very hard for that series. There is some time before that. They should get adequate practice and get into rhythm. The Test series against Australia is the most important of all and India should target beating them 4-0 to make up for the loss in the last series in 2007. After that India should focus on the World Cup 2015 and make it a mission. They should work single-mindedly towards it and put all their energies into it. The WC 2015 is going to be a big event as it is being hosted by Australia. There will be added interest in that and all the people in the world will be following it.

India Can Win This Series 3-0

India has done a fantastic job by winning the first Test at Jamaica. The whole team is looking in good form. We have a very good chancing of beating the Windies 3-0. The West Indies are a comparatively weaker team. We will never again have a chance of having a clean sweep of a series like this. We missed the washout of the One-day series as well. The players by putting in a little more determination could have easily done 5-0. This year is very eventful. We have a Test series against England followed by hosting WI and then a tour of Australia at the end of the year. By beating all these teams we can establish that we are really the no.1 team in the world. There is nothing higher than beating Aus in Aus in cricket. We have a very good chancing of effecting it this time. The team has acquired this form with a lot of hard work. We should make full use of this form and win the Test series in Aus as well as the triangular ODI series involving Aus and SL. India can really dominate world cricket for the next 10 years. We have the players in Sehwag, Dravid and Laxman who can beat the world. They are in the prime of their career at present. The team should take full advantage of that and win as many matches as possible.

     Also, I think India-Aus series should be played every alternate year like the Ashes and they should have 5 Tests like the Ashes, because Ind-Aus series is also as interesting and exciting as the Ashes. So they should be given equal importance.

A Better Format For The World Cup

I have an idea for the World Cup format. This idea is better than all the formats applied so far. I think there should be only 8 teams in the World Cup. This will bring two advantages: First, the matches of minnows are meaningless. Those matches will be avoided. Second, the tournament will not be unnecessarily lengthy. What is more, these 8 teams should be the main 8 teams of the world – Ind, Aus, SA, Eng, NZ, Pak, SL & WI. Because these eight teams have been playing the game for the longest time, so it becomes their unchallenged right to participate in the WC. There should be no groups. All the eight teams should play each of the other seven teams once in the first round. This will ensure that each team has played each of the other teams. The top six teams from this round should go to the super six. There each of the teams should play the other five teams. This will ensure that each team has played a good number of matches. The more a team plays, the more it will be tested. So it is best to have each team playing all the other five teams in the super six. Then the top four teams from here should go to the semi finals. The point system should also be simple. 2 points for each match and the points of the round robin league are carried forward to the super six. The teams reaching the final will play 14 matches and there will be 46 matches in all. This format overcomes all the shortcomings of the previous formats and is the best possible format. I hope my format will be liked and used in the coming World Cups.

IPL Would Better Have Been A One Day Tournament

If IPL was a One day tournament then it would have been better. Because ODI cricket is more exciting than T20. It would have been a thrilling tournament on the lines of the World Cup. It would have been the National One day championship of India. There would have been 8 teams participating – the top 8 teams from the Ranji trophy. All teams would play each other once in the round-robin league and then the top 6 teams go to the Super-six. There again each of the 6 teams play the other 5 once and then the top 4 teams make to the semi-final: 1 vs 4 & 2 vs 3. The team reaching the final would get to play 14 matches. It would have been the National One day Cup of India with states competing for the trophy. We could retain the IPL property of playing the same team for three seasons. In the first three seasons we could play with only the domestic players and each player representing his own state rather than playing for any team. From the fourth season we could introduce foreign players. The selection of players would have been from a lucky draw – the team winning the draw could be asked to choose a player of their choice. But we could avoid auction of teams – that makes the scene ugly. Auction seems as if players are saleable items. So instead of Corporates owning teams we could have the BCCI paying a good amount to the players. It would have been a fantastic tournament.

It’s Celebration Time For The Next 6 Months

Indian players have done a brilliant job by winning the World Cup. They deserve all the accolades in the world for that. How much ever praise is given to them, is less. There is no bigger tournament in this world than the World Cup and they have won the world by winning this Championship. Now its celebration time for the next 6 months and the players must be in party mood. The nation will also party with them for all this period. The player will be getting a lot of awards and presents in this while. The corporates will be showering lavish gifts on them like cars, houses, electronic gadgets and the governments will be honouring them with high prizes. They will also get to act in a lot of commercial ads on TV. They will become national stars. After this layoff they are to go to WI, Eng and Aus on tour. It is a very important season. As India have not played WI for a long time and Ind-Aus series is always high-voltage. I think now ICC will be planning to organise a lot more ODI matches than Test matches in the near future. As there have been a lot of Test matches in the last decade. So the focus now should shift on to One-day Internationals as they are also more interesting. So the coming time will be extremely exciting full of action, entertainment and thrill. So, ENTERTAINMENT is the word of the season. The people should get ready to drown themselves in this sea of fun.

It Was A Fantastic Win By India

The final match victory of the World Cup by India over Sri Lanka was a fantastic one. They played as a team and excelled in all the departments of the game. They did well by restricting the Sri Lankans to 274. Otherwise they might have gone across 300. Zaheer Khan was very good in his initial spell and contained the Lankans as they could manage only 31-2 in the first ten overs. It was only in the last ten over that they could hit runs @ above 6 an over. Mahela Jayawardena was good in hitting a magnificent 100. A World Cup 100 is always a big one and a century in the final is even bigger. All Indian bowlers bowled well and the good thing was that they bowled in discipline. None of them gave a loose ball. The fielding was also good. Also the toss went in Sri Lanka’s favour and that was one place where luck did not favour India. Though India did not let SL take advantage of the win but batting first is always advantageous. Then the batting was even better. India did not lose early wickets. With the exception of Sehwag and Tendulkar all India batsmen scored big. Gautam Gambhir anchored very well with his 97 and Virat Kohli too gave a small contribution. MS Dhoni was also very good 91 off 79 and Yuvraj Singh supported him with 27. It was a very good chase by the Indians, very much in control. They were always in control and never seemed out of sight of the target. The asking rate was never allowed to go above 6. And the current run rate was always above 5. I am 100% confident that Sunil Gavaskar must be extremely proud of all the boys specially Sachin who was exceptional at his age. Now Sachin may be retiring but there are plenty of boys in the team to fill his place. Sachin has fulfilled his life-long cherished dream of winning the World Cup. The World Cup is always very special and all the teams are very keen to win it. So was the Indian team. But it took them very long to fulfill this desire of the people – 28 years. In a nation where cricket is not just a passion but a religion, the players should put their life in the game. After all they get so much adulation and love from the people. If they are not good enough then what do they play for? The players should be extraordinary in India and should be 100% committed to their work. They should eat cricket, sleep cricket and breath cricket in every breath of their life. Then only they will be truly worthy of the infinite love and respect they get from the people. It should be in their blood. All the former players must be extremely proud of the boys and must be desparate to congratulate them. The former cricketers are like mentors for these players and they should respect them and treat them like their idols. After all nothing in this game is as pleasant as the recognition from the former players. After all noone understands the position and life of the players as much as they do. They are the guides of current players. Very well done boys. Extremely proud of you. Love you. You will enjoy the World Champion status for the next four years. You truly deserve it. Congratulations. Harbhajan & Yuvraj were crying after the match. It showed that they were ashamed on their not being so sincere earlier. Very good. This spirit is very good for the game and its future. Now we should prepare for a grand exit for Sachin Tendulkar.

My Favourite Batsmen

I have six favourite batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden & Jacques Kallis. Each of them are in tremendous form at present and each one of them has been playing terrifically well for the last 20 years. And they are the best batsmen of the world – the best of their generation and among the greatest ever. They are a class apart from the rest and have been ruling the game ever since they made their debut. Sachin Tendulkar has been a master since 1989. He started at the age of 16 and has played with the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock. Curtly Ambrose too had been a great bowler of his time and had dismissed many a batsmen with his fierce deliveries. Brian Lara also belongs to the generation of Sachin Tendulkar and was his contemporary and competitor for most of this time. They were compared throughout their playing days. If Sachin was massively consistent, then Lara had the capability of hitting big centuries. Ricky Ponting came in 1996 and Jacques Kallis in 1995. Both were good players from the beginning but they were not of the class of Sachin & Lara. They rose to this class eventually. Ricky hit 1500 runs in Tests in 2003 and ever since has been hitting more than 1000 runs in both Tests and ODIs in each calendar year. He has been breaking all records and now is behind only Sachin in all types of statistics in both Tests and One-days. Jacques Kallis was not an extraordinary batsman till 2004 but ever since he lost his father in 2005, this event had a major impact on him as a person and this has shown in his batting. He has grown in phenomenal form and has hit 2000 runs in 2006. He now belongs to the class of the greatest batsmen of the world and is one of the finest of the last decade. Rahul Dravid was a classy batsmen ever since he made his debut against Eng in Lords and scored 95. He has been awesomely consistent since then specially in Tests. He is a Test specialist and had recorded batting average of 58 or 59 for most of his career. His batting average in One-dayers is also close to 40. Though his Strike rate is not great but his stability in the team is immense. He was also a very good captain and led from the front. He inspired great performances from others through is able captaincy. Matthew Hayden came in 2001. He started his career by hitting 549 runs against India in a 3-Test series and hit a double century in that. Ever since then he has been a great batsman. He hit 20 centuries in 4 years and finished at 30 in the end. His average in ODIs also is 46. He was an aggressive batsman and one of the most destructive of his time. These 6 batsmen are among the greatest ever and it can be said that the present phase of cricket is of great batsmen and explosive batting as there are many great batsmen in the world. All this started with the new rule of field restriction in 1995 which stated that one two fielders could be outside the 30-yard circle in the first 15 overs. The NZ were the first team to take advantage of this rule and start the trend of hitting big shots and scoring runs in bulk in the first 15 overs. SL realized this possibility next and made use of it in the 96 World Cup. Ever since then it has been normal practice.

Laxman’s Inning Of 281, v Australia, 2001 Is The Best Test Inning Ever

VVS Laxman’s inning of 281 against Australia in the 2001 Test series was the greatest ever played in the history of Test cricket. It was the most memorable match I had ever seen. Never before had I seen any team win a Test match after coming back from such a backward point. India were trailing by 274 runs in the first innings and followed on. It was only the third instance in the history of Cricket out of the 1535 Test matches played thus far that a team had won a match after following on. It was a thriller of a match. Never ever had a better fightback been witnessed by anyone. Steve Waugh himself gave this comment. It indicates that he must have been awe-struck by India’s performance. The three main heroes of India’s victory were VVS, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh. It was the second Test of the series played at Calcutta. Australia batted first and scored 291/8 on the first day. The situation was even on Day 1 as Aus had scored a good 291 runs but India too claimed their 8 wickets. Harbhajan Singh had taken a hat-trick – India’s first hattrick in Tests and 29^th overall. The Australians seemed overconfident as they batted aggressively even after losing a good number of wickets. On Day 2 Aus went on to make 445. Steve Waugh scored a century (110) and Jason Gillispie made a career best 46. It was a good recovery by Aus after the late evening-lower order collapse on day 1. When India started batting, none of the batsmen could stand the fierce bombing of the Oz bowlers. Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Kasprowich and Brett Lee were delivering fire from both ends. India were 171/8 on day 2 and Laxman was the only survivor with 59 to his credit. On Day three morning the Indian lineup got dismissed for 171. The first inning trail was 274 and the team had to follow on. It was a mammoth task and even saving the match was looking unlikely. But destiny had something else in store of India. In the second inning Indian batsmen showed a different character. They fought hard and built 232/4 on Day 3. Laxman was batting on 107 and Rahul on 11. Both the batsmen were looking in good rhythm. But still the target was a mountainous one. VVS had come at no.3 and Rahul at no.6. Rahul was demoted in this match because the selectors and the team management were not happy with his recent form. I was extremely disappointed with this decision as it was a great insult to a batsman of his class. He is too extraordinary a batsman to be given this treatment by the board. He had played so many big innings and centuries in the past that he could not have been punished for a little slump in form. Class is permanent, form is temporary. India needed to make a huge score to save this match as they were still behind Aus’ first inning total by 42 runs. Nobody had thought what could happen on Day 4 but Laxman and Dravid proved that they were made of steel metal. They both batted the whole day and finished the day on 275 and 155 respectively. Laxman had surpassed India’s highest individual score of 236 in the course (Sunil Gavaskar). The Board was happy with him and announced a prize money of Rs.1000 per run as soon as he went past Gavaskar’s score. It was a classy performance by the two batsmen. Their partnership was of 376, the highest for India for any wicket. Laxman in his inning had hit Shane Warne for a number of fours over mid-wicket in a very stylish way. Warne used to bowl him at the leg stump and he used to jump forward and push away him for four. It was a thrilling contest. He smashed all the bowlers for boundaries and it was an epic inning to watch. Rahul Dravid’s knock too was no less. On day 5, Laxman got out for 281 and Dravid for 180. India declared their inning for 657/7. Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan played some lusty shots in the end and took the team’s score farther from Aus’ reach. The bowlers then did the remaining task as Harbhajan Singh took a magnificent 7 wkts and the visitors went all out for 212 chasing the target of 384. Harbhajan Singh finished the match with figures of 13 wkts (6 in I inn and 7 in II). But the biggest hero of the match was VVS Laxman (Very Very Special Laxman, as the Oz players started calling him from then onwards) who scored a big 340 runs (59 in I inn & 281 in II). Never in the history of the game had such a great inning been witness because never before had such a difficult match been played. VVS Laxman deserves all the credit for this hero’s win. His performance was truly magical. He is a giant of a player and is capable of playing many big knocks of this quality. India from there went on to make history by winning the third Test and beating Aus 2-1. It was India’s greatest ever performance in Tests. Any amount of praise is not enough for this performance. Thank you India for giving us this win. We are all extremely proud of this.

Sachin’s Knock Of 143, Sharjah, 1998 Is The Best One-Day Inning Ever

Sachin’s knock of 143 at Sharjah against Australia in 1998 was the best One-day inning of all times. It was a thriller of a match. Australia had batted first and scored 285. It was a daunting task to chase that target. But Sachin made it not only possible but also easy to achieve it. India needed 265 in that match to qualify for the finals. It was a triangular series involving Zimbabwe. Pepsi was the title of the Cup. Sachin scored a mammoth 143 off 134 balls and took India past the target and fell just before India were close to the target. It seemed that Laxman and Azhar who were at the crease at that time will take India past the required figure but that could not happen. India had sufficient wickets at that time but those batsmen did not show enough hunger to attain the goal. But still Sachin had done a mountainous task by reaching the qualifying figure. I think it was the most difficult match in the history of the game because Australia were an extremely tough team and they had set an extremely high target for India. Also Glenn McGrath were bowling extremely lethal deliveries from both ends. Both are world class bowlers. And the following match which was a final was again a thriller one with India having to chase 272 again against a difficult Australian team. And the master batsman did it again. These two matches I think were epic innings and there are very few matches in the history of One-day cricket which come close to the charm of these two matches. This final match was in my opinion the second best inning of the One-day history. I congratulate Sachin on his performance in these to matches. He is surely a champion and a figure in the history of the game. He rightly won a car as the prize of the Player of the Tournament. It was enchanting to watch that.

It Was One Of India’s Greatest Wins Ever (The Q/F)

The quarterfinal tie between India and Australia was a thriller of a match. It was one of India’s best wins ever. Beating Australia in a World Cup knockout was always going to be tough because the Australians have very good big match temperament. They always raise their game to a higher level in important matches. They have shown it in World Cup 2003 final, the second final of the VB Series 2004 and at numerous occasions in the past. When they are playing an important match they rise to extraordinary level and put in all their life into it. They play like tigers. But this time India undid them. They outplayed them in all the departments. First they did a brilliant job by restricting them to 260. Australians are not easy to restrict around 250 in big matches like this. It always takes enormous effort on part of the bowlers and fielders to stop the run flow. And that is what India did exactly. They bowled and fielded aggressively and showed the killer instinct. After that India did even better with the bat by batting dominantly throughout their innings. Tendulkar and Sehwag did a brilliant job by giving India a good start. Sehwag missed a big score but by the time he was out India had build a solid foundation to work on. Tendulkar went on to hit a half-century and scored 53. It was his 95^th half-ton. He really is a master batsman. He needs just two more hundreds to complete a half-century of hundreds in ODIs. If he achieves this feat he will become a figure in eternity. He already has a place there but this accomplishment will take him a step higher in that zone. There are two matches to go now to win the trophy. India needs to put all their life in the ties to sweep them. After beating Australia I think it should not be difficult for India to beat South Africa or England. India are already on their march to the championship. The only need now is to put in a little more energy in their efforts. The results are sure to fruit. All the best India. You are about to create history.

This WC Had Many Exciting Matches

This World Cup has had many exciting results. At least five matches were extremely interesting. One was the stunning victory of Ireland over England where the Irish killers chased down a mammoth 327 of English. It showed they had great character, immense courage and super strength. It’s never easy to chase a 300-plus score. It was one of the greatest wins in the history of ODIs. The second was the contest between India and England which resulted in a tie. It was an extremely thrilling and enchanting match. A memorable one. Both teams fought to their best potential showing extreme intensity and passion. The third was the South Africa-England tie which was a low-scoring affair. Both teams made low scores and still managed to deliver one of the most intense fights. Eng batted first and scored 172. SA who were 124/3 went all out for 165. It was a tremendous fightback by the British – another thriller match. Another exciting match was the India-SA tie. India did a great start scoring 142/0 in 20 overs and then 267/1 in 40 overs thanks to big innings by Tendulkar and Sehwag, but went down to 296/9 in 50 overs. SA were confident from the beginning and chased the target easily. They were never out of the scene and did the required with 5 wickets in hand. The last thriller was between England and Bangladesh. BD did an excellent job by restricting the English to 226 and then managed to chase their target with 2 wickets remaining. It was another big upset of England in the tournament and made it all the more difficult for them to qualify for the quarter-final with Ireland and BD giving them competition in the points table. With the group round still not finished we have already had five thriller matches and this promises the knock-outs to be even more exciting.

India’s Concession To South Africa Was Turnable

India’s loss to SA was disappointing as India could have easily managed to win the match by scoring a few more runs in their inning. With Sachin hitting two century partnerships with Sehwag and Gambhir, India were perfectly poised at 269/1 and set for a high total. But the middle and lower order fumbled and collapsed. They completely succumbed to the situation. The fall of a few wickets is understandable but the total collapse was listless. India’s strength is batting. They should capitalize on their strength. They should build on the opening and top-order partnerships made by the upper-order batsmen. But the middle-order batsmen failed to do it. Now India may find it tough to go all the way in the tournament. Earlier they were seeming like favourites and were undefeated in the championship. But now losing a crucial game they may not be at the top of the table in the points tally and may have to face a tougher opposition in the quarter-finals. This loss to SA revealed India’s character and showed that they are not as strong in reality as they claim to be. A true champion team should win all the games in the World Cup and not just the title. Like the Australian team of 2003 and 2007 edition the World Cup winner should win all the matches in the tournament. Now it’s an uphill task for India and it’s a test of their mettle. If the have the steel inside them, they will bounce back and make up for the losses conceded in the past.

India Lost Nerves In The England Tie

The India England match of this World Cup which resulted in a tie was one of the greatest games ever played in the history of ODIs. One side batted first and scored 338 and the other side equaled the score. Very rarely has it been witnessed in ODIs that a team has scored nearly 350 runs and the other team has chased or equaled that or even come close to that. One incidence was when Aus scored 435 and SA chased that. Another incidence was in this tournament when Ireland successfully chased England’s total of 327. It was one of those special matches – extremely enchanting, exciting and entertaining. Ireland’s defeat of England was a success which should be an inspiration for all the teams not to take any team lightly. All the teams participating in this tournament are strong and none can be underestimated. The England-India tie was also a lesson for India. India took that match easily. They scored less runs than they could in the last few overs. They became overconfident. Perhaps they thought that they had enough runs on the board. Similarly they were complacent in their bowling and fielding. They took the opponent easily. They thought that their score was unattainable. But England went bang on target right from the beginning. They exploded throughout their inning. Captain Andrew Strauss specially was the most extraordinary. His knock of 158 was really awe-inspiring. England were always ahead of their required run rate in their chase. So the tie was a big loss for India as they could have easily won that match. India should now be cautious in their contests as otherwise they might lose and get knocked out from the tournament like in their 2007 campaign.

India Thrashed Bangla In The Opener

India thrashed Bangla completely in the WC Opener. It was an extremely thrilling match in which India absolutely outplayed Bangla in all the departments. India batted first to score a mammoth 370 runs. The score was a mountainous one as Sehwag scored 175 from 140 balls and Virat Kohli scored 100 off 83. It was absolutely a sensational performance by the Indian batsmen as they hammered the Bangla bowling and completely tormented them. The conditions were suitable to batting as the pitch was flat and the ball kept low and came straight to the bat. The Indians batted cautiously and sensibly as they waited for the bad balls to punish them and kept taking the singles on the good ones. The batting of India was absolutely smashing as they destroyed the BD attack and rained 4s & 6s. The win was just as the first match of India in the WC should have been. It was an inspiring win for India and is a sign of a good potential of the Indian players. So India’s start in the Cup has been great and now we can hope for a thriller run through the tournament.

     The bowling too was equally good and the bowlers did a descent job by restricting the BDs to 283. An 87-run win is an emphatic one and this should give the Indians the required confidence for the remaining contests.

So we congratulate the Indian camp on their convincing win in this match and wish them all the luck for the remaining tournament.

Good luck.

Australia Is The Next Biggest Contender Of This Tournament After India

Eng, Aus, SA & SL are the next biggest contenders for the WC after India. All these teams have been playing some tremendous cricket over the last couple of years. Aus are in a class of their own. They are above competition. The percentage of matches and tournaments that they have won is matchless and way beyond others. But England too have been playing terrefically well for the last some years. They won the T20 World Cup last year and also defeated Aus in the Ashes series 3-1! Their overall performance has been great. SA have been great ever since their reentry into international cricket in 1992. They came close to winning the tournament many times but fumbled at the last moment. In 1992 they won all their league games but lost the semi-final due to rain rule. In '96 too they won all their round robin games but lost the quarter final to a steady West Indies. In '99 they had almost won the Cup but Lance Klusener and Allan Donald lost their nerves at the last ball and dropped the Cup. They again were ruled out of the Cup in '03 because of bad luck - a miscalculation of the Duckworth-Lewis target by their team. So it has been a misfortunate journey for them but this time they are looking determined to make it big. SL is another side which has been doing quite well for the past few seasons. They have always been a good side in ODI and are a strong force at home where they are going to play most of their league games. NZ too have the tendency of punching above their weight - consistently. So it is going to be an intense WC where a lot of teams are going to fight very hard for the title. India too is a force to reckon, looking perfectly in hold after the practice match won last night against the Aus. So, India is in tremendous form. Beware all the teams. And beware Aussies in particular whom India likes to beat the most. India is the only team which has beaten Australia repeatedly in the last decade. So, Indian team is the strongest.

All the best.

Australia Have Been Unmatchable Since The Last Whole Decade

Australia are truly the champions of this game and their height in this game is way ahead of all others. They are in a class of their own - a cut much above the rest. They have been playing tremendously over the last whole decade and have won most of their matches & series in both forms of the game. Their might is unparalleled and their record is awesome. The leadership of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting has been amazing. They were inspiring skippers and led by example. This team is something from which all the others in this world can learn a lot of things. It's hard to believe that a team can reign and rule over the world of cricket over a whole decade and that too in a manner that there is a gap between them and all the other teams. They are not just the no.1 but a lot better than all others. This has been possible because of a bunch of cricketers who played in this era, each of whose were tremendously talented and skilled and delivered many awe-inspiring performances for their team. It was heartening to see the performances of Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn Mc Grath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer & Damien Martyn who played during this period and took their team to glorious heights through their magnificent play. It is also unbelievable that so many players of this quality and caliblre played in this team at the same time. Each of these players is a stalwart in his own right and stands out in the international cricket outstandngly. The Australian team is supremely mighty and is still rocking at the top of their confidence. Nobody knows for how long they will continue to be this strong. For the viewers this is certainly extremely entertaining and thrilling and the people want them to play the same way for many more years. They are bringing a lot of pleasure to the lives of people all over the world and a lot of money to their organisers. What else does anyone want? So, the Oz team is in a space of their own and we wish them all the luck for their future contests.

All the best Australia

My Dream XI

My dream XI for the World Cup is as follows (in batting order):

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Virender Sehwag (Vice-captain)
3. Rahul Dravid (Captain)
4. Gautam Gambhir
5. Virat Kohli
6. Yousuf Pathan
7. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicketkeeper)
8. Zaheer Khan (Strike bowler)
9. Ashish Nehra (Second strike bowler)
10. Munaf Patel (Third fast bowler)
11. Harbhajan Singh (Spinner)

This XI is extremely competent and capable of winning against any side on any given day. Each of the team members are capable of turning a match and taking it home from there single handedly. Each one is a stalwart in his own right and therefore this team is capable of winning the coveted trophy for the second time in history and setting records straight.

This WC Is Going To Be A Bigger Event

This WC is always a big event. But everytime it is bigger than before. Because everytime it brings the chance for all the teams to better their records in history. The teams who have won before can take their record further. And the team which haven't, can do it for the first time. In any case, the Cup is always bigger and more exciting than ever before. This time also, there are 14 teams contesting as in 2003 divided into two groups. The group stage will be followed by the knock-out stage: QF, SF and the finals. The WCs have always been extremely thrilling. In 1975 & 1979 they were won by a super strong West Indies team which reigned over the World in 1970s & 1980s. In 1983 it was won by a spirited Indian side, in 1987 by a dogged Aus side and in 1992 by a surprising Pak. Every time there was more thrill, more drama, more entertainment and more fun. In 1992 one of the main reasons of entertainment was the top form of the SA and NZ teams. The SA were playing for the first time and they were in their peak form. As also the NZ which was anchored very ably by a dashing Martin Crowe. Since 1993 the game became much bigger that before as cable television entered the market. And the way the game was played and telecasted was hyped multi-times as compared to earlier. The private Sports Channels presented in a very glamorous way adding emphasis to every thing. So it was from the 1996 WC that the game became super big when it came to India. India is the biggest contributor to the ICC's sponsorships. The maximum amount of the sponsorship comes from India. So India is a very important country in ICC's books. The way SL played the game in 1996 was amazing. They attacked hard in the first 15 overs and took the game away from there. In 1999 it was a big craze in India as the Indian team had won a big number of ODI tournaments in 1998. They played 10 and won 6 out of that. So the Indian team was in terrefic form and in particular Sachin Tendulkar was in the most dashing form. So the expectations were large in 1999 but it could not materialize as the team could not make it to the SF. The 2003 was the biggest edition so far as it enjoyed the maximum following. The Indian team did very well by reaching the finals and the Aussie team ruled completely like an emperor beating all teams like minnows. The Aus team literally crushed all teams by heavy margins and further strengthened their might in the world. So the 2003 Cup was the most entertaining and it still continues to thrill people in their memories. The 2007 edition was India's worst performance of all times and their exit in the preliminary stage was extremely shameful. It was a loss which cannot be made up by any amount of success. Australia have ruled over the world over the

entire last decade and continue to be the favourites in this tournament too. At present also they thrashed Eng by 6-1 in a 7-match series at their home. This is just an indication of the kind of rythm they are in. SA and Eng also have been doing well recently and are the next favourites to win the title. All in all it's going to be a grand event and the Indian media is going to hype it like nothing before.

My best wishes to the Indian team for the tournament.

Indian Cricket Is Booming

Indian Cricket is booming these days. And handsomely. Their performance in both Tests and ODIs over the last few years has been phenomenal. The number of matches and series we have won under Dravid and Dhoni we have never done it before. So this is the best phase of Indian cricket. In fact the entire era starting from the win against the Aussies in 2001 has been a Golden Era - an era of great success. The amount of success the team has enjoyed over these ten years has been unprecedented. It all started with Ganguly's captaincy in 2000. Ganguly was seen as an inspirational leader because he was strict with the players and an aggressive person on the field. So, he inspired good performances from others. Ganguly focussed on developing some young players by supporting them in their bad phase. He helped Sehwag, Yuvraj, Kaif, Harbhajan and Zaheer by persisting with them in their poor forms and that paid the required dividends. These players delivered the needful when the time came.

Ganguly's captaincy started with an ODI series win against SA at home 3-2. This was a good beginning for a new captain. Then India reached the final of Champions Trophy 2000 and almost won the tie before NZ snatched it away at the last moment. India batted first and piled up 265 in the designated overs. NZ were 130/5 and were therefore about to collapse but complacency on India's part saw them build a big partnership between Chris Cairns & Harris which took them through to the target. A liitle more effort by India in their fielding and bowling could have won the match easily and it would have been a big victory. Before the final India won successive matches against Aus & SA in the knockout stage which was a clear indication of the potential the team had got.

The 2-1 Test series win against Australia was a big morale booster and it lifted the confidence of the players to a great level. Now they started believing that they could win big series and tournaments against good teams regularly and rise to super strength. And it happened too. They equalled a Test series 1-1 with Zim, reached the final of a triangular ODI series involving SL & NZ. In this tournament, Virender Sehwag scored a 61-ball hundred in a match against NZ which was the first time the world saw a glimpse of this butcher. This was also the start of a phase in which India reached the final of a number of ODI tournaments till the World Cup. India drew a Test in SA and managed a 0-1 defeat. Then they won a Test series against Eng at home 1-0 and equalled the following ODI series 3-3. After this India started winning Test matches and tournaments abroad regularly. They beat Zim 2-0 in Test series and 3-2 in ODI series. This 2-0 win was India's first clean sweep of a Test series after a long time. Then they won a Test in WI where they lost the series 1-2. They won the following ODI series 2-1 (5). They won the Natwest Series in Eng chasing 325 in the final. It was a very big win as such a big total had been chased in ODI history after a very long time. It was undoubtedly one of the greatest ODI wins of all times and the stars of the win were Yuvraj and Kaif who scored 69 (63) and 87 in that match. After this win, India leveled a series with Eng 1-1 and with this win Ganguly became the most successful Indian Test captain. After this India lost two ODI series to WI & NZ and a Test series 0-2 to NZ. India's campaign in the WC was magnificent. They reached the final losing only 2 out of their 11 games in total.

The road to the final was glorious as India won convincingly against Pak, Eng and SL. All the wins were comprehensive but these three were the most special. India's loss in the final was disappointing as they could have won had Ganguly not decided to bowl first after winning the toss. Luck favoured India as they won the toss but Ganguly ruined it all. I think teams should always bat first on winning the toss unless the conditions are extremely supportive to bowling. If the conditions are little supportive to bowling then it is always advantageous to bat. After the WC, India's glorious phase began in which they started winning big series and tournaments in foreign countries regularly. They drew a Test series 0-0 versus NZ at home in which Rahul Dravid scored a match saving 222. Laxman was the player of the series with an aggregate of 279 in 4 innings. After this India played a triangular tournament involving Aus & NZ at home where they reached the final but lost to Aus there. Aus had scored only 235 in 50 overs and India could have won if they had put in a little more punch. Then the Indian Team went on tour to Aus where

they drew the series 1-1 with Rahul Dravid scoring a massive 619 in the series and VVS Laxman too hitting two big hundreds 178 & 148. The Austrlians rightly named him Very Very Special (VVS). Laxman was developing as an extraordinary batsman for all conditions. Sachin too hit a double ton (241*).

This series was followed by a tour of Pak in which India beat them comprehensively in both the Test Series (2-1) and the ODI series (3-2). India were now in top form. This series also saw Virender Sehwag's triple Century in the first Test. The next season had four back-to-back ODI tournaments involving India - Asia Cup, Natwest Series, Videocon Triangular Tournament and the Champions trophy. India showed some promise but could not win any trophy. They reached the final of Asia Cup but could not chase 228. They lost Natwest 1-2 and didn't reach the final of the Videocon tournament. In Champions Trophy they exited in the preliminary round winning only a match against Kenya and losing to Pak in the QF. After this India lost an important Test Series to Aus at home (1-2). It was a four-Test series which Aus dominated easily. India surrendered to their might. The next tour to BD was a party where India swept the Test series 2-0 and the ODI series 2-1. Over the next two years India won four ODI bilateral series by big margins. They beat Pak 4-1(5), SL 4-1(5), Eng 6-1(7) and WI 6-1(7). This was a big achievement and Yuvraj Singh was a major contributor in this period. He was in tremendous form and won the Man of the Series award three times out of four. Meanwhile India also won Test Series against SA (1-0)(2) and SL (2-0)(3). But India's biggest failure came in 2007 when India falied to enter the last eight stage. They crashed before BD and went out of the tournament. It was a major disappointment for India as a World Cup comes only once in 4 years and therefore carries huge emotions and feelings attached with it. India's ouster from these tournie was a very big failure.

Post the 2007 WC, India have been doing reasonably well and have been winning big matches and series consistently in both Tests and ODIS. Under Dhoni's captaincy India won a series agianst Eng, one against Pak, a Test against Aus in Aus, another against Eng in 2008, leveled a series versus SA in 2008, won a series against Aus at home 2-0(4), beat NZ in NZ 1-0(3), SL in Ind 2-0(3) and equaled with SA at home 1-1. All these were big accomplishments and India during this period did fairly well in ODIs too. They won the CommonWealth Bank series in Aus in 2008 and the Asia Cup in 2010.

The last one year has been extremely intense, where India has been fighting big teams like SA, Aus & NZ. They won against Aus 2-0(2) in home series, beat NZ at home (1-0)(3), leveled SA in SA (1-1)(3) and equaled SL in SL (1-1)(3). The win in SL, the two victories against Aus, the win against NZ and the one against SA at Durban were big wins as they all came very hard-fought. And VVS Laxman was a major contributor in all these matches. He stood tall in each of these five contests and scored big hundreds in each of them.

Now the next event is the WC and it is bound to be a big competition.

All the best India

The Dropping Of Rahul Dravid From The WC Team Was A Mistake

It is unbelievable that a player who has scored over 10000 runs in ODIs can be dropped from the WC team and the One-Day team. Rahul Dravid is too big a player to be given such a treatment by the selection panel. It seems that the Board have forgotten his performances and contributions to the team. They have been too strict with him. He has been undoubtedly India's most stable batsman in both Tests and ODIs over the last few years. But he was axed just for not doing too well in the current some matches. I think the Indian Board have different standards for senior players and for young players these days. They expect too much from the senior ones, and if that expectation is not met, they just axe the senior player. However in case of the young players, they give them a longer rope even if they are not doing well. They give the reason of developing those players. This attitude is ridiculous and question worthy. Rahul Dravid has been India's best batsman over the last some years. In the 2003 WC, he had the highest average in the team although Sachin had got the most runs. The treatment which the Board has given to this stalwart is disgusting. Had it been some other player than Dravid, then he would surely have questioned his exclusion from the team. The ironical thing is that they have not just excluded him from the WC team but they have not played him since Nov 2009. It is a very big insult to a player of his class. I am sure Mr. Sunil Gavaskar must be anguished at this. There are a few disorders in the way some of the affairs of the Indian Board are being managed these days and they need to be sorted out quickly, before some unfortunate thing happens. They are giving too much importance to the youth, where as I believe that experience is always more important that the youth. I think the exclusion of Dravid may cost the Indian team their victory in the Cup. Because Dravid is too important a player in the core of Indian Team to be neglected. He simply cannot be ignored and I still desire that he should be apologised to and called back in the team before the WC. It will cetainly benefit the team's chances.

Wishing all the luck to Dravid and his inclusion in the team.

Good bye

Virat Kohli Is A Bonus

The coming of Virat Kohli is a matter of great pleasure for the Indian team. In the last few years India have got a lot of good young players like Kohli, Gambhir, Yousuf Pathan and Ishant Sharma. All these players are extraordinary and are a great asset for the team. Virat Kohli is the latest among these and his coming is like icing on the cake. Indian cricket is booming these days and the coming of these young players is added advantage. The team is already doing very well in all forms and the senior players are in terrefic form. The rise of these young players gives enormous extra options to the captain and team management to choose from. It is a sign of a great future for the Indian cricket. Kohli has played only 40 matches so far and has already scored 1000 runs from these @ around 48 /inning. This average is mind-boggling and is an indication of the potential he has got. A batsman in his initial years has got average of around 50 in ODIs means he is truly an extraordinary batsman. And he has a lot to come in his career yet. In 2010 he was in terrefic form and scored consistently against all oppositions, be it SL, Aus, NZ or SA. He was one of the main reasons because of which India did so well against all these opponents in 2010. He is one of the mainstay of the team at present and is already rubbing shoulders with the seniors like Tendulkar and Sehwag. He is genuinely a revelation and a great batsman in the making. We expect that he will do well for India in the WC and will take India to success in the tournament.

Wishing him all the luck in the tournament...

Happy playing

Gambhir Is True To His Name

Gambhir is true to his name. He is a serious player. He has done consistently for India in both forms of the game since 2007. He was the highest scorer of the tournament and the Player of the series in 2007 T20 WC. He plays like a rock and stands like a wall on the pitch, just like Rahul Dravid. His technique is foolproof and there is nothing the bowler can do to breach his defence. India have got an opener like him after a long time since Manoj Prabhakar and Navjot Sidhu. He is a high-rate scorer in the ODI too. When he is going, he is difficult to stop and is a fearsome batter. He was chosen in the Indian team after a long period of consistent high scores in the first class level. He was the premiere batsman of India A team and under his leadership the India A team did very well in a lot of tournaments. Sandeep Patil who was the coach of India A team at that time had a lot of praise for him. He has a lot of strokes in his armour and is a delight to watch. India have huge expectations from him in the WC and we are confident that he will stand firm on our expectations.

All the best Gambhir

Virender Sehwag Has Been In Tremendous Form Since The Last 2 Years

Virender Sehwag has been in tremendous form in both forms of the game for the last two years. He has won and saved a number of matches for India. He has been India's most successful batsman in this period. He has risen to greatness. The kind of performance he has delivered makes him registered in the list of the greatest batsmen of all times. It is a great asset for India that a third batsman after Tendulkar and Dravid has risen to such form. It shows the depth of India's batting. Sehwag's rise has easened the pressure on Indian batsmen and it has created a fear in the hearts and minds of all the bowlers of the world. And the kind of devastating batsman that he is, it gives India a chance to chase big targets even if the time is less. He has done it a number of times. In 2008, India were supposed to chase a target of 387 against England in the fourth inning of a Test match in one day. And Sehwag made it not only possible but also easy to attain that. India managed the goal and in 2010 in a Test against Sri Lanka, he again helped to save a difficult match with his prowess. He remained in phenomenal form throughout 2010 and was the Player of the Series in both the Test and ODI series against SL in June-July. We hope he can do good for India in World Cup also and help them bring the trophy home.

All the best Sehwag.

Saurabh Choudhary

Sachin Had A Fabulous 2010

Sachin's 2010 was tremendous. He ruled on the world in this year like a lion. He started the year with two centuries against Bangladesh in Tests. Then he hit the first ever 200 of ODIs against SA in Gwalior. After that he remained absent from the ODI scene for around a year. He is probably planning his cricket now and is playing less. He is playing only the important matches and is gradually moving towards retirement. In July he saved a very important match for India against Sri Lanka with a double century. It was his fifth double century. India were down 0-1 in the three-match Test series. He helped them equalise. India from there went on to win the third match and level the series. In October he again struck with a double century against Australia and rocked them. He helped India set up a big score in reply to Australia's inning and win the match. India won the series 2-0 and clean swept. It was India's first clean sweep against Aussies. His last strike came in the form of two centuries against the Proteas in the 3-match series where he tried hard to save the first match for India but did not get any help from the other end. It was his century no. 50. It was his entry into immortality. He had achieved a milestone which will remain unparalleled for a long time for now. Then he followed with another ton in the third Test and helped India draw the series. It was a phenomenal performance in all, he hit 7 centuries in Tests and one in ODIs and ended the year on a high note.

All the best Sachin for the WC

This Indian Team Has 4 Extraordinary Batsmen

This Indian team has four extraordinary batsmen, namely Sachin Tendulkar,  Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir & Virat Kohli. Each of them has the capability of winning matches single-handedly for India and each one is in stunning form at present. Sachin Tendulkar had a fabulous 2010. He scored a 200 in ODIs and hit 7 centuries in Tests and was the ICC Player of the Year. No amount of praise can describe his performance during this period. Virender Sehwag has been in terrefic form since 2009. He hit a magnificent 293 in Tests against SL in 2009 and has played many match-winning and match-saving innings in both Tests & ODIs for India. He has not only registered himself in the list of great batsmen but in the list of one of the greatest ever. India has been too dependent on his performances lately. Gautam Gambhir is a really Gambhir player. He is awesomely consistent and stands like a rock on the pitch. He is really the Second Wall of India after Rahul Dravid. His performances since the 2007 WC have been truly remarkable. He has become a magnificent performer for India at the opening slot in Tests and at the No.3 in ODIs. And Virat Kohli is a discovery. We are really fortuante to find new players like Kohli, Gambhir and Pathan who are excellent in themselves and can change a match on their own. Virat's consistency in 2010 is laudable. All these four batsmen in the World Cup team form a solid top four for India. The foursome is a unit which can devastate any team and crush them like minnows. These four, if they hit the peak form in the WC, can demolish all the attacks and torment them. So, India's chances in the WC are very bright. Also the bowlers are also doing well these days. If the batsmen set up a good score, then the bowlers are able to defend them. So, all in all, India have very good chance at the Cup.

All the best India.

Sunil Gavaskar Is India's Biggest Mentor

All the cricket experts who regularly write comments in the newspapers and magazines are doing a great job for the country. They, through their inspirational statements guide the players well and also provide the general public a deep knowledge and understanding of the game. They are the best people in the country to consult because of their vast experience and wisdom of the game and they are doing a great service by providing valuable advices and suggestions to the players. A lot of the former players like Navjot Sidhu, Ajay Jadeja, Saba Karim, Madan Lal, Maninder Singh and Sandeep Patil are rendering a great service to the nation by doing proper analysis of the on-going games and providing the public an insight into the matches from the players' point of view. The former players are able to understand the players' problems and position better than the others and hence do the right analysis of the games. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar who also do commentary on TV are like gems who provide the right tips to the players and help them march through their good and difficult times. Sunil Gavaskar is I think India's biggest mentor. And the way he has been guiding the players and the people in the last 23 years, is phenomenal. I think he is not just a player but a phenomena in himself. He is an entire institution of cricket through which current players and the game followers can take valuable help and knowledge. Nobody in this country has as much understanding of cricket as Sunny has, followed by Harsha Bhogle. Their columns clearly show how deep knowledge of the game they have. I think Sunny deserves a Bharat Ratna and also the title of 'Sir'.

India Are The Strongest Contenders Of This WC

There are only 19 days to go for the 2011 WC to commence and the WC fever is picking like never before. There are many factors which make this World Cup extra special for India. One is that, India have not won it for the last 28 years. So it's a do or die situation for them. If they do not win it this time then they will lose a big fan following probably. The other is the team. There are a number of players in this team who are extraordinary. For example Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir & Virat Kohli. This combination makes the team very dangerous. They have the capability to beat any ODI side on any given day. The third reason is that this may be Sachin Tendulkar's last WC. So, all the team mates must be wanting to win it and make it special for him. And the fourth factor is that the people and media these days pamper Cricket Players like never before. So, they must deliver the required results otherwise it will become extremely shameful for them.

So, wishing India all the luck in the tournament, here is signing off...

Saurabh Choudhary