Mumbai Chokers.

Another close contest, another classic, the same result. Mumbai Indians choked. The South Africans of IPL in South Africa. 4 needed off 6 balls with 3 wkts. And who is the bowler down the other end? Warne? Kumble? Malinga? RP ? Heck who? Its Munaf Patel, the least likely to take 3 wkts in a over, although he did take just 1, but had 2 more runouts in his over with little role to play in them. He yorked Nayar man. Yorked. Amazing, reminded me of his heroics in Baroda game against England in 2006 which saw him earn a place in the national team. But then that was a fast Munaf, this one is a slow Munaf.(Edited later, thanks Q for pointing the factual error)

Mumbai Indians didnt deserve to win after the start they made and the game they made out of it when their captain got them in the limelight with another classic. Its been his bad luck that Tendulkar has been surrounded by mediocre players for most part of his career (leave out 2001-2009 India period), once he is out the entire team collapses.

If you look at the culprits of the game : Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Yogesh Takle, Rahane, barring Tak(aw)le all are part of Mumbai Ranji team and they are choker gang. Much to the disgrace of the past tradition of this Ranji team. Fuck you guys. Disgrace!!

And it was another Sachin vs Warne moment. What a shame that Tendulkar for first time had to end up on losing side whenever he had better of Warne in the past. All credit to the so called Mumbai’s youth brigade. Cheap and waste!!

I am pissed to see Sachin’s team losing, but in a way happy that such a team doesnt deserve to win the trophy when we have worthier teams than this choking team sans Tendulkar. He must be mad at his “young lads”. This team is now famous to loose close encounters — look at the results over 2 seasons and you would confirm me.

Much ado about nothing!!

Whats wrong if Shane Warne gulped a sip or 2 of the beer in the mid game. Whats so hue and cry about it? Get over the jingoist mentality Indian media 🙂

Royals score a royal victory

Whoa, whata win. Royals are truly back and how. Highest score of the tourney. And who scored the max. Smithie and naman Ojha. Yipee. He is my hometown guy. He has come big. Way to go Ojha bhiya :). the city would be happier tomorrow. Celebrations have begun back home and the media frenzy would be soon reaching ur place……

5 sixes. The opening partnership was the key and boy they scored the max in the tourney. Smith fired the way we know him. And then jadeja celebrated the inclusion in the team with a 12 ball 33. For KXP nobody except Yuvraj fired and thats where the team lost. No biggie from SL fired, no Katto, nobody fired.

Warnie continued his magic. And who is A Singh. 3 for 9 in 4. Awesome!! Royals go to # 2 with this win and the IPL looks like last year with last year finalists occupying top 2 spots. However if DD win their game against disgraceful KKR, they go on the top with 10 points in 7 games. No Veeru and Vettos today.

Kinks win and go on the top

What a way to come back to the form. Score a 50, make inspiring bowling changes and then take your team on the top. From 6 to 1. He is one man who is not used to being ordinary or lying at the bottom. He did it for India, then he did it for CSK and then again for CSK in IPL-09.

He is Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Soopher Kinks won their 3rd game in row and it suggests how close this IPL is. 5 teams on 9 or 8 points, 2 on 7. Forget KKR, they are embarrasment to the game of cricket. Today one victory to the Royals Rajasthan and they go top too. Ditto for Sadde Delhi de Patthe 🙂

Deccan Chargers are now back to their normal ways of losing after a high of back to back 4 wins. To ensure they are a challenge they would need to get back to the winning ways before its too late. CSK and BRC have smelled blood. Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne are too good to be kept down. So they would be coming back in next 2 days…..

IPL never got so much exciting.

Match 25 and 26 updates

Victory of Rajasthan Royals has made the IPL interesting. And Soopher Queens would make it even more intriguing. That would mean that the top 2 wud have lost 2 games each. That would put some more pressure tomorrow on Mumbai Indians against the Bangalore Royal Challengers who are on a revival path with a proud Indian coming back to lead the side.

Shane Warne the wily old fox needs to return to the Aussie fold for their most obsessed fight with the Poms 🙂 Aussies need Haydos and Warney.

From Indian team perspective only RP Singh, P Ojha, Suresh Raina have come good (T20 team). Failure of skipper, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma would be a cause of concern!!!

BTW Yousuf Pathan is loving the Safari!!!

An embattled Aussie fan writes in desparation

A note to Timmy (not Dimmy) and Punter :

Guys, please get in Shane Warne off IPL to bowl on to your ODI team in desert. Warnie is a legend even in the age of 40 and post him there is just no body in the Aussie la la land who could spin the ball half way a bit as he did. Watching him in IPL is pure delight and a walk back to those golden years of Aussie dominance when we used to get up early in morning to see him and Pidge bowl.

You guys need him. Not as a team member then as a supportive coach for bowling. He would give a lesson or two to the likes of Marsh, Roy, Clarke, Hussey and other who are just embarrasing the Australian name tag in the ODI arena. Guys let me not remind you that you are the world champions and you lost to a team that hasnt played any serious cricket in ages. You are loosing to a team which is full of rookies and attitude kings, guys who consider themselves over the team and just need some bit of pressure to crack out. Get that pressure in guys.

I am embarrased and fuckingly disappointed to see you give away victories to undeserving teams on a platter. Dont do that. You have only one supporter left in the entire world. And thats me. Keep pride of my predictions 4-1 victory for you guys in this desert safari.

Cheers,

A embattled Aussie fan

Veterans steal the show on day 1

It was a magical day. 4 all time greats lit up the opening day @ Capetown. 2 batsmen and 2 bowlers. 3 of them Indians, one of them Australian. And somebody said IPL or T20 was for young guns.

If on one hand there were classical Warne dismissals on perfect leg spin deliveries, then there was a sheet anchor role from the Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar who showed how to play in a difficult pitch. This when no other player from either side made a major contribution in the 1st game.

And then there was belaugered and under pressure former Indian skipper, former RCB skipper Rahul Dravid who holded the fort single handedly and guided the team to a decent 8/133 score in 20. And then it was left to the greatest bowler in Indian history, the one who had to retire amidst culling calls in Delhi to get the RCB to a fabulous start in the tournament. 5 for 5 were fabulous figures for Anil Kumble.

Cricket was center stage in the opening day and it was the memories rekindled with some electric performances on the field by battle sacred veterans. Some greatest gems of the cricketing world coming good in T20 too suggesting that you dont need to be a slam bam whinger to succeed in T20. Playing perfect cricket shots and bowling balls at perfect length can get you success too. And Sachin, Rahul, Warne and Kumble proved it.

***BOWS***

IPL Kicks off today

IPL kicks off today.

My bet on today s winners:

1st game : Mumbai Indians simply for presence of Zaheer, Padma Miss Bhajan and Sachin Tendulkar….

2nd game : Royals with talisman presence of Shane Warne who can now ball with speed of 100 mph and swing ball more and more with bowling under the wicket thanks to Ms Dumb Shilpa Bihar Chor Shetty.

Déjà-vu on IPL

With the intense 7 or 8 last months in Indian cricket, it’s a bit of let down to see the team playing against each other in the IPL. Somehow I am not able to digest the pills of IPL this time. I watched IPL – 1 with full excitement and enthu. But this time I find it bit tough to gather the same enthusiasm and support. I was off the blog last year when IPL – 1 happened. More so to do with the 1-2 loss in Australia especially in the Sydney test. That was wrecking. But somehow I did manage to recollect my enthu in 2008 later half and this blog was born. However due to the tight situations in the project in the workplace given the global recession and followed by crappy Dish TV when I had no access to Neo Sports for Aus and Eng home series, I lost the chance to watch LIVE the high Indians had in 2008. Besides retirements of Saurav Ganguly and Anil Kumble were further dampeners.

I am not able to swallow the glitz and glamour of IPL. Moreso with the entry of chaff in the ring with the likes of dumb headed boozoes like Ms Shetty, Ms Zinta and Mr SRK who have no idea of what cricket is. They have mixed the business and ROI with the dynamics of the game. And armed with that power, this elements don’t bother with whom they are dealing. As a result you have Sunny Gavaskar being ridiculed by a man who has never stepped on to a cricket field with a bat or ball in his hand, the likes of Dravid and Laxman were replaced by men who don’t know what concentration and power of silken touch means. There have been elements in the blog world who have mocked the concept of IPL and are against it. I am no big fan of IPL too, but I am more keen to watch few players play, otherwise it would be impossible to see them play. The love for the game is such that you always want to go and watch :

· Shane Warne

· Mathew Hayden

· Glenn McGrath and of course

· Saurav Ganguly.

In IPL.

I would never get a chance to see this players again in traditional form of game in whites or colored clothings of national teams. IPL gives me a chance to watch them with limited pleasure for a limited time. So I am pitching myself to watch the tamasha of the game which doesn’t stand a chance before the purity of a Test match or a tension of a ODI. I also don’t understand the logic of replacing RD with KP as skipper for Royal Challengers. And then when KP is far away for WI series Jacques Kallis replacing him. Kallis isn’t considered worthy enough to lead his own team for long, then how can he lead a IPL franchisee ? Not to forget amidst other failures in RC, Dravid was their highest scorer in the tournament. 347 @ 118 runs per 100 balls. Not bad for somebody who is considered to be a Test specialist. The problem with Dravid has been the intensity and the crave for perfection. He had a horrible team with his disposition. Jaffer was opening in T20 whereas he was never suited to open even in Tests. Mark Boucher has had a good record as a lower order hitter in ODIs, but he didn’t come good. And moreover he had to oversee the cynics of Vijay Malaya.

This year Dada has already been cut to size by his coach cum manager. Dada was a flash in manager’s eye when he coached Aussies. Out of 3 series at the helm, the Dada team got better of the coach’s team 2 times though won just 1 series. So all kinds of hoodlum politics is already in place in the franchisees…..

I just wish that the game of cricket wins over the chaffers and the dust particles trying to intrude the game we all love very much in the 2^nd season of IPL. Meanwhile the glaring contest to watch will be:

· Sachin and Jayasuriya opening the batting for Mumbai Indians.

· Old iconic contest between Sachin and Warne, McGrath though only for few overs or not at all. Not that this would matter though. Being a purist, I crave for the contests between greatest icons.

· Though he is no more hype now than he was in last year, Mendis would be a cult figure to watch. It would be interesting to see how Sachin and Jaya play against him. No doubt Jayasuriya would hit him if in form, but also Tendulkar would try to get better of him for the misery he suffered in SL test series last year.

Déjà-vu just can’t get better than this.

Outrageous move of John Buchanan

If John Buchanan has any doubts over captaincy skills of Saurav Ganguly, then he better remember the 2001, 2003-04 series vs India when he was the coach of the losing Australian team. His idea of multiple captaincy has been outrightly ridiculous and stupid. I would call it obnoxious intentions and naive minded.

First VVS, then Dravid and now Saurav. The demeaning of the greats by this IPL owners and the coaches who are at best obnoxious weeds (Haydos taught me to use this term) is a new trend. And guess who is going to be the next one. Sachin Tendulkar. He could be the next one to be pipped out. But then does anybody have guts to do that ? The day that would happen, the IPL would be curtains forever.

For this stupid idea of Buch, i would for sure conclude that somewhere Shane Warne must be having a hearty laughter. Warne never was a fan of Buchanan’s ideas and this one latest from his crooked bag suggests why he was being hated ferociously by Warne who thought that coach is just the one which takes the team off and on the ground!!! Geeeeeeee