A genius in making

Sometimes you anoint greatness on someone too easily; I would take that luxury today. I would only say that I am not doing it easily but rather wisely. Watching South Africa chase the second-highest score in fourth-innings of a Test Match ever was exhilaration in itself. But my joy was amplified, watching some real talent on show.

While De Villiers was brilliant in his batting, aping his dynamic fielding in the match, JP Duminy was the stand-out performer for me. He has been long heralded as the next big thing from South Africa, and when given a chance today, replacing the injured Ashwell Prince, he did show his mettle. I had seen him bat in a few one-dayers. He had looked a decent player, but now he looks a complete one. I presage that he will become an all-time great ( SA ) batsman. This is too much to say, as the word genius gets bandied around every now and then on every Tom, Dick and Harry. But there were a few shots zooming out of his willow, which reminded me of Brian Lara’s. His perfect defense, calculated aggression and biggest of all, mental fortitude were on full exhibit today. He may not overhaul Kallis, but at least can trump Smith, Gibbs and other distinguished South African batsmen.

I remember Harsha Bhogle often saying that when he had watched Mahela Jayawardena score a century at Adelaide against England in a one-dayer in 1999, he had earmarked him as the candidate to join the Lara-Sachin bandwagon. Mahela has certainly lived something up to it, especially in the last few years, but he hasn’t reached that bar. Right now, Ponting has transcended that, and Pietersen and Sehwag look all set to reach that, or may be set a different standard altogether, a something new to be emulated in future. I don’t know how Duminy will move from here, but if he keeps performing like this, he can surely meet the destiny promulgated by me. I hope I don’t have to eat my words ten years later. But for now, he is on.

The perfectly arranged world

Cricket world would not have seen better groupings ever before. This has got much to do with the dwindling status of Australia as the numero uno. But the falling levels of some erstwhile good playing nations too have made this adjustment more natural.

The first group consists of Australia, India and South Africa. While Australia continue to be at the top, it is open to much debate how long they will be able to hold on to that. South Africa are their closest challengers, and the impending series between them are going to be riveting. India has already drawn blood from Australia, and will take its own course to join this fight. India battles with England and Pakistan, if the series against them are given a go-ahead, in near future and with New Zealand later on. While it is not going to be easy, India should be able to best them, if they play to their potential. This will make the scramble between these three nations for the top position even more interesting. Watch out for some thrilling action by the triumvirate!

The second group again has three nations with immense potential, but having fallen from their best. England has always been a very good Test unit, and despite the constant lampooning hurled at them, they have been a consistent force. I expect them to be very good against West Indies and Sri Lanka. Pakistan is Pakistan. That’s the best way to describe this eccentric but mercurial team. Short of match practice, it is going to be very dangerous. It lacks the bowling aura of yore, but it has enough unpredictability to keep it afloat. Every team would have given an arm off for Mendis, and Sri Lanka are so fortunate to get him on top of Murali. This makes their bowling attack menacing, on suitable tracks, invincible. Their batting looks bereft of good newcomers, and that can bring them down a bit. The battle between these three nations is going to be fought with their strengths to overcome their weak points. Again I expect a tight scuffle here.

West Indies and New Zealand complete the third pool. New Zealand expectedly finished second best against Australia, despite giving the hosts a run for their money in the first Test. Their bowling is and has always been very effective, but their batting is so fragile as to be broken by a sneeze. West Indies had a great rake-off from the Standford’s game, and were very good in the series against Pakistan, until they decided not to win any of those three one-dayers. They still have a very fast, even though erratic, attacking unit and some tested batsmen in Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Gayle. I expect the game between New Zealand and West Indies to be full of flaws but deservingly competitive.

At the bottom of the rug lie Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Bangladesh should be disappointed with their lack of improvement since their admission into Test bracket. They have some good batsmen in Ashraful, Ahmed, Nafees etc but they have failed more often than succeeded. Further the erosion of some players by ICL is not going to help them. But it can also lend a refreshing touch, as can be seen in the rise of Shakib ul Hasan. Zimbabwe’s plight is more home-grown than by anything else. Going so smoothly and successfully, they fell off the track due to their government’s false pretensions about Blacks. They still have a competitive team, and I guess if nothing more sinister happens in their ranks, they can rise again to deservedly reclaim the Test status.

The above concocted groups don’t include the non-test playing nations, which themselves can be thought of being in a fifth group, because of their limited appeal. But these four paper-partitioned groups are very much justified, and the expected intra-fight between them is something to look forward to in the coming months.

Congratulation, you legend !

Only one line should suffice - "Our lives would have been much different without you" Keep on this journey towards immortality.

An innings of belief

The Indo-Aussie clash is almost here now, and cricket aficionados are already drooling over the prospect of another humdinger. I have been witness to some of the best of the best duels between the two. But really the clash would not have got the term ‘rivalry’, had it not been for that innings played in Edens on that day.

I distinctly remember that Test Match. How India had started poorly on Day 1 after the Gilchrisht-blitzkrieged Test in Mumbai, how Harbhajan had struck a hat-trick to bring them back, only to be denied by a Steve Waugh fighting century. India had then responded poorly, with VVS only holding the guard in 1st innings. When he stepped out to bat in 2nd innings, I was just thinking, can India pull it off? I always think some improbables whenever India is in absolute shambles. And I know that those are improbables not for nothing. So, what VVS did on that day was not magical, it was magic itself. He kept on playing shots, trickling the deficit down and finally, amounting a great lead too. Rahul and Harbhajan put supporting and final touches too, but it was this innings which metamorphosed a long-slumbered nation.

Really before that, India had been mediocre in cricket in terms of results. It was that innings which instilled belief that winning courts the warriors only. No wonder, India went on to win the series too. Later, India under Ganguly's leadership went on to achieve much more than ever in the past. It is really apt to remember the innings today when Ganguly has announced his retirement. All the accolades due to him, he too would concur that his captaincy was born on that day only when a cricketing surgeon was performing his acts with a nonesuch finesse and flair.

Why Tendulkar is the best?

I read an interesting article today:-
Tendulkar and Richards swap places as best ODI batsmen
More interesting were the comments underneath the article

Please don't do it

Tell me, why don’t you want to go to Pakistan? Is it because you think you will be killed? Yes, I think you will say. Come on, mates. Get out of your living zones, and see the world. You walk on a playing field, but many live on a mine-field. No, no, I am not saying you too take the cudgel and fight the world. But I am just asking/imploring you to show some respect to the lives that fight it out every day.

You were born somewhere which luckily doesn’t face these problems very often. But just think, if you weren’t born there? OK, you are lucky. You aren’t crusaders either. But think seriously, do you actually help the world by not going there? In fact, do you help yourselves by not going there? There may not be anybody who wants to kill you now, but next time, there may be disgruntled souls wanting to bomb you off. Not everybody is strong, just as you are not.

Why don't you realize, that this whole nonsense of terrorism and counter-terrorism which you want to aid is the genesis of itself? There is no solution for it, save cutting off this very genesis of discrimination, hate, suspicion, fear, prejudice etc. See, I didn’t say that you are whites. Blacks, browns, pinks, yellows –all colours if they exist- are equally short-sighted.

So, as cricketers, please don’t exhibit this antipathy. You play cricket which is a wonderful game. It is wonderful for us, the spectators too. It energizes you, but it enlivens us. And what better to give lives to many dormant and distorted souls if you think they really are there? You will never feel better than that.

I will envy you then. Frankly speaking, I am not that strong either. And if confronted with a similar situation, I too will follow the same course as you. But as I say often-“That doesn’t make it right, and in fact, highlights more that only a few strong can follow the right”, the above will come to guide me too hopefully.

Best? My foot ...

Being a passionate supporter of Indian Cricket Team, I don’t feel good when it doesn’t play to its potential. Watching them play in the Asia Cup was as dejecting and dismaying as reliving a spoilt child story. I call it dejecting because this team, despite being the best that India has produced for many many years, fails to win on a consistent basis. And it is dismaying, because if it is the standard of the best, I fear for the day when it will not be the best.

After the much-publicized high of Australian tour, Indian team seems to have struck the old note of mediocrity among the feigned aura. It failed to win the Test series against South Africa at home. The series leveling win in the 3^rd Test at the dusty pitch in Kanpur was hailed as a feat extraordinaire. But Graeme Smith put it in perspective after that, “We would have been disappointed if we had drawn the series at our home.” But this introspection was lost in the frenzy of IPL.

Post IPL showbiz, the team embarked on back-to-back one-day tournaments where it had a grand opportunity to decrease its loss ratio against its old-time nemesis, Pakistan. But it still managed to lose to them, more so in the tournament final at Dhaka in Kitply Cup. How could it? Against a team like Pakistan- a replica of the team of India of late 1990s. As if it was not enough, it lost again to them once in Asia Cup. The final was a Mendis show, which I grudgingly enjoyed, but the team had lost the match when it allowed SL to score 270. Same old story- below-par bowlers, sloppy fielding, occasion-lacking batsmen; and the same grieving spectators and followers.

I had decided not to vent my spleen in any way, after watching the debacle in Asia Cup final. Instead I had wanted to throw encomiums on Ajantha Mendis, who is indeed a breath of fresh air. But as another series against SL arrives, my simmering thoughts need to be outpoured. I want a clean performance from the team- Mendis or no Mendis. But what I can do if it again loses. Probably join the club of hacks who shamelessly conclude, “It is the fault of Indian Selectors who decided to select a coach for India. See yourself- the curse has struck. No win after Gary.”

All is lost

So, they all lost. The teams that I was rooting for exploded at the end. As a cricket lover, I must learn to accept defeat. But it still hurts.

And it hurts more, when you lose to Pakistan and that too in a final, and more so, when you are the better team. It brought back the horrible memories of 90’s when Pakistan took India for caning everytime they clashed. India had done the same to Pakistan in the last few years, but it seems, still a lot is left to be done. Dhoni’s side is young and full of promise. So, let it play with fervour. Hopefully it can bring much-needed near-perfection in its game with time.

NZ were hapless in the last test. They had their moments initially but could not squeeze on the pressure. They allowed England to get to a more than decent total, and then imploded themselves when batting. I wonder how come their batsmen not score even 200 on a docile pitch. They need to get better batsmen; their bowling is OK.

West Indies were the best when it came to surpassing their own expectations. They played valiantly in the last innings but it was too late and monumental to carve out a victory. If only they had batted well in the first innings, after skittling out Aus for a small total. It is good that they are fighting better now, but promise can be measured only for a small time. The real count comes with victories only. They have more than a good chance to score some in the coming one-dayers.

Where does this leave me now? Definitely off from cricket for some time. I want to blend with ongoing Euro. But it has been some time since I followed soccer. May be I can garner enough energy to watch the business end which promises to be interesting.

C'mon, square it up

It was very pleasing to see Windies earn a draw against the Aussies. I always support an underdog, except anyone playing against India, against the proverbial bull, but more often than not, I have to suffer disappointment. But that is understandable, underdogs are meant to spring surprises only once in a while.

Windies could have won the first test in Jamaica, if they would have wrapped the Aussies second innings under 100, or even 50, however monstrous a task it sounds. Remember they had Australia reeling at 17 for 5. Then they allowed Symonds and Co. to set up a score which was always going to be beyond their reach in the 4th innings. They lost valiantly though, and did bring some succour to their supporters. The 2nd test in Antigua seemed to be another losing prospect for Windies after the Kangaroos had notched up a big first innings score. But thanks to rain and gritty batting displays by Sarwan and Chanderpaul, they were able to salvage a respectable draw. I say more than respectable, even though Vaneisa Baksh completely disagrees with me.

I cannot say with the same respectabilty about the Kiwis show in England. They had a wonderful chance to win the 2nd Test at Old Trafford, but they muffed it up badly. They had done a similar losing exercise versus the same opponent during their home series in the early part of this year. Sometimes the prospect of winning doesn’t sit too well on the teams who don’t win too often. These losses are actually more demoralising than the big ones.

Anyway, my teams, perk yourselves up. Bring down the Goliaths in the 3rd Test. Even a squared series will do a world of good to you, and ultimately cricket. I will be supporting you as I will be supporting my team, India, which too will resume service on International Cricket very soon.

Brilliant !!! Rajasthan Royals

Kudos to Rajasthan Royals! They were the deserving winners of the first edition of IPL. Even though I was supporting Chennai Super Kings during the final, I have to admit now that the better team won. And they were better throughout the whole tournament.

But the biggest victory was not achieved by them, but by the age-old sports aphorism of a sincere team, even though unrated, being capable of achieveing even the unthinkable. Everyone, including me, had not given them a smidgeon of chance to go all the distance, but the victory is now for everyone to see.

Somebody had said, a sport doesn’t make a character but reveal it. Such characters when revealed become the soul-inspirers for all self-doubters. IPL’s winning team story will definitely be told and retold in many sporting pep talks.

A share of that awe and adulation should also go for the the tournament, IPL, itself. No topic other than that debating the league’s success and impact has garnered as much limelight. After 44 days of extravaganza, eveyone would agree though, that it has been an unqualified success. Problems still are many: the long schedule, inadeqaute foreign representation, inconcomitant hysteria outside India, the overlapping international calendar etc just to name a few. But nobody should fight an idea whose time has come. Leave aside the ‘Doubting Thomases’, and bring in the ‘Charmed Romanticists’.

The right side of it

I certainly don’t belong to the club of these two gentlemen supporting their team-mate in bad times. But I do identify with their feelings towards the plight of their man. Another person whom I rate very highly expounds this aspect in a very different way, and actually endorses the act of Vijay Mallya. But this time I don’t agree with him fully. And I have my reasons ….

Cricket, and for that matter, any form of sports is not something where one should put one’s life, or even an alternative to it. A sport runs on emotions, but ironically, prior to or after it, it is the emotions which one should fall into. For a victor, there is always a vanquished. For elation in one camp, there is always despair in the other. And that is the beauty of it, which every sports-fan must learn to appreciate. This has been my synopsis of watching sports over a period of time, and it has come handy in not only riding over tough times of watching my team lose, but also analyzing the reasons and finding the ways to improve.

Mr Mallya will do well to heed to at least a part of this, even if I am a trifling in front of him. It serves no purpose in publicly criticizing the captain, Rahul Dravid, for his seemingly poor team-selection. I don’t see much wrong in his firing of the CEO, Charu Sharma; for every failing employee must go. I again won’t raise an eyebrow if he fires even Rahul Dravid in the next edition, or may be even the current one. But by publicly stating that his advice and words were not adhered to, he is acting like a deserter of the party, when he is actually at the helm. No doubt, Bangalore Royal Challengers team looks like a Test Team pretending to be a Twenty20 one. But if team composition would have the only parameter of success, Rajasthan Royals would not have been in the lead and Deccan Chargers would not have foundered like a pack of cards. By saying, “It was I who brought Misbah in the team”, he is uttering in the public tone. What Misbah has done in the tournament (he too has actually failed) is not relevant. But above all, just consider how debilitating it would have been for the captain, Rahul Dravid.

I am not a fanatic supporter of Rahul. But I do appreciate what he has done for the country. When he became captain of the Indian team, I thought him to be at-par, if not better captain than Saurabh. He achieved the unique success of triumphs in West Indies and England in the same year in 2006, just as that achieved in 1971, still considered one of the finest moments of Indian cricket. My exalted view of his captaincy skills was nevertheless brought down by his inexplicable decision of not enforcing the follow-on in the Headingley Test. I consider this as his most ignominious captaincy moment, even worse than the World Cup debacle.

The above is not to put up a litany of Rahul’s captaincy records but to highlight it as a mere series of results seeing both success and failure. So, the current result in the IPL is not a contrived one on his part. There are several other reasons, the prime being the inability of the local Indian players to rise to the ranks, the lack of good openers and the lethargy on the field. Better work on these; and those who don’t adhere, liquidate them. But not by this subterfuge of blaming the others.

Mr Bhogle probably missed this point when he became overexcited with the accountability aspect of it. The idea is laudable, but the means is not. Mr Mallya, there is indeed a corporate side to it, but it has a cricket side too which still, in reality, is the most important side.

Here it comes!

Finally it came on the scene. After months of hype and hoopla, it was there for all of us to experience. I had a very busy day at the office (it sucks sometimes), but was able to sneak in periodically at the opening ceremony details at Cricinfo. The commentator had tried his best to put up as close a description as he could in words, but it only served to act as an appetizer for the real razzmatazz going out there at the stadium.

As soon as I returned home from office, I switched on, if that is a correct word, my YouTube. There was everything - frenzy and fireworks, drama and dance, cricketers and cheerleaders. Every single piece of writing on IPL has devoted a special mention of the ‘Washington Redskins Cheerleaders’. So, I wouldn’t buck the trend. T20 Cricket has brought the hitherto unrelated glamour, read sexuality, to cricket. It started with the World Championship last year in South Africa, and it seems this aspect is going to be inextricably associated with a T20 match henceforth. But the deliberate ballyhoo created over the arrival of seemingly jaw-dropping cheerleaders from Washington, on special invitation from Mr Vijay Mallya, did look a bit out-of-sorts to me. But only initially. After all, who doesn’t want an appeal for eyes, if the cricket gets exciting or boring. Only if the ever-fidgety gang of ShivShaniks suddenly don’t decide to resume their moral policing act.

After the cheerleaders, cricketers too must get some space. And buoy, didn’t McCullum decide to get his own at the most opportune time he could have. Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn’t have thought to be the cynosure at such a grand stage in India, far away from his land. Ah! it was weird - just to see Ponting smiling after doing a good bit of fielding, Kallis fuming at his being taken apart and above all, SRK dancing live in and for a cricket match. We have indeed moved in a strange unknown zone.

I watched the matches live held today. I didn’t know whom to support. While it was boring at times during Mohali v Chennai match, the electrifying atmosphere in the stadium during Jaipur v Delhi match got me excited again. The cricket played has been nothing to write about. Only biffs, blips, blobs …., but it is the bling associated with this Business cum Bollywood that has made me bonded to it blithely. In my ‘B’ alliterative mood, I substituted Business for Cricket, but I can surely be forgiven for this blasphemy here by the purists. After all, isn’t IPL a Business? And see, I am not complaining, at least for the time being.

Sachin Tendulkar - The day you retire, what will I do !

I know I shouldn’t be zeroing on a particular man, when the whole team played well to win the Commonwealth Bank series. But I admit I am unashamedly biased towards Sachin Tendulkar. There is no dearth of articles, analyses, panegyrics on Sachin, as every other Indian is the most ardent follower of his. So, I won’t paraphrase the obvious here. But I would just like to show my gratitude to the man who has shaped my wide-eyed dreams as no one else.

A child doesn’t know anything other than the distilled purism of this world. For me, cricket happened to be that joy which pervaded me before my dreams came and carried me into the hallowed world of cricket. I still remember the World Cup in 1992 when I woke up in the wee hours and ran to other homes to watch the matches. Rubbing my eyes, I used to seamlessly land up on the field through the television set and soak in all I could. There played a man - a short-stature genius – who had defied his age to brush his shoulders against the best. India had a very poor World Cup then. But my fascination with cricket and him was sown.

Cricket moved on, and so did my adoration. Running from the school as soon as it ended to know the scores, dashing to other homes to watch through the window whenever there was a power cut, visualizing how the next match will shape up in India’s win – these were some of the daily happenings of this awed child. Cricket percolated inside me in such a way that a distinct only-to-be-felt joy started relating to that.

My viewing career peaked and so did Sachin. He moved on to become the most premier batsman in the Indian setup. The defining moment came in 1996 World Cup when he carried the aspirations of the whole country with him. Each shot of his then drew oomphs of awe from us. My most vivid remembrance of his magnificence remains his innings of 90 against Australia in Mumbai in the league matches. The whole aura was electrifying; people perched on their seats with all their hopes of life resting on the gladiator fighting in the midst. India lost that match, but the whole set-up symbolized India of nineties that no other match, according to me, has done. I came to know later that that innings remains the favourite of many of the connoisseurs. That amazing was it!

Since then cricket and Sachin have moved forward synonymously tied to each other. And I have followed them like a religious saint. The winning touch came to Indian team after the ascendancy of Ganguly as the captain. Good professional players came who were/are more dedicated and yearning than the previous ones. As a result, the team started winning more often in this decade, and now under Dhoni’s captaincy, it looks well set to go all the distance. Sachin remains the overseeing Providence of the whole caravan.

Soon he will retire. It has to happen sooner than later. He will bequeath his cricket-bred country to the posterity. Probably India will win more. Also probably a better player will come. But never again will India watch cricket with those childlike misty eyes carrying hordes of dream, whenever a certain player walks on the turf with those small godly steps.

The terra incognita of cricket- IPL

Cricket world never remained the same again after the IPL came into being. And it came into being even before a single ball was bowled in the competition. The craze and drama associated with it have been stupefying to say the least, and it shows no signs of abating, at least for the time being.

When IPL was announced by the BCCI officials on a very another day, it appeared to me as a blunt rejoinder to the ICL. Even the name, and hence the acronym chosen was remarkably similar to that of the rebel organization. But since then, it has been snowballing into something leviathan, bringing into its fold cinema, market, advertisement and most importantly, people too. It actually got on me only when the franchises were sold out for exalted amounts of money to even more illustrious personalities of business and Bollywood.

Since then I have been viewing IPL in a completely different light. Ironically and sadly, the view has got very less to do with cricket, for here the game has been thrown onto the backburner. It has got more to do with the showcase of India as a potential entrepot for money. Even though cricket is only seriously played by a dozen counties, it remains one of the dozen or so team games which have got such fan following. It is no match to soccer, or American football or baseball, but stll it remains credible enough with both money and coverage. And now with IPL coming on to the scene, it is going to make India the cynosure of the game even more. India will stand out as the country holding the biggest spectacle ever of the game. On this count only, Indian pomp and popularity should reach even the cricket-less countries. This will help other areas of Indian economy and society too. Name, fame and might draw everyone. It is too early to pass the verdict that it will generate the ripple effect, but it definitely provides a grand opportunity of global scale for other areas to be connected with and cash on it.

Reverting to its impact on the game, I think it will make the game poorer in quality, but wider in its reach. Slam-bang cricket is never going to test the skill levels as are required in Test Matches or even in the one-dayers. That remains the conjecture of most of the cricket pundits, but nobody including yours truly would mind been proven wrong in the long run. T20 cricket, in its wake, brings a lot of unprecedented excitement with it. Its short match-span provides just the time a common man can afford to recreate himself after a hard day's work, amidst an aura of frenzy spiced up by glamour of dancing girls or likewise.

For me, it also presents a long-dreamed lining up of quality players of different nationalities in a team against a similar group on the other side. It was tried in the ICC World XI versus Australia Test and one-day matches, but it virtually turned into a no-show with Australia dominating as ever before. IPL provides another opportunity with more purpose and time given to the players. Also people are talking about nationalistic feelings coming up for Indian players when they will be pitted against those from the rival countries. It will definitely be the case, and that's why it makes it even more interesting. Right now the whole story-to-be-unfolded borders on the unknown, and that is exactly the X-factor that might drive it into becoming a big big thing.

The Melbourne Win : CB Series, 4th Match

It was sweet, wasn't it? A win against the Aussies, espescially in Australia, is always worth remembering. It took me by no surprise that the win was achieved in Melbourne after a long gap of 21 years. After all, India doesn't win, or better said, haven't won many matches abroad. But I was really surprised to know that the win-loss ratio of Aus against India at Melbourne stands at 6-5 only- very acceptable to the Indians- after this match. And I used to consider MCG to be amongst the worst venues as per the results for the Indians. During my viewing career, Indians have recieved a sound thrasing here in the Test and ODI matches, not to mention the recent drubbing in the T20 International. But they had excellent record here in the eighties. Hope today's match breaks the hoodoo of nineties.

Coming back to the match, I have rarely seen India's new ball bowlers operating at more than 140 kms/hr on a consistent basis. More importantly, they were consistent and always looked lethal. Most of India's misery in the past has been due to the lack of quality bowling. Though batting remains spectators' delight, it is the bowling which wins the game more often than not. The champion sides, viz. West Indies of yore, current Australian team, beacame a nearly unbeatable force due to their bowling alone. It also explains why India, despite having a great batting unit over the years, have been very ordinary with the wins. So, it was almost surreal and greatly satisfying to see the Indian bowlers being all over the Aussies today. Also, it was not a one-off good show. The Indian bowling has been doing really well in the last few years, bringing in more victories as a result.


I didn't have a very high opinion of Ishant Sharma. I had thought him to be another precocious talent thrown into the international arena after a few domestic matches only. Also the initial look of his play didn't inspire much confidence. But buoy...hasn't he learnt? He looks good to be counted amongst the best in future, provided he too doesn't fall the way many others before him fell into. Let his praise be an inspiring one, not an adulating one.



India's batting was once again centered on Sachin Tendulkar's show. It's surprising how often India has risen and fallen with Tendulkar. I am unshamedly biased towards Tendulkar, but two of his shots, the first lightning straight drive in particular, off Brett Lee will remain etched in my memory for long. It went away faster than it came. It came, by the way, at more than 150 kms/hr. Another batsman, Rohit Sharma, too deserves some space. I don't know why but he, so often, resembles Tendulkar in many ways. May be because of his easy stance or the copybook cover-drives. Also he is 20 years old only. Comaprisons with bigger names can be daunting, so he must be provided ample time and opportunities to fill their shoes.

To sum it up, today was Sharmas' day, one shining with the bat and another with the ball. I wonder how often if the balance between bat and ball is achieved, the result takes care of itself. So, I believe India should go with an extra bowler at the expense of a batsman in the subsequent matches, and more importantly, with the same winning attitude, for more than anything else, it is their desire which will guide their performance on any given day.