A series of unfortunate events

Yup that is what life has turned into..."A Series of Unfortunate Events" like the title of them kids books...
OK I am being a tad dramatic, but consider this:

Got the pink slip a month or so ago (lived in denial about it for a while) + India exits out of the ICCT20 + had a falling out with a "star-crossed" friend which has put me in a bit of a Meena Kumari type funk + graduated summa cum laude (Er... wait, that's a good thing) + got into Jhansi Ki Rani mode for the sake of MSD and had argy-bargys with others (but no, I don't regret it, and do click on the link-great poetry with translation) + have a "family emergency" in India which could put a bad Bollywood script to shame!

Sigh!
But the good news is I am running away to Sainikpuri, Secunderabad, India.
YAY!
For two months!
I guess the perks of being unemployed!
I might even indulge in a bit of Bharat Darshan!
So if you see a woman sitting alone in an airport lounge, watching cricket.. while her family watches from afar (slightly exasperated) -- feel free to swing by and say hello.
Yup that would be me.

You know what this means right?
.
.
.
Yup... not-so-regular blogging for a while :-(

(maybe...)

But hey, I might be sooo happy at watching a match for free, that I might even post something on the Ashes. I might.
In the meantime talk amongst yourselves.
(And also a good time to look at my old posts. You should you know ;-))

In two months time people... I'll be back.
It has been a pleasure.
(*Sigh*)

E-x-i-t questions for India

Some questions for Team India as they take the flight back home:


* Can't play the short ball on a fast pitch, can't play spin on a slow track. Where can you play?
* Why did Pragyaan Ojha not play today?
* Why was Ishant playing? In this match ... perhaps even in this tournament.
* Where did that fearlessness go?
* In today's match, why couldn't you just consolidate during the spin overs and save your wickets?
* Is Kirsten right about fatigue?
* Why was the thinking so muddled as far as the batting order is concerned?
* Should we blame the IPL & Lalit Modi, and not you?
* Should we blame the media & not you?
* Why was the fielding so bad throughout the tournament?
* Why was the pace bowling so bad throughout the tournament?
* Why did you i.e the "new stars" of Indian cricket seem not much more than faulty bulbs bought from the local store?
* Dear Prince, what happened to your fielding (thanks for your batting though)?
* Quo Vadis Mahi?

England rule India!

The number 153 to haunt us again.

And England showed us how to defend.

CONGRATS ENGLAND!!

Now the knives come out.

:-)

Alternate ending!

Y'day I spoke about a telling statistic:

Gambhir Out at 4.2 Ov, Score= 3-29
Dhoni Out at 12.1 Ov, Score= 4-66
1 wicket for 37 runs.
Final score = 153.

Today a similar thing happened:

Redmond Out at 4.2 Ov, Score = 2-33
Styris Out at 12.3 Ov, Score = 5-73
3 wicket for 40 runs.
Final score = 99.

Reader TG, to his credit, first mentioned the importance of consolidation.

The Pak bowling was SUPERB and deserves its own post.
Later.

Where the game was lost (Ind v. Windies)

So India lost.
Sigh.

Of course we'll have the customary post-mortem all over the world. And why not.
And while we are all aware who goofed up big time (yes, yes MSD), a telling statistic from the (somewhat) middle overs of the game:
Gambhir Out at 4.2 Ov, Score= 3-29
Dhoni Out at 12.1 Ov, Score= 4-66
!?!?!
Meaning, in around 50 deliveries, 37 runs were scored!!!
Yes!
In a T20 match.
After playing the IPL for the last like, 9000 days.
And MSD of course had a SR of 47.82.
!?!?!

All you can say to the West Indies, I guess is: Bravo!

P.S. The only bright spot? The Prince.

Being an England supporter... for a day

Usually when India is not playing a match, I support the underdog in a clash.
Which meant I had to support England in today's Super 8 encounter.
Hmm.

So I did the next best thing and tossed a coin.
My bad luck, someone up there wanted me to support England. (I have to admit, I cheated a little; whenever Rudolph bowled well/fielded, I cheered!)
What a performance. Tch tch.

You know when KP does not fire, its usually a pretty ordinary performance by England.
Though, their bowling was much better I admit.

And then the post-match analysis by Nasser H and Ian Botham.

Uff!

Nasser went on and on about how its not the experience in the IPL, but the fact that you need "big lads" like Smith, and Gayle to hit those big sixes and then the "wristy" players like Dilshan to nudge around and take singles.
(I might be watching a different Dilshan, because he has been hitting sixes and fours alright!)
I thought that the "big lads" issue was put to rest in the last T20 championship. Wait who was in the finals? Hmm. India and Pakistan.

Anyway, too much of a headache this being an English supporter.
I need some tea and crumpets to cheer myself up.
Ciao.

Finally, an answer to the #3 position.

And it makes sense too.
Check out this post.

Right!

Yes, yes India won against Ireland today. Too bad I missed most of the match.
Anyway, I did find some really funny press conference footage... you know to cheer myself up.



So tell me does this not look like a really badly made B-grade consipracy thriller movie?
Hah Hah.
LOL.

Thought so.

SL v. Aus (Random thoughts)

So while most of the cricket world is rejoicing at Australia's early exit, I need to share some thoughts with you. Here it goes:

# Australia cannot play spin saala. (Feel free to sing along the tune of Pappu can't dance saala.)
# Shane Watson is such a cupcake. (No that wasn't a compliment.)
# I miss Roy.
# Mendis is a chucker. So is Murali. So is the new guy. No I am not saying that.
# Mitchell Johnson can bat saala. (Feel free to sing along the tune of Pappu can't dance saala.)
# I miss Roy.
# Good job Sanga!!
# Australia cannot play spin saala. (Feel free to sing along the tune of Pappu can't dance saala.)
# Dilshan smmmoookkees it!
# I like the Hussey brothers.
# I Miss Roy.

KP + PAK fielding v. Pakistan

I hope the title says it all. It should.
Pakistan's fielding was such a comedy of errors. Except if you are a Pak fan; then it ain't too funny.
And the way they folded up. Abysmal.
And is Afridi still considered a batsman? If yes, why?
For someone who grew up in the 80s/90s watching India getting ritually clobbered by Pak, I wonder kahan gaye woh log? ("Where are those people now?")

Meanwhile,

Ah KP.
I like him. (Despite that weird smile that he wears.) I do.
You know people call him arrogant and self-absorbed, perhaps he is.
The thing is he is pretty friendly too. Always encouraging his fellow Englishmen.
Plus I have never seen him use foul language while sledging. He doesn't need to. The bat will do all the talking.
I think I even saw him exchanging pleasantries with Pak fielders - no wonder they obliged him with all those dropped catches and miss-fields.

P.S. Again a disagreement on the MOtM; why Luke Wright? Why not KP?

Dissing the Prince (Desis v. Deshis)

So who thinks Yuvi should've won the MOtM today raise your hand.

(*Leela raises her hand*)

OK so I think Yuvi is a bit of a pompous you-know-what, and I like Ojh, but I do think Yuvi was the game-changer. He played like his (occasional) imperious self and took those splendid catches. But someone obviously does not like him.

(Hmm.)

And considering that when he came in to bat the innings was meandering along (thanks to Gauti, who was batting at a deplorable SR of 100% (chee chee what an underachiever!) and "evil" Dhoni, who decided to upstage his more-than-capable batsmen by promoting himself to #3) Yuvi did a splendid job.

Meanwhile,

OK Dhoni good joke. Now can you shift yourself back to #6?

I am not sure who is making this decision but Dhoni is turning into a bit of a momentum killer and its affecting the final total. Don't get me wrong I don't mind seeing Dhoni at #3, but in his current avatar ("slow and steady wins the race") I would prefer him at #6 and Yuvi or Raina at #3.

Meanwhile after the first few overs, the Deshis were outa the race, so all in all a comfortable win.

Phew!

Recipe for success!

Seeing as some of my readers might be cooking-challenged ... I've decided to share my culinary skills with you..you know how to cook in a dutch oven.

1. Take a healthy cut of England.
2. Add 2 cups of Orange juice.
3. Cook in a dutch oven.

Done. Simple. Healthy.

P.S No onions, and yet I had tears in my eyes. Ah! The joys of watching a minnow win.

A new kinda captain!

Well for India anyway.

So this morning I find out about the (now famous) press conference(courtsey dopaisekatamasha) by MSD.
Then I find this:



and apparently after this:

Finished, Dhoni and the entire squad stormed out of the conference, leaving the Indian media miffed.

The media immediately lodged a complaint with the ICC's [ Images ] Communications Officer Sami-ul-Hasan, saying that since it is an ICC event it is mandatory for the captain or a team member to address the media ahead of a match.

I think this is what one means when they say ulta chor kotwal ko daante... ("the pot calling the kettle black" or something like that.)

Really!

No comments

So I find this...



Hmm. What do I say... er. Um.
Well.
Um never mind.

You like who you like...

Exactly. Sometimes you just do. No logic to it.
You see a cricketer who you fall in like with despite their flaws, and you accept them warts n' all.
(Er... ewww.... not those warts people!! Really! Tch tch.)

That is how it is with Symonds for me. I like Roy. What a great potential. What a star.
Walked onto the pitch and just took over due to his sheer presence. Great talent too.
Pity that long list of misdemeanours and all that monkeying around.

Is it the beginning of the end? Sure looks like it. And that is just a lump of sh*t situation. It is.
Sigh.

Lazyboy

There is something about Rohit Sharma. Something about that lazy elegance that is so reminiscent of players of Hyderabadi origin.
(I know, I know he is a Mumbaikar, but he plays for DC and his roots are in AP.)

He is not as wristy as the original Nawab aka Azhar. Nor can he be compared to VVS yet.
However, the enthusiasm with which people talk about him, you feel he is in it for the long haul.
(I hope.)
And its not just us desis, its everyone who watches him. For instance, Gilly was so enthusiastic about "Ro". And so was Boof in the IPL. So was Roy. So was Gibbs.

A star in the making? Perhaps.
(I hope.)

So India walk to a win. Easy does it.
:-)

Overheard...

The English comms dropping the "F"-word during today's England v. Scotland encounter.
Arrey baba not that word. Chee chee.
I meant Flintoff.
They are still talking about him. Hmm.

And someone commented that Majid Haq and Indian bowler Romesh Powar are similar ... you know not in terms of their spin bowling, but their physical appearance (read "girth"). Hmm.
Must've made Powar's day. And offended Haq.

Speaking of Haq, they kept calling him "Hack". Which was funny, especially when Nasser H said it.

I was supposedly working on some work stuff, and not watching the match. But thatz what I overheard.

Meanwhile CI tells me that KP spares England's blushes.
OK. (LOL... Sorry. But that was funny. Now if Ind lose to Ban, you may blame it on my bad karma. Umm... No pls don't.)

Ready for the IND-PAK encounter?
I am.

Perfect timing!

No that was not some sorta twisted sarcastic comment about India's loss to NZ.
(Its only a warm-up game people, put away those effigies. I did.)
Which btw is something we desis should be used to by now. (I mean losing to NZ.)

I mean perfect timing as in when I get to watch the matches.
And that is at a perfectly sane hour of 9:30 am or 10:00 am. At least all the India matches are at those times, at least during the league phase.

YAY.

After spending the last six months watching matches at weird hours (the NZ test matches were a somewhat welcome blip), thank you gods.

Did I say, YAY?

Oh WTH, I'll say YAY! Again.
:-)

The final XI

So the 15-man squad was decided for the ICCT20 campaign a while ago.
And the usual suspects are there with a few new faces added and a few old ones dropped.

To me the biggest miss is a spare wkt-keeper considering how Dhoni kept using Parthiv as a spare tyre in the IPL.
Or maybe he was aware that Kartik or Parthiv would not be selected and so he was doing that on purpose. Who knows?

Anyway.

Uthappa is missing from the lineup and based on people's responses to his IPL campaign, no one will, well, miss him.
I am happy that Jadeja (or JJ as Warne used to call him) has been selected. The kid has gumption and maturity.

Here is the squad:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha and Irfan Pathan.

So who will make the final XI?
I for one don't want Lambu to play. Really I don't. And at some level I would prefer Ojha to Bhajji.

So my final XI would be:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan/JJ, Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar/Irfan Pathan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Pragyan Ojha.

So, as you can see, confusion between YP and JJ, and PK and IP.
Hmm.