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'.