Feels like IPL 1 with Deccan's Performance

Robin Utthapa once again proved that he is the Haydos for RCB; none would have expected Lee to go for 25 runs in one over & with that Kings XI have got their bags packed for the season.

CSK are getting in their groove with a big and convincing win over RR & this particular match showed what Chennai lacked in the beginning of the tournament. Dougie Bollinger has been a revelation for Aussies this year & he showed his true value for CSK today. Suddenly CSK's attack looks threatening but still the couldn't restrict RR & this might worry Dhoni.

MI vs Deccan turned out to be a one sided contest & I m afraid Deccan is just not good enough for me this year. They need to make whole lot of changes next year if they need to perform better. They need some good Indian batsmen & some foreigners who can whack the ball on Indian subcontinent & not only on fast bouncy pitches like Gibsy or Symo. This year's performance from them resembles that of 1st year & no wonder they are languishing at the bottom, still all is not lost for them. With 6 matches to go they can still make the cut to semis.

MI are the most balanced side in the competition & they showed it today. On a turning track they have Pollard up their sleeves who can take the pace of the bowl & cause problems just like today. Tiwary & Raydu are the biggest positives for MI & they are one reason I think Sachin should become the coach of Indian Cricket team after he retires. Look at the way the youngsters have performed for MI & it is all because of their hard work & guidance from the master. The only worry for MI is Bravo's form, he is yet to fire with bat & his bowling is lack luster, may be they should try Dumminy for the slow tracks or give Napier a chance.

Ref won BPL for Chelsea

By looking at the first half performance of ManU, no one could have argued with the result but with the amazing effort put in by them in the second half and a below par performance by Chelsea; 1-1 should have been the apt scoreline but it wasn't to be.

I wonder why doesn't we include referrals in the game of football too. In a game like today's which is virtually the title decided we can't have mistakes by refs. Today the linesman might have just cost ManU the title coz Drogba was more than a yard offside and I don;t know how couldn't the linesman see it from 10 yards distance. Either the standards of referring is going down like hell or is it a reply to the outspoken Sir Alex for all his bullshit directed towards refs across England. His post match conference would make for an interesting listening.

Overall the match was nothing like I expected. Chelsea played very well in the first half but became complacent after taking the lead. This is where ManU hurt them in the second half. ManU had a better possession & better shots on target. Just another day ManU could have won the tie by a margin of 2/3 goals but today it wasn't to be. May be this season the trophy will be decided on the last day, who knows?

Just on the ending note, the name of a certain Wayne Rooney comes to mind when I think of ManU & its challenge for BPL & Champions league. Without him ManU lacks that firepower & I hope he recovers before its too late for United. Best of luck to them facing Bayern for the semi final spot on Wednesday & that too without Rooney.

Vintage Dada

It was amazing watching dada bat yesterday, it was as if someone rewind it to the late 90's or early 21st century. At first seeing dada bat i thought he will again screw up the KKR total, coz he was some 47 in 37 balls but then he exploded & exploded for good.

Imagine dada firing all cylinders & caribbean calypso back in form with McCullum to come, it is scary is int. Well there are still some areas KKR needs to improve before they can call themselves a good team, 1) Opening bowling for instance 2) Team selection 3) Death bowling are some and not to mention their fielding.

Deccan have slumped to their 3d consecutive defeat and it doesnt look good for them. Like 1st IPL they are not able to perform as a team. The reason for their success in IPL2 was the fast & bouncy pitches of SA where Deccan's cracking foursome of Gilly, Gibsy, Symo & Rohit could score easily. Gilly is all at sea against spinners & all the opposition teams have started their innings with spinners just to remove the threat of gilly.

If deccan needs to improve on their standing they need to change certain things; for starters give young Marsh a chance in place of Gibbs & also try and promote Rohit Sharma, give him more time in the middle.

Well gotta go out to play pool now; will be expressing my views on the KingsXI vs RCB match later, hope RCB end KingsXI dismal run & shut them off from this season.

Arsenal keep hope

Watchin last night's match between Arsenal vs Barcelona was a true picture of how Barcelona are the best team in the world right now. By the first 45 minutes Barca should have been 4-5 goals up and the tie should have been over. Almunia was too good yesterday & saved the day for Arsenal, even though he made a mistake for the first goal but I think his overall performance yesterday was enough to allow him one mistake.

There were some things in yesterday's match that seemed to disturb me though. 1) How come Barca gave away the 2-0 lead. 2) What was puyol thinking, he might have just cost Barca the semi final spot. 3) Can Arsenal score without Fabregas in Nou Camp??

These are some of the things that will be answered net tuesday; till then we should just savor the match of the season so far....

Reverse Flashback to 1999

Even though I am an ardent ManU fan, even I know for the fact that ManU didn't deserve to win it yesterday. After the first minute lead I thought luck was on their side but soon Bayern turned the screws on and turn they did.

For all the people who doesn't know football that much; there is something called ball possession and I think this is where ManU lost the match yesterday. ManU's control of the ball was poor and pathetic at times. They were giving away the ball easily and if it wasn't for super Van Der Saar, ManU would have lost by 4-5 goals margin.

ManU survived till 70 odd minutes but then it all went wrong, it seemed as if someone uo there wanted to set things right. It was a tit for tat sort of result for ManU; the reply for the 1999 champions league final. Then ManU scored 2 goals in last 5 minutes and broke the hearts of millions, yesterday it was Bayern who scored in the dying seconds of injury time. The goal wouldn't hurt ManU as they have the precious away goal, the biggest loss of last night was limping Rooney. He has a twisted ankle and is in doubt for next 2 weeks.

ManU's perfect campaign depends on one man & that one man is injured for next 2 crucial encounters; Chelsea visits Old Trafford on Saturday & then Bayern visits on Wednesday. Can ManU show that they are not a one man team??? Eagerly waiting for the answer

Master @ work

With the arrival of MS Dhoni, CSK thought their luck would change but they forgot that they need more than just the luck against the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. Nothing went in favor of CSK yesterday as they lost the toss & as we know CSK loves chasing with many finishers in their side; Sachin took the crucial decision of Bowling first even though MI like to set big totals & defend.

Mangoose failed yet again & I think the attention that Haydos is giving to his bat should be diverted towards his batting. CSK can't afford so many failures from Haydos & it is hurting CSK badly. Raina & Badrinath were involved in a wonderful partnership but it was too slow for CSK's comfort. Managing only 180-2 in 20 overs was simply not enough against an in form MI team and CSK paid the heavy price of not selecting Ntini in their line up once again. Can someone tell me what is wrong with CSK's think tank; I really am confused.

Without Jayasuriya many thought MI have a weak opening pair but Dhawan has performed well for them with Sachin showing his true class. Just for the record he has scored three half centuries this season & won three man of the match awards, he was injured in the first IPL, had a sloppy form in the second but he is more than making up for it this time.

CSK seems to have only one player in their bowling line up Murali; and his duel against Sachin was the something to cherish for the Sachin fans. Deft touches for doubles & a mighty six when MI badly needed it; mind you it was Sachin's first six of this IPL. Pollard also played his part with a little cameo of 20 off 9 balls, including a six which is hard to describe, it was just amazing.

I m just keeping my fingers crossed for a special Pollard innings when the chips are down for Mumbai Indians and I hope he delivers.

RCB too hot for CSK

How much does a team depend on one individual can be gauged by last nights RCB vs CSK encounter. Be it Dhoni's calming influence, Haydos failure to fire @ top or Raina's outrageous shot. CSK is going from bad to worse, none would had seen this coming from a team that was the finalist in 1st & semi finalist in the 2nd edition. Is it all coz of Dhoni's injury well I don;t think so.

I agree that Dhoni is a shrewed captain with great cricketing brain but he is no super man, Chennai's problem lies in their team selection. Why is Bailey in the team & not Ntini & what is he doing batting ahead Raina, these are some questions that confuse me.

Last night CSK had the match in their grasp until Utthapa storm hit them. He never performed for the MI but the way he is batting for RCB shows the brutal power he hits his shots with. It wouldn't be wrong to call him the Haydos of RCB without the 'Mangoose' mind you. RCB showed yesterday that without Kallis firing @ top of the order they can still manage to put up a good score; I think it was good for them coz now they know they don't depend on only one man.

CSK's bowling seems to be toothless apart from the master Murali, they badly need someone to put his hand up & perform may be give Ntini a chance. Speaking of bowling Steyn's got his rhythm back & is the most consistent bowler in terms of clocking 145km/hr and above. With Kumble's great control & Vinay Kumar's awesome luck Banglore has an attack that challenges that of MI. These are the two team I put my money on for the top 2 spots this year.

Ala re Sachin Ala

Sometimes watchin Sachin bat makes you wonder how are you gonna enjoy the cricket after he has retired. Yesterday against KKR he showed his brilliance by guiding his team to yet another victory. Mind you this was the first time MI were chasing a score in this year's IPL & I think Sachin has don the cap of being the finisher by staying there till the end.

KKR needs McCullum badly as he is the only batsman to whom nothing matters; neither the conditions, nor the situation. Even the Calypso king was a bit jittery in the beginning of the innings & took more than enough time to come to his true colors. Dada should know by now that this in all probability is his last IPL coz frankly I dont see anything that KKR can gain out of him; he should quitely quit & become the coach.

MI are the most balanced team of this year & the way they executed their plans of bowling yorkers to Gayle was amazing, i had never seen so many of them in 20-20; even bhajji bowled around 18 yorkers out of his quota of 24. Now thats what I call the commitment of the team, making a plan & executing it to perfection.

The only positive to come out of the match for KKR was Dada's stupendous catch; it would be interesting to see if he has completed his quota for the tournament in fielding or not, he he he...

Sachin's strokeplay reminded me of the late 90's when every bowler in the world feared him, his straight drives, cover drives, backfoot punch & some slogs over mid wicket; this innnings had everything. You deserve to win IPL this year MI just for the sheer brilliance of the little master. Lets keep the fingers crossed

Kiwis fight back

I think I spoke too soon on my views regarding the Aus vs NZ test match; as it turns out kiwis are showing their fighting spirit & never say die attitude.

Vettori deserves all the accolades he could get for being such an inspirational figure for the kiwis, he reminds me of certain someone called Gary Sobbers & Kapil Dev. Even though he is not as good a batsmen as Sobbers but certainly matches the credentials of Kapil.

McCullum finally did justice to his potential as a feared batsman and I hope he gets the well deserved century that looms large on the final day. Aussies need to find some inspiration from somewhere, with the unpredictable weather of Wellington my money is on the test going for a draw. Keeping my fingers crossed...

DD gets it wrong yet again

DC continued their good run & it seems they have made it a point of not losing any more matches on their home turf; well they need to settle the record straight after the 1st IPL. Delhi seems to be getting their team combination wrong every time. They paid huge sums of money for someone named Parnell & he is just carrying drinks or enjoying the after match parties; will he get a chance to show his worth or will he be like McGrath in IPL 2. One thing that amazes me is the decision to drop Dilshan & continue with DeVillers; well for starters both are out of form but Dilshan gives you that added bowling option & that too off spin on a track that is slow & low; DD is missing Gambhir terribly, keeping my fingers crossed for his speedy recovery.

Super Sunday ends with Super Over

Well what can I say, I was having a rough day till 7 pm but suddenly the luck changed. First ManU won against Liverpool & went on the top of league table & then Chelsea drew, giving ManU lead of 1 point with ManU Vs Chelsea @ Old Trafford yet to happen. And then the best match of IPL 3; Kings XI registering their 1st win of this season with a come from behind win in a super over. CSK were cruising till the time Raina ran himself out & Kings XI started turning the tide. A special mention here for Theron the lanky South African bowler; who bolwed with good aggression & kept a tight leash on CSK. Has Kings XI got a replacement for Lee, too soon to tell. This was one match where CSK missed Dhoni's finishing abilities & showed why Parthiv Patel is rated as a very poor cricketer. He could have easily chased down the score with singles but tried to do a Haydos & result a tied match.

Super Over: I am not a very big fan of this format as it is unfair to the bowler who will bowl that over for his team. In IPL 1 Mendis paid the price & this time around it was the turn of Murali. Haydos couldn't manage anything with his special 'Mangoose' & CSK set 10 runs for Kings XI to chase. Sending Jayawarenda to face Murali was the best decision Moody took & it paid rich dividend when he hoiked him for a six but then Jaya made a blunder & did a parthiv patel. Yuvi had to finish things off but he was like a fish out of water against Murali; but soon sense prevailed & with unorthodox cricket Kings XI got their frst win of IPL 3.

Can they sustain this momentum & make this IPL interesting; lets wait & watch...

Clarke & Bollinger eats up kiwis

Australia is on the verge of yet another test match victory & the weapon of destruction they used this time around was Bollinger. A year back no one had even heard of him and now he is the leader of their bowling attack. Harris has played his part & deserved to be in the team after his amazing performance in last 10 ODI's (29 wickets). Special mention here for the player who know deserves some apologies from Australian newspaper for making mockery of his personal life. Clarke has scored his 2nd century in such kind of a situation. (He left the tour of WI because of some dispute between his ex-ri & mother; came back and scored a 100 in test). Clarke shows he is dependable after Ponting decides to hang his boots but I am not a big fan of him being the captain; I have my doubts about his leadership skills.

Last man standing

Has someone noticed that there are 2 test matches going on somewhere in the world; I am curious to know the TRP ratings or the number of people turning up to watch these matches. I think its high time ICC wakes up from its sleep & gives IPL a window in their so called FTP.
Bangladesh is putting up a strong fight against a weak English team and the credit to that goes to Sakib; their captain, main bowler & main batsman. Someone named Vettori comes to mind when we talk about a player playing so many roles in one team. Both of them deserves special accolades for their commitment & consistent performance.

Good old days are back!!!

Hi Everyone,

This is my first blog after a very long time and I thought why not share my views on something I love 'cricket'.

Let me first start with the big bash of IPL. Teams that were the finalists last year both lost their first matches but have responded well to the defeats. Especially RCB are on a charge with Kallis looking invincible; some good old men of cricket regarded Kallis as a one dimensional player suitable only for test matches but look @ what he has done in the past 2 years. On the other hand we thought KKR will give everyone run for their money but after the first 2 wins they are back to where they belong; the easiest team to beat in IPL. But this year there are two more teams that are following KKR's footsteps Kings XI & RR. Both are plagued by injuries and it is hard to see them come back in this years IPL. But you never know, this is cricket a funny game where anything can happen. Will RR's win against KKR give them the much needed boost, we will have to wait & see.

Moving on Gilchrist seems to be enjoying his cricket long after he has retired & same goes for Big Haydos who managed to make DD run for cover with his 'Mangoose' magic. Some greats of cricket are never out of their best even after their retirement; look @ Kumble, Gilly, Haydos, Warne, & the list goes on and on.

Any discussion is incomplete without discussing the God of cricket ala Sachin Tendulkar. Everybody wrote him off at the beginning of 2003 when he had a poor 2002, so what did he do?? He took India to the final of the 2003 world cup single handedly. Critics made another noise after his failures in 2007 & look what he has achieved in last 2 years; 200 in ODI's, 8 centuries (6 in winning cause) in 20 tests with avg. of 56 (avg 84 in winning cause), 4 centuries in 22 ODI's with as many as 6 90's and avg. of 63. He seems to get younger everyday and his appetite for runs seems to be increasing; it holds good for Indians desires to win the next world cup. I think it would be the best way for Sachin to bid farewell to cricket but who knows whats going through his head; he might just continue to play & spell bound us with his magical stroke play.

Off to some studies now, wait for the next entry covering the latest of matches in IPL & Bangladesh's fight for struggle against England.