Ian Chappel on SRT

Ian Chappell, the former Australian captain, has come down hard on Sachin Tendulkar, saying the time had come for him to consider quitting the game. Chappell said that the Tendulkar decision would be crucial as India try and rebuild after their shocking first round exit from the ongoing World Cup.

Tendulkar managed only 64 runs in India's three first-round matches of the World Cup, and couldn't make much of an impact against Bangladesh (7) and Sri Lanka (0), the two games India lost.

"Before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to Tendulkar the player himself has to have a good long look in the mirror and decide what he's trying to achieve in the game," Chappell, 63, wrote in Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid. "At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career; build on a glittering array of statistics. If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately."

Chappell went on to compare Tendulkar with Brian Lara, the West Indian captain, and pointed out how the latter hadn't changed his style of play over a 17-year career. "This is a credit to his technique and mental strength, as the aging process generally makes a player more progressively conservative," Chappell wrote of Lara. "Tendulkar hasn't worn as well; his last three or four years have been a shadow of his former self.

Chappell took into consideration the slew of injuries that Tendulkar had suffered during his career, a factor that had forced him to miss a number of matches in this decade. "Tendulkar hasn't been as lucky as Lara," Chappell wrote, "the Indian batsman has suffered a lot of injuries in this period where his play has deteriorated and there is nothing that melts your mental approach quicker than physical handicaps. Lara has been relatively free from injury and he certainly doesn't have the weight of numbers riding on his shoulders that Tendulkar does. However, the population of the Caribbean might be small but they are extremely demanding.

"Despite all the fuss and the odd controversy that has surrounded Lara's career he has remained himself; this is my game and that is how I play. For whatever reason Tendulkar hasn't been able to maintain his extremely high standards for the last few years and unless he can find a way to recapture this mental approach he's not doing his team or himself any favours.

"If Tendulkar had found an honest mirror three years ago and asked the question; 'Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the best batsman of all?' It would've answered; 'Brian Charles Lara.' If he asked that same mirror right now; 'Mirror, mirror on the wall should I retire?' The answer would be; 'Yes.' -----------

What else can one say??

Australia - the march continues!

Guys, its time! The time has come for us to sit back and enjoy cricket as a game and chuck the emotions/patriotism that might hinder us in enjoying the best!!
Please come to terms of the fact that Aussies are by far a superior team compared to other mortal teams in the competition.They beat the proteas and for sure the WI are not going to reach 323 in the reserve day or in any other day!

I know people would say "they would have been raped by the proteas if not for Watsons run out and Smiths dismissal owing to cramps"..Guys, do u say the same thing if India were in this situation?Doesnt it say that we are being stupid instead of being fans of the game!I am sure that people would say / feel that Proteas could have beaten them blue and black if Kallis played more aggressively and if Watson's throw had'nt hit the stump?WTF??

How can you come up with If's and buts in a game?That clearly shows that there is a mental block in the mind of those "rationalists" who fail to accept that a team can be as dominating as the Aussies.. Please break the shackles and come out just a bit from your mind and imagine the way these guys have played their cricket..They might have sledged, stared at you, given your family a beating thro their words but then hey, isnt there a way each team play their game?We as Indians burn peoples effigies but have u heard about this anywhere?So we def have our own charecteristics right?Thats the way we need to accept people and the way they play the game!!

Its a losers statement to say that "Aussies are useless"..How can one make such sweeping statements?Havent they taken the game to a new plane totally?Are'nt the other teams playing the catching game? Doesn't Ponting and co have a completely altar of game compared to a India or a England.A one off Ashes defeat doesnt make the team a bunch of losers/chokers right?When we celebrate a one off defeat by the Indian team and celebrate it as the best thing to happen, its time we become rational and wash our emotions attached to the game.

Its the Aussies !! The rulers of the game!!The rulers might fall in a battle but never will a war be done without them sucking some other team blood!!No team has ever dominated the game so much-not even the great WI of the early70's.I say this as the times have changed, cricket is getting more universal by the match and its not right to compare between different times!But still based on the sheer records , the domination and the way with which they have done their job without toil speaks of sheer charecter of the team. There has been no blip in the performances of the team even when there was a change in leadership from Waugh to Ponting. Infact the Aussies have been so damn good that they dropped Bevan..Yea thats right ,its the great Micheal Bevan!!!

Again, this team is the best just due to the deligent work by the Australian Cricket Board!!There is no politics, the captain and coach have an equal say and there is no distinction between a senior/junior.Infact although pple say its the "Dads army"with an ave age of 31, who cares as long as they keep whacking the asses of the opponents!! Hail Aussie cricket!!Hail them as long as you appreciate the game..Its sheer brilliance to just watch them play!!!

India - chokers

I know its been long since I blogged - exactly 1 week and i have missed loads of matches inbetween..I have no intention of writing about each one of them but when I managed to catch up with Indian cricket, I was met with the usual frustration and the headache that happens after every pathetic display by the team (which btw is getting very very frequent)

India got into the SL match with a do or die situation. With a listless display against Bangladesh, it was a must win agst the SL lions. The match against Bermuda could have been substituted/written off as nets practise but unfortunately ICC decided to count this nets practise as an offical ODI game. So the D-Day arrived and millions of Indian fans got up and prayed for Dravid and co for the team to do well and make us all happy and proud by getting into the second round.The result just happened to break the heart of millions of Indians and with that ended an era of hope.

Winning the toss was one of the major advantage that we had and the bowlers put up a decent show in the opening spell ,keeping it tight throughout except for a brief period during the Silva and Dilshan partnership. The lankans scored 255 and it seemed gettable in a track that got better with every ball bowled and every ball played. Out come Uthappa and Ganguly. In my opinion there was already a miscalculation with Uthappa opening.. Ideally SRT could have come out, taken the strike as he did against Pakistan in the 2003 WC and get us to off a decent start.

Its been more than 8 months, since the opening pair gave us more than 100 and that is one of the concerns that this team needs to address..When SRT didnt walk out in number 1, there was a back shift and once the wickets started to tumble it was the familiar Indian story - the story thats as old as the bollywood hero's running behind the heroin's around a tree in a never seen garden. Yuvi's run out sealed the fate of the team and with that the hopes of a billion people and the sponsors were into the ditch.

Sachin needs a special mention.. The ball wasnt anything special,the pitch didnt hold any demons, the bowler was not settled, the target was not 500,the team had not lost wickets around him, he could have taken his time to settle, proved that he can play in big matches (apart from the sharjah one some 10 years back and WC 2003 agst Pak). But then our man, poked, jabbed, tried something and ended up getting his timber rattled. The familiar nod of the head, the MRF bat edge check(a habit that players have when they get out due to an inside edge), a look into the skye and you know it is over!He is the man who sums up the condition of the present Indian line up. The team whose ave age is 32, is as old as SRT and has been given a long enough rope thats the time has come fotr the inevitable. I am a big big fan of Mr.Sachin but then its time he re-thinks about his odi career. Its totally upto him and India is proud to have him.. But may be, he might not get the fairytale farewell that he might deserve.

So what does the future hold for the nation that has definetly due to her performance in the WC earned the title of minnows. Dravid I feel might continue as the captain but then frankly, I ll have a youngster getting into the helm of the side.. May be a Yuvraj could do it for starters.. Dravid doesnt bring in the aggression element that Ganguly had so succesfully exuded.. He has been a gentleman but then all gentleman cannot be great leaders.. You need some aggression, some jeering that brings the game alive .. When Ganguly was the captain, you could always sopt where he would be, his superb moves, his emotion when a wicket falls.. I think Dravid is right the opposite.. A person who watches Ganguly on field will immediately recognize him to be the captain of the team while with Dravid you need some effort to get it right.. I am not saying he is a horrible captain.. I am just trying to say that its the Ganguly way that works and not the Dravid way ..

Greg Chappel in all possiblities will be sacked and the board might have a re-wamp in its selction panel. Vengsarkar could run for the coach and India would for sure go in for a local coach and not an Intl coach. Kumble might hang up his boots once the WC formalities are done and Agarkar might be the person who might be the guy to look out for.. He has not had a great series.
The super eight has been reduced to a super 6 with the minnows Bangladesh and Ireland getting in. The World Cup still holds some meat only due to Australia, South Africa and the Lankans. Just hope the super eight stage is crossed off in a jiffy and the semi's start soon. Thats when the cup comes alive!

(No) MATCH two!

There was absolutely no contest and yeah - you guessed it right .. Aussies were involved in the annihilation of the opponents. Australia vs Scotland turned into a dead rubber unlike an "English friend" of mine who felt Scotts had the fire in them to upset the World Champs. Oh, this English friend of mine needs a special mention. He definetly keeps me going with his "tantrums" of England being the team to beat in the competition. Only time can silence him!!

Aussies were put into bat and ofcourse Haydos and Gilli went about their job to near perfection until Gilchrist played one too many. The pair added 91 runs at a brisk scoring rate and the platform was set for the "man of the year" to come and demonstrate his ability to put the opposition to the fence. His strokes were all around the wicket and no bowler was spared.. All were treated with disdain and the Scotts were soon all over the park . Punter demolished each and every bowler on his way to a brilliant 4 th WC century. Two in a row (the first one in 2003 when he tore apart the Indian bowling - Zaheer and Srinath would have definetly felt better to bat than to bowl on that "fateful" day) and the Aussie captain seems to be on a roll again. He gets better and better doesn't he? A celebration to the game.. He could go down as the only captain after Clive Lloyd to be the captain to defend and win the WC title.. The prospect seems to be well in reach for Punter and co.


The bowling complemented the batting in every way and the Scotts were skitted out for 130 odd and the match was done .. It was victory to the greatest team and the margin of 203 runs was the second highest in history. The domination was stamped and the World leaders were back to what they do best - torment teams. Mighty Glen is just 6 away from going ahead of the great Wasim Akram in terms of WC wicket tally. He is at 48 while Akram is at 54. Akram's record looks weak with Mcgrath's each and every ball and indeed this great fast bowler deserves all that that comes his way. He has far ahead of the pack as the leading International Wicket taker among the faster men.

All in all, a match where the Aussies got back to their winning ways and kickstarted their WC campaign in style. With Symonds all set to return soon, the selectors surely have a task of leaving out someone like Hodge or Clarke and that surely indicates the bench strength of the team. Punter is making sure that he goes all out in adding on to the tally of the WC titles. Since the possiblity of this being his last WC cannot be ruled out, he would want to finish it off in

style - the Punter way !

The second match of the day was between 2 "minnows" - Kenya and Canada. The Canadians put up a score close to 200 and the Kenyans chased it down in style. This kenyan team was indeed a revelation in the 2003 edition weren't they? They went into the semi's and if they managed to get Ganguly or Yuvaraj early on they would have in the process completed the biggest upset in the tournament by going into the finals. Oh, unimaginable right?And worst would have been if they had defeated Aussies !!! Oh, that could have been a killer for the game and the competition. It would have raised issues like how cricket is a game that depends on just one day and how even minnows who were considered unnecessary in the competition won the title.Papers would have flashed "We have a new "minnow' champion.. Salute the Indian behind".

Oh, we humans just wait for a chance to debate don't we? hmmm , I think i am being a bit too skeptical about ourselves. To be frank, I think its these debates that keep the game alive and its matches like these that might spark off few issues here and there .. Lets see how todays match shapes out .. Will be interesting to see the margin of the defeat by the Lankans.. On the whole, one day lesser en-route to the finals..

Highlights (good quality):

part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ezGPHlvML60

part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HzO3Hta2SMs

part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CL5UXsPxra4

part 4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KRADrYsvbsI

Match one - March on!!!

So the carribean calypso is truly on its way. Crickets biggest event has started and the excitement and the energy that comes along is simply unmatched. The time has come for all people - cricket lovers, not so much followers of the game to watch this truly exciting part of the game. This carribean episode sure promises to be one thats going to be long in our memories.

The first match was an exciting one to watch. One of the reasons that I found it exiting is purely because of Lara.His presence in the team makes me all the more follow West Indies and their progress in the WC could be really exciting. Secondly due to the energy that these people exude during their wicket celebrations or in general the way they play and enjoy the game is something that makes me crave for an opposistion wicket to fall. Correy Collomore and Gayle are really awesome to watch when they pick a wicket. Infact the people of the carribean are truly great fans of the game and the way that they enjoy irrespective of whether their team loses or wins surely tells us that the game is a winner more than the team in this country.This is something that we Indians need to garner as we regard cricket as a religion and the players as Gods. Thats for sure wonderful but then we need to think that the game is a sport after all and the game and the sportsmanship that comes along should be regarded more important than a win or loss.

The West Indies done and dusted by the Indians in the warm up game, picked up their spirit along with their game and truly it was fascinating to watch them take the Pakistani's by their neck and chop their wickets one by one. Put into bat first, Lara and co made a respectable 241 in 50 overs, thanx to the all wonderful hitting of Smith, Samuels and Bravo. These guys who promised loads from their debut but only faded away, have started to peek of late and its a real nice sign for the carribean team. Lara has gone through a lot of turmoil with managing the team. He made his debut, when the team was a toast for the game but then the following years saw them fall in the manner so un-befitting to their rise.

But their bowling and fielding surely have made us reminiscent of the past and this team has the potential to go all the way to the end only if they maintain this streak and consistency in all departments of the game. 241 was well defended, thanks to the "wonder"-boy Smith's two telling blows of Inzi and Md.Yousuf when both threatened to take the match away from the hosts. Shoaib Malik stood apart in an otherwise forgetful performance by the Pakistani's. Inzi and co, need to pick their game or else they might as well take the flight back home sooner than expected.


Highlights : (Not good quality)

WI innings :
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cUB_QGi4Mm4&mode=related&search=

Pak Innings:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XHfL92NqMyc&mode=related&search=

A real inspiring video!

This is one of the videos that for sure would make you feel that you are blessed to be an Indian.Sachin Tendulkar has always been a poster boy for the country but then this video gives a real in-depth analysis of the person and OMG, doesnt it exude some bit of awe!! I have always remained one of the biggest fans of SRT and although I feel that he is a true pride for the country and I respect him for all tht he is done to the world of cricket, I still feel that he has more gas left in him to win matches for us!! March on Sachin - the world is at your command



Part 2:




Part 3:




WE LOVE YOU SACHIN!!!

Teams and Analysis

This man holds the key to be unlocked - the key to the WC. Aussies go in as favourites just that the last 5 matches have made the others feel that they have decended to earth from a different altar. But then, 5 matches over the last five years can be weighed down cant it?They definetly go in
as favourites.

Key Players: Ponting, Gilchrist, Tait


Ah, wish this could be ours on March 28 at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.
Lets see if Men in Blue can do the 1983 remagic. The stage looks the same. In '83, WI had won 2 consecutive titles and India smashed them hard to lift the WC. At present '07, Aussies have 2 consecutive titles coming in and may be Dravid and co, can repeat history!

Key Players: Yuvraj Singh,Sachin, Anil Kumble





KP and Freddie hold the key to England chances along with their "fit" Micheal Vaughan. Micheal will be the most crucial player for the them and without Trescothik, his pressure just increases manifold. KP could be the most promising player the game has seen but then time has come for him to get the team to winning ways along with Freddie. With all this firepower, I still feel that England dont have the penetrating power to go into the semi's. All said and done, it would be interesting to track their progress.

Key Players: Kevin Peterson, Flintoff, Panesar

SA have a miniscule chance of getting the WC and end their wretched run in the games biggest event. Shaun Pollock and Jack kallis are the trump cards for them. Their batting line up is one of the longest and have virtually no tail-end batsmen. The bowling is their weak link and lots rest with Ntini and Pollock.

Key Players: Smith, Ntini,Kallis

And here are the underdogs.

Key Players: Shane Bond, Oram, Fleming

Lara and Co, could just be the first team to win the WC being hosts. Its going to be really tough tho!

Key Players: Lara, Chanderpaul, Taylor


Pakistan - Oh the mighty Inzi has a lot of weight to carry along with him. The situation is no different with Pakistani's come into the tourney carrying a tag of "uncertainity" with them. But then, these guys can really give the opponents a run for their money! Inzi and co, can be underestimated only at the peril of their opponents. They are in the group along with West Indies and its going to be a nice opening match too. May be the tempo for the entire tourney will be set-up by the high intensity clash.

Key Players: Inzi, Youhana, kaneria


Sri Lanka have the best chance of taking their World Cup tally to two in this edition. They have a balanced side with Sangakarra adding depth with his excellent batting skills and prowess behind the wicket. He is the man who will be holding the key to SL's chance along with Jayasuriya and Malinga. Vaas and Murali will definetly be the linchpins for the team and Murali should certainly spin cob-webs around the batsmen.It is going to be an even challenge between bat and ball with Murali,Malinga and Vass operating.

Key Players: Sangakarra, Jayasuriya, Malinga

The World Cup sets the momentum for the teams to carry on once the event is done and for sure, determines the next super-power in the game. Aussies may be coming down to the level of the other teams but then they have been a cut above all the other teams for the last 8 years. As
Ian Chappel says "its sad that Aussies can be beaten only when they come to the level of the other teams while no team has risen to the standard of the Aussies". How true!!They have truly given the teams a run for their money for a long period of time. May be, their time might run out with this competition but then lets salute one of the greatest teams to have played this brilliant sport. They ll for sure go down as the team that would be on the same altar as the WI of the 70's and 80's.

Yipee!!Its Cricket fever

Whooray!! Guess what, its World Cup again .. OMG, the fact has not sunk in as yet and i am sure it wont be long for me to get into the addtictive fever. Watch out guys, its going to be one from the sub-continent I feel!.

My money is either on India or SL.

India I feel have a nice balance going in into the competition. The opening is sorta settled with the comeback man "Dada" doing a splendid work. I think its time that we celebrate the fact that we have people like him in the team doing some excellent work. I think Dravid, Sachin and Saurav will go down as one of the best ambassadors for the nation. They are truly youth icons for the nation.
Ahem - not youth anymore but then hey, so it might be their last WC after all.. So why not give it our best show in terms of support and voice for our nation. After all, there is nothing wrong in supporting your own team in competitions like WC when country pride comes before your preference. As i write this, I know people who follow my google nicks would feel like shooting me down. Yea folks, I know i am an Aussie by heart but then lo!they are the best as a team when in song.

And in song has been on for some time with the Aussies. The team was glorious under Taylor and then Waugh took it into a different level. And now, its Punter who is at the helm of the ship and sterring the team into its third straight WC victory seems not so obvious but then did anyone of us expect them to win in 1999. WC can spring surprises like India losing to Zimbabwe (oh that wasnt a surprise was it?) and ofcourse Pakistan against Bangaldesh and the latest one being Bangladesh vs NZ. So the uncertain period has started and its the best form of entertainment for all of us - its this uncertainity that makes the game brilliant!!

Coming back to the probables for the WC semi's, my money is on India, SL, Australia and NZ/SA. NZ have always been the underdogs and they continue to wear the tag as they come into WC '07. And ofcourse SA have a wretched history with the games biggest tourney and esp with no spinners in their proper playing XI, its going to be a tough one for them this time too.
The Pakistani's have a toothless attack due to the absence of Shoaib and Asif. Asif could have been the hero this WC - may be helped them to win but then its not to be. Its sad that these guys are not playing and considering the circumstances with their exit, its sad that the tan on the nation remains. Nevertheless, Pakistani's can spring surprises especially when they are counted out - so lets not totally count them out.

Coming back to India, there are a couple of issues that are to be looked at. Shewag is one major concern. He is a player who can dent attacks and can give the bowlers a run for their money but then its been ages since that part of Shewag came on the field. He has been lax with his bowling too and 2005 saw some worst attitude on and off field. No wonder, the tag has remained on in 2006 and its 07 alredy. Just hope that he comes to party soon as it not only elevates India's chances but also makes sure that a talent like Dinesh Karthik or Uthappa is not wasted on the bench. Anil Kumble is India's trump card and he can spin wonders in the Carribean with the tracks tailor made like the sub-continent ones. Zaheer ought to reverse the debacle of WC 2003 and Munaf and Sreeshant can make their first outing memorable. Irfan remains the second concern for the men in blue and as with Shewag, he needs to improve on his bowling. His swing part has lost some bit of shine and he needs to make sure that he does what he does best - put the ball in the right places and swing it both ways. Bhaji and Yuvi along with Sachin can do a decent job.

Dravid and Sachin - the biggest gentlemen the game has ever seen can make this final WC of theirs a winning one. These two greatest players the country has ever produced have never had the chance to lift the WC and so is the case with players like Kumble and Ganguly. Its time the yougsters stand up, get counted and do something for the players that have changed the complexity of the game. Sachin has a wonderful bond with the WC's starting from 1996 and he can remove the tag of underperformer in crunch matches with a couple of centuries in the super 8 and semi's against the good teams.

Overall, it promises to be some awesome action on SOPCAST (LOL) and stay tuned folks. This WC could make or break it. I say that as there is some uncertainity over the 50 over format being not so thrilling like the 20-20 format. This could determine the destiny of the ODI's.
"Carribean is an awesome place to be in especially for the atmosphere and the biki-clad babes"
(from Sunny days - Sunil Gavaskar's autobiography). Lets look forward for some electrifying grounds and drumming for Lara and Co. They can after all be the first team to win being the hosts.

To finish this long write, I am confused to make a prediction as for the winner but then my heart says that it is going to be one from the sub-continent. Just hope that its our nation that makes it after 24 long years.

HAIL CRICKET!!!