The brainchild of BCCI that has led to India's shaky No.1 position
Now, most of you must have got the idea from the title itself. Of course, it is the IPL and Mr.Lalit Modi who have struck again. And they along with the whole BCCI individual giants are encouraging a format, where India doesn't even rank in top 5. Come on BCCI...why do you always have to something atrocious and harmful for the team in your control? Bring in some more tests please :s ...before we, the fans of Indian Cricket break your luxurious, exquisite office made from the money-through-IPL into bits and pieces.
For MSD and Co. somehow provided the icing on the cake by first marking Indian Cricket's 100th test win, and then of course, taking India to numero uno. Now that playing against minnows like Bangladesh is going to give India not even one single point in the table, and with the NZ test series still not confirmed, I doubt if India might even slip to as low as 3 or 4 in the rankings. Possible enough? Isn't it? Here is where, MSD's golden luck will come into play. Don't forget how SL players were left licking their wounds due to the lacking of UDRS. Had it been there, at least the 3rd test could have resulted in a draw. And now in the present and the future, if by god's grace, the Aussies and the Saffas could fail to make amends of the opportunities coming at them, it is going to be Dhoni's luck again.
Still though, credit has to be given to the whole Indian team, not only the one in the present but right from the 90s when our legendary heroes were cementing their place in the side right to youngsters coming in the side and doing well of late. Needless to say, it has been a long journey, and the whole of Indian Cricket deserves to cherish these precious moments. Who knows..kal India No.1 ho ya na ho?
IPL on African soil
Finally, the suspense is over. We will be having the IPL in South Africa but the only change is that the tournament is postponed by one week. Though the league is no more Indian Premier league and has become International Premier League, we will continue to enjoy all the matches on TV. The timings have been set as such so that the matches are broadcasted at 4 pm and 8 pm IST.
Many people are saying that the IPL has lost its Indian flavour. Yes, I feel so. But the IPL organisers and the BCCI will look forward to expand their fan following globally along with the franchises. The season one last year saw a good television viewership in South Africa. Moreover the Africans have given a good response to the longer version, so expect them to fill the stadiums. We will be witnessing the action on TV and as if me and my friends (Satya and Rishabh) would have gone to the stadiums to watch the matches. Well the matches had already been moved out of Delhi and now out of India.
IPL Chairman, Lalit Modi blames the weather conditions as the key factor, but there would surely been some econmic factors as well which have worked in the favour of South Africa.
Some people also say that this shifting would create a bad image of India in front of the world as of Pakistan. But I disagree with this, because any security lapse could have created this image and this shift has much of positives rather than negatives like-
- Incresing global fan following.
- Helps in giving domestic players an international exposure.
- Assuring total safety of players.
Sponsers also wouldn't have problems, because most sponsers are multi-national brands and wouldn't have much problems as they have markets in South Africa as well like- Coca Cola, Pepsi, Mastercard, Nokia and many more.
IPL, EPL or SAPL. Does it really make any difference?
Road to IPL Season II has had so many hurdles and finally this latest one of shifting it out from India has probably deflated one of the wheels of the IPL vehicle. Now should I still call it Indian Premier League,English Premier League or probably South African Premier League?
You know why ? Just look at the points following below to understand my frustration and disappointment like many other Indians -
1. Player Values
Kevin Pietersen - $1.55 million - England
Andrew Flintoff - $1.55 million - England
Mahendera S Dhoni - $1 million - India
Even the icon players like Sachin, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj are receiving just about Rs 4.50 crores which are around $800000-900000 which of course is no comparison
to that of the new Bengaluru Team captain ,Kevin Pietersen.
2.Captaincy
Thanks to the above mentioned point about K.P.'s new role that made me stretch this topic of captaincy further. Does our Indian players have no knowledge of how to lead a side whatsoever? Or are the foreigners more brainy when it comes to this job ? Doesn't seem to be true, isn't it? At least not after looking at the current healthy situation of the Indian Cricket team.If this is not enough then here's another good example that would reprimand this thought that Indians are not capable of leading a side - Sourav Ganguly. Both of them have had the midas touch to lead India to victory. Recently, Mallya and Co. replaced Rahul Dravid with K.P. as the captain and they also made a remark that once K.P. is gone back to England...oops, I mean for his national duty(since IPL is likely going to be held in England), Kallis would become the leader of the pack. And the recent speculation of removing Ganguly from his job as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders is nearly true. And it does seem that the former Australian, John Buchanan who is now the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders would replace Dada with the Australian captain who also used to lead under his realm, Ricky Ponting. Soon we might Mukesh Ambani replacing Tendulkar with someone else. Though again, you just can't forget that if a team does remarkably well and gets into a habit of winning, it makes the job easier for the captain whosoever he is.
3.Foreign Coaches
Do we have any other team other than Mumbai Indians without a foreign coach? Let alone the franchises in IPL, do we presently have any international team(exceptions : South Africa and Australia) that doesn't have a single foreigner in their support staff?
We have seen over a decade or so and in fact we still are seeing teams like Saffas and Australia making merry with their local coaches and staff. So why can't have our local coaches in IPL as well ?
Conclusion
90% about IPL is foreign now including the crowd and all the points mentioned above. It's just those franchise owners and BCCI that make the remaining proportion.
Now tell me, is there any Desi Tadka which makes Indian Premier League Indian?
Think about it and do share with us anything Desi about IPL.
IPL:OUT,BUT NOT GONE
Today I have two News, one is good and the other also can’t be called bad.
The good news is that the DLF IPL Season II will take place this summer and the other news is that it will not be held in
The BCCI officials, after the crucial meeting today, announced that the tournament fixtures and dates shall remain the same and all the matches shall begin at 4 pm or 8 pm IST no matter where they take place, all in the interest of the fans in India. Also, each team will be allotted a home ground and the Home and Away system shall be followed.
The board confirmed that all franchises had approved the program as having the IPL was most important.
Let’s hope that the 2009 Season of the IPL is remembered for the cricket and not the controversies that surrounded it!
Whose to blame for it ?
101.3 McGain to de Villiers, 1 run, clipped off the legs to the long-leg region. 100 up for McGain. This is the worst economy rate in Test history.
Here's a look at his beautiful figures -
And probably most of you might call this guy an idiot. But honestly, it's not completely his fault. The batsmen are mostly becoming aggressive and they do target a particular bowler even in test cricket. Though I haven't seen a single ball being bowled in this game, but from my experience I would say that even the hitting standards are increasing match by match. Now, if you have a look at previous test encounters around 2002, the average run rate of a strong batting team like South Africa would be around 2.50-3.80. But now teams try to score at a brisk pace of at least 4 runs per over. Secondly, how can we forget that it McGain's first game.
Bowlers O M R W Econ *BE McGain (lbg) 11.0 2 102 0 9.27 (0nb, 0w) -
What are your opinions on bowlers giving a century of runs ?
Whatta Match !!! There's excitement again !
It's just one of those Australia-South Africa games where 90% this is sure to happen. Though victory is still a far sight for the Saffas, but they have a good chance of getting away with a draw. Who expected such a great fight by South Africa lead by Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers ? I mean, of course there are great partnerships which take the game away from your opposition...but how often does it happen.
It would actually be a shame for the Aussies if they let go this chance out of their hands. Probably they were missing the services of McGain.
Whatever it is...the match is now slightly evenly poised. Australia still has the chance to bowl out South Africa while they face a daunting task of chasing 302 runs more to complete what would be known as a record chase or at least settle for the draw. I am pretty sure that if Kallis and De Villiers can stay together till at least mid session after lunch, Australia would have to settle for a draw.
Solid, Stupid Saffas Slump
How often does a champion team like South Africa fall down like this ?-
| 0.3 | Johnson to McKenzie, OUT, what a start for Australia, short of a length outside off and moved away, McKenzie tried to defend that off the back foot, got a thin edge to Haddin who took a good catch stretching to his right |
ND McKenzie c  Haddin b Johnson 0 (1m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00 | |
| South Africa 0/1 GC Smith 0* (0b) MG Johnson 0.3-0-0-1 | |
| 0.5 | Johnson to Amla, OUT, he's given him, the hosts are reeling here! Swung in sharply, landed on middle and leg and seemed to strike him in line, at least to the naked eye, as he tries to flick that away, Rauf raises his finger but Amla is not convinced. He's called for a referral, but replays suggest he is stone dead. |
| HM Amla lbw b Johnson 0 (6m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00 | |
| South Africa 0/2 GC Smith 0* (0b) MG Johnson 0.5-0-0-2 | |
| 2.3 | Johnson to Kallis, 1 run, short on middle, turns it away wide of midwicket for a single |
| GC Smith retired hurt 2 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66 | |
| South Africa 3/2 JH Kallis 1* (7b) MG Johnson 1.3-1-2-2 | |
| 5.3 | Hilfenhaus to de Villiers, OUT, they've gone silent again, this was absolutely plumb, landed on a good length on the off stump and cut back in sharply, de Villiers didn't anticipate that movement as he came forward to defend that on the off side, was rapped on the pads in front of middle. He knew he was out, didn't call for a referral. South Africa are in deep trouble now as Hilfenhaus joins the party |
| AB de Villiers lbw b Hilfenhaus 3 (13m 8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 37.50 | |
Not even 6 overs and 3 wickets already lost! Truly shows that Australia are back in the competition to be the Numero Uno.
What are your opinions on it ?
South Africa rises to the occasion, topples Australia from No.1 position
As I had expected (in fact most of us) Australia are dethroned from their number one position by a rampaging South African team who has beaten Australia convincingly in the 5 match ODI series by a solid margin of 4-1. The Aussie downfall doesn't seem like going up for now.
Perhaps the only advice that I would give them is -
Take your time. You have an inexperienced line-up right now. Just polish yourself in international cricket and you are ready to make an Australian comeback.But I would definitely not want my team India to go down again, so I have decided not to advice the Aussies! Yeah ! Better work it out yourself. Muwhaaa !
Now that South Africa is on top, the only competition in my opinion they are facing is from India.
And India will only come closer to the Proteas if they are able to beat Sri Lanka in the ongoing five match series with a good margin, say around 4-1 or a clean sweep.
Not only that, South Africa is on the verge to topple Australia from their Number one position in Test Rankings as well. If the South Africans are successful in beating Australia in the upcoming return tour to South Africa, then I am pretty sure Australia will be left way behind.
It's going to be an interesting period of this game and in it's fight for the top spot in both forms of the game ( or should I say all 3 ?)!
Hayden dropped out of Australia ODI and T20 squad
Australian opener Matthew Hayden has been left out of the 13-man squad for the upcoming ODI and T20 series against South Africa following his poor run.
National Selection Panel Chairman Andrew Hilditch made it clear that the teams were chosen with an eye on the Twenty20 World Cup later this year and 2011 ODI World Cup and also hinting he could not see Hayden playing a role in the two major events.
Though Hilditch also said that Hayden's omission is not because of his recent performances but rather a strategic decision made by the National Selection Panel as planned for these signature events.
I feel this is perhaps the correct decision for now, as in my opinion, Hayden needs a break before he can make a comeback.
Proteas wins their first series on Australian soil !
The downfall of the Australians continues. Who would thought South Africa could win this match given the fact they looked almost out of the game at the stumps on Day 2. They still managed to pull back into the game, courtesy J.P. Duminy and Dale Steyn. South Africa have now won their first ever test series in Australia - a drought that lasted for almost a century ! The Proteas are now on the verge of dethroning Aussies of their No.1 position if they win the third and the last test match in Sydney beginning from 3rd January 2009.
Proteas are the only side after India beating Australia in back-to-back matches in the last decade. This year will definitely be a forgettable one for Australia. Blame it on the loss of legends like McGrath, Warne and Gilchrist or their loss of consistency ( in other words inconsistency) over the years which cemented their position as the best in the world. But now, the cement seems to be crumbling down.
The only positive for Australia in this game would be Ponting returning back to form. And the negatives ? A lot ! Hayden continues his poor run. Brett Lee and Shane Watson ruled out of the game due to injures. And of course, so many records going against their name.
Before this game Hayden said that he would decide if would retire after this series or not. If I would have been in his place, I would have surely taken retirement from the game. But of course, its all up to him.
Meanwhile, Ponting has become the first Australian captain in 16 years to suffer a series defeat on home soil. Last time Australia lost a series at home was against the West Indies in 1992-93.
I would recommend the selectors to pick a new and young captain. Maybe someone like Michael Clarke will be a good successor of Ponting to do it. We saw it in the only T20 game he captained Australia against the T20 world champions, India in Melbourne last year, Australia completely blanked India in that game. He now has enough experience in international cricket to lead his side well. We have already witnessed youngsters like Dhoni and Smith doing it for their national team. And the result ? They have done phenomenally well, and are of course in the race to become the new world champions.
South Africa wins over Australia after record chase
Looking at the modern day test cricket, most of us will believe a target of 350-450 is not enough. And well we have already witnessed it happening not only once, but twice. First it was India who sprang a surprise and successfully chased the target of 387 runs against England in Chennai, then it was South Africa, who again showed that Australia are not much far away from being dethroned.
Many of us won't have given South Africa a chance, ever since they were rattled for 281 runs in their first innings. Even when Ricky Ponting and his men would have entered the ground to bowl to South Africa in their last innings, where they needed 414 runs to win, they must have thought that they were atleast going to draw this match. Not only that but, they started looking dangerous, when Mitchel Johnson dismissed McKenzie to leave South Africa 19-1. But captain Graeme Smith was in some other mood. He smashed a brilliant knock of 108 of just 147 balls. Along with Hashim Amla he took the score from 19-1 to 172. That was an awesome 153 runs partnership. Finally Johnson struck again. Smith was caught plumb to leave South Africa at 172 for 2. As often the case is, when one partner is out after a long partnership, the other one follows him to the pavillion. Soon Amla was caught behind by Haddin for a good knock of 53 and South Africa were left reeling at 179-3.
The two men at the crease were Kallis and Ab de Villiers. Once both of them settled down, they started scoring runs at a regular rate. By the time Kallis was dismissed, it looked to be all over for Australia. Kallis was dismissed after hitting a timely half century. South Africa needed 111 runs at that stage.
Dumminy then joined De Villiers. Australia looked completely helpless. De Villiers scored a brilliant ton, and was deservingly judged as the Man of the Match.
No one can say from where is Australia going to go from here onwards. All I can say is by March 2009 we will hopefully get to know who will be the number one team in the world.
