My Indian Team for the 2015 Cricket World Cup

It is world cup time and the fever has caught on with everyone naming their teams for the world cup and I would like to jump on this bandwagon to name my team too. I just saw Dada and Sunny pick their teams on telly. Everyone in India is a cricket expert and I am a proud Indian, so here goes my thoughts on the team I think will help us retain the world cup.

I have a strong feeling about this. I see some signs which say a different story. Maybe I am reading too much into it. I wanted to  capture it here to see how things actually pan out.

Shikhar Dhawan opens with Rohit.

Shikhar is a done deal and will definitely be the first opener who picks himself.

Rohit is a great pick who will win you matches on his day. His consistency is suspect and he may misfire more often than not. He is worth the gamble though.

Ajinkya gives a close competition and I would pick him over Rohit if there is a choice between the two. I choose to keep him at 3 assuming Rohit will fall early. His calm head and running between the wickets will bring in the required stability.

Kohli will be number 4. He can build an innings, or give it tempo if we bat first and lead the chase effectively from this position. He is the key whose success most often translates into India’s success.

Suresh Raina will be number 5. He picks himself into any Indian limited overs team. Only his number is in question and I choose to have him at 5.

Number 6 is the surprise I strongly feel about. He was not picked by Dada or Sunny. He was the key member of the 2011 winning team and I think he is destined to play a similar role this time around too. A strong performance from the top 5 will give him the freedom to play a cameo. His experience in tight situations will help him in setting the stage for a strong finish in our captain’s company. No one can disagree what a potential match winner he is. His desire and hunger to be part of one more winning world cup team seals the deal for me. He has scored 3 centuries in 3 successive Ranji matches till the time I write this piece. Ravindra Jadeja has injured himself and created an opening for him. Providence? I think everything has fallen into place for him to make a spectacular comeback to the Indian team. I am sure Dhoni will ask for him and he will sneak in. His addition will add a lot of value and have in place the right balance of spark and stability, in people who can account and step up to perform well in any which way the match shapes out to be. My number 6 is Yuvraj Singh.

Dhoni is the number 7. No comment needed.

Rayudu is the backup batsman.

Bowling will be made up by specialists (3 medium pacers and a spinner. Rohit, Raina, Virat and Yuvi can pitch in)

Medium Pacers will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami and Ishant/Umesh in that order.

Spinners will be Ashwin/Axar in that order.

I think we will do pretty well and give everyone a run for their money with this team.

African Safari at bullring

The Final match of the five match ODI series between South Africa and Australia played at the wanderers stadium ,also called ” Bullring ” because of its intimidating atmosphere for the visiting teams ,was a magnum opus among all the ODI’s that were ever played. It seems like the cricketing god himself directed this match after penning down a scintillating, eye-popping and a jaw-dangling script.It had a fitting climax sending a whole nation into frenzied celebrations.More importantly it also helped it in healing a very painful and embarrassing wound inflicted way back in the 1999 world cup at EDGBASTON which gave the South Africans the “The Chokers” tag.

The series was balanced at 2-2 and hence this was D-Day, the big match which will decide the whole series. As usual Ponting, whom i consider the best player to have in Big Games, took up the initiative and began to score with a demonic ease. It looked like a repeat of his 2003 world cup final knock, only it was bigger and better , the sixes coming thick and fast over his favourite area , the mid wicket boundary. Some of the Straight sixes he hit were breathtaking. He carried on with clinical efficiency crossing the ropes at will and u could see that he had 400 runs on his mind .Ponting didn’t just want to win this match, he wanted to make a thorough job of it, and he wanted to obliterate the South Africans as competitors. The score was around 386 at the end of the 47 th over.Telemachus was given the ball and he was straight away under immense pressure. He bowled three no balls continuously of which the first and the third were carted for a boundary and a six respectively, and the six taking them from 393 to 400.It was the first instance of 400 runs being scored in an ODI innings It was the outmost any team batting first would want to set for the opposition to chase. It was a mammoth total of 434.Ponting and co would have thought they had sealed the match right and proper. They had amassed a total far beyond the reach of any team. It was a TITANIC total. Alas, they just forgot that Titanic, the “UNSINKABLE TITANIC “fell on its maiden voyage too.

It was a chase never attempted before and no one knew how to go about it. Maintaining a run rate of 8.7 per over for 50 overs without losing too many wickets is a bit tricky, and putting it that way is a gross understatement. And some said South Africa must not make a mockery of themselves by getting out too cheaply trying to chase 435.Mockery they undoubtedly made, but it was of the opposition and of the people who had written them off , of the people who believed they were chokers. It was a thrilling victory and a well deserved one. A game that will last forever in the annals of history, for all teams to look up to as a copybook example of a great chase(except for the last 2 overs of course !! ) . Gibbs’s innings was obviously the decisive one, but for me Skipper Graeme Smith’s innings of 90 from 55 balls was equally or slightly more important than Gibbs’s innings.

South Africa started by losing the wicket of Boeta Dippenar very early ,which I thought was a blessing in disguise. You don’t want a drafter in that situation,you need someone who could get you the initial momentum so important in big chases. . When you chase a total like 434 what you want is to let the opposition know, “You set us 434, we’re game to chase it”. What you need is most importantly is the belief that if the opposition can do it then you bloody well can do it better. You must really believe that . This is where Smith’s innings is so important. He lead the team with his belief that they can win this match and showed them the way to go about it. Gibbs though a great batsman may not have had his going easy without knowing what his role was and what were they going after , “surely not 435” he might have thought .Smith galvanised the team with his belief and his innings. The show was on….

Smith and Gibbs were on a rampage and slaughtered the Kangaroos mercilessly .The bowlers were just dismissed to all parts of the ground. I almost felt sorry for the Aussies. The chase was carried out with ruthless efficiency. Even though they were scoring so quickly they never for once looked like getting out .It was that I think which sealed the Aussie coffin .They took their singles , three or four an over ,with an occasional double or triple and scored their one boundary per over. It was as simple as that. They were scoring 7 or 8 runs per over without ruffling a feather. You may even be forgiven for thinking,” it’s just so easy, I can do it as well”. It was a clinical execution of a smart plan.Smith fell on 90 but the damage was already done. After that Gibbs took over and just smashed them to all parts of the ground. It was just awesome to watch. Bracken dropped a sitter letting Gibbs off the hook and it was an ominous sign. It was pure providence that Gibbs who dropped that famous catch of Steve Waugh in the 1999 semi-final should be dropped now and that he must have the last laugh burying yester year ghosts and taking his team through. That evening I wouldn’t want to be Ponting for anything in the world. South Africa scored their runs consistently at more than 9.3 runs per over all the way up to 32nd over when Gibbs fell. This is where I can see the cricketing god’s hand in getting Gibbs out. You see don’t you that it had to be him. For Cricket’s sake ………… Gibbs was hitting the ball ever so cleanly that he just couldn’t miss crossing the ropes. After hitting two consecutive balls for sixes he got out caught at the boundary trying the third. Why coz our benevolent cricketing god just altered the course of the ball such that it fell right into outstretched hands. Why? For Cricket’s sake of course, if Gibbs didn’t get out exactly at that time, cricket would have be shaken out of its roots. Gibbs would have been 265 not out and 434 would have been chased down in 39.3 overs to be exact. And you can imagine its effect. And being the cricketing god that he was and with its best interests at heart he had do the evil thing. And thus Gibbs was out.

Kemp soon got out and then Boucher took control of the innings. Runs dried up and the plan was to just stick around till the end and make the Aussies chase the leather later. Seven overs were left with 11 runs required per over. van der Wath slammed some sixes and the requirement dropped from a tricky 77 from 42 balls to a gettable 36 from 22. He soon got out and then Telemachus added 12 from 6 balls before getting out too. And it came down to the last over with South Africa needing 7 runs and Aussies wanting two wickets. Andrew Hall slammed a four. The South Africans rejoiced but the cricketing god was planning another twist. The very next ball Hall got out leaving Ntini to face the music.

South Africans had themselves to blame..... They had choked again, many pundits would say ,failing yet again to bring home the bacon when they had a clear advantage. When all they had to do was wait for a ball , make contact with the bat and RUN. So this was the situation, two runs were required with one wicket in hand, Brett Lee was firing in and……..Ntini smartly pushed it to third man for a single. South Africa could not lose now. The dressing room erupted, fists pumping .The crowd went crazy……

Boucher who was on strike with a single needed to get them to an amazing victory slammed a four and the Africans went home in style.

WOW what a game!! I pinch myself and feel the pain, yes I am satisfied.

It was a game that broke records and more importantly it shattered many well-believed notions about chasing. It showed what positive intent can achieve. It showed how the best can be humbled and how records can be tumbled if you set about it with belief. It was South Africa’s victory; it was Smith’s victory ….

Many said it was a bowler’s nightmare and who would want to be a bowler? I Agree. I agree it was harsh on the bowlers but somebody had to pay the price. Flat Pitches, dead bowlers, what’s the future? Who would want to be a bowler? Genuine questions to ask ourselves but not now. No Sir, not now. Not after this victory .It was the victory of intent and aggression. It wasn’t just the pitch. I sincerely believe that it was an inspired effort from the South Africans and they would have won this game even on a green pitch or on a mine field. It was just their day ….Lets just Rejoice

Adventure in space

In a Creative Writing Competition i took part in, I was given a topic to write within the constraints given. This is what , what i wrote came to be.

The SOJOURN
It happened so suddenly. One second everything was fine, the very next all hell broke loose. Everybody on the spacecraft realized that something had gone terribly wrong. I thought, this is it !! We are all going to die.

To reach to the point where we had, it wouldn’t do if we felt that way everytime something unforeseen occurs, because it invariably does. There was no reason why I should have had a premonition of death . The drifter as our spacecraft was called suddenly plunged into darkness. This I knew ,was because of the failure of the Atomic generator which powered the drifter. I heard the scampering of feet in the direction where I knew the Atomic generator to be located. Everybody aboard knew their duties and were trained well to perform them in times of crisis. The commander yelled something and a chill ran down my spine.

The drifter was carrying in its belly the first group of people who were trying to land on Titan. Titan is the fifteenth and the largest among the natural satellites of Saturn. Since its discovery in 1655 by Christiaan Huygens , it had always been alluring acknowledged astronomers to solve the aura of mystery surrounding it. We had been on the drifter for 6 years and 7 months with only one thing in our minds, to emulate Zeus by the conquer of Titan. No one had yet come within such propinquity to Titan. We were to land on Titan in another three months. Everything was going smoothly as per the plan. It was then that our ship died.

The Atomic generator was the only major source of energy in the ship. There was some reserve fuel in the form of high pressured octane which could be used while the atomic generator was being repaired. The fuel while storing was treated to make it inactive. It had to be activated by a propenzer which was a kind of blue furry object. All the time I felt that something was wrong. Then suddenly it flashed upon me like lightning. I’ll be damned, I thought. My extra sensitive nose had detected a faint smell of octane. So there has been a leak. All the tumultuous thoughts that raced through my mind and the impressions my subconscious mind had fathomed made perfect sense now. I knew what would happen. When someone tries to use his propenzer, the spark generated would result in an explosion . The reserve fuel was stored in the other side of the ship and it was too late for me to get there in time. The whole ship shook under the effect of the explosion. I heard cries of pain and anguish, and stood there helpless like a spectre, watching my comrades die. I could clearly see that the rear portion of the ship and the Atomic generator located there were gone forever. Though the explosion was not huge enough to utterly destroy the whole ship the damage had been done. We were so far away in the space from sun that whoever had survived the explosion, were sure to die because of the extreme cold. Ha ! I thought, my comrades have died an easy death. The temperature on the surface of Titan is about –178 degrees centigrade. Though we were far from reaching Titan, the temperature was hardly comforting!!!! The whole ship was engulfed in cold like I had never experienced before. My hands and feet were paralyzed by cold, and I felt the weight of mount Andes on my head. It was pain like I had never experienced before. I could feel my forlorn heart thinking about taking a break from its incessant activity. Blood flowing through my arteries and veins, felt like a torrentine river challenging the mountain to halt its path. My eyes no longer supported vision. I succumbed to the vagaries of the infinite space and slumped on the floor. My mind was vaguely awake while my body had died. Slowly my mind too started to give away and the last thing I remember my mind musing was “so!!!!!! this is death “.

The RISING

I heard something ……

Someone somewhere was talking, boisterously at that. It seemed to me like someone speaking from a well, far and distant. The voice steadily grew louder and clearer. Blood flowing in my numbed body caused a strange sensation. My mind first to awaken from the fog, detected the corpse like body. Slowly but surely my body was coming to life. Slowly I tried to open my eyes but could not. I decided not to rush and took some time off and tried again. I saw a group of people crowding over me. One of them was beaming at me through his pince-nez. Everybody left one by one but for two people whom I thought to be husband and wife. I was lying on a cozy bed, which was the softest thing I had ever touched. I remembered how I died in the drifter. I had a very strong suspicion that I was in heaven.

I tried to get up but the angel in front of me spoke kindly and said that I ought to take rest. She even called me grandpa. I was puzzled!! ” people surely don’t rest in heaven, they enjoy and have a good time, don’t they ?“I quizzed . And why are you calling me grandpa? I added in a hurry. She gave me a benevolent smile and looked at her companion. They were now conversing in hush-hush tones and at the conclusion of the tete-a-tete the angel came over to me and said something that sent shivers down my body and sent the whole world spinning right in front of my eyes.

I still looked around the room disbelievingly. Half an hour had passed since the couple had left me and I was still gasping for breath. Were they speaking the truth? The lady to whom I was alluding to was not the type who’d beat around the bush. She put it in a nutshell. You are not dead grandpa, but very much alive. You have just been awoken from a very long sleep. The year now is 2505. You were found in a spaceship all frozen and were revived to health. When I had challenged her to prove it, the lady just as easily as counting one to ten on her fingers proved beyond doubt that what she spoke was indeed the truth.

I wondered what a turn my life has taken. I no longer understood the term life. What indeed is life when you freeze for 500 odd years and the advancement in science can revive you as just as easily as if you have been to sleep .I smiled to myself thinking there was little difference between me and canned food available in the market, both are preserved using cryogenic techniques. I loathed the fact that I was alive and well here while my comrades should have perished on the drifter. On that day 500 years ago, I, like a Roman Gladiator condemned by the Ceasor, faced the virility of the infinite space, facing the other gladiators, lions and tigers out to kill me in the arena and got battered and bruised but held on, and on the brink of death was saved when the crowd showed me the thumbs-up for holding on. I began to think that time itself was insignificant and had lost her momentousness. What eminence does grandfather Time harbor if you could eclipse 500 years like a nap?

When I fully recovered from my lugubrious reverie, I found that earth has changed a lot. People I observed have learnt one thing well and that has made a profound influence on their way of living. People have learnt to learn from their mistakes. They have truly realized what was very well known in our times but which we never realized. Our lives are too short to make all the mistakes, so learn from others mistakes. I wandered out yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of greenery all around. The Infinite space has been conquered and humbled. Advances in science and technology have been tremendous, but what has been heartening to see is the spiritual growth in the people . When all the people lead a happy and contended life, can there be a hell anywhere ? Advances in science have been complementing the outlook of the people. Medulla Oblongata, which is the lowest part of the brain stem, controls many Involuntary functions which include breathing, blood pressure, heart rate and digestion . A better understanding of medulla oblongata is giving people greater control over breathing, blood pressure, heart rate and digestion. When you Conquer yourself; you conquer the world. Thus people are living an extremely healthy life. Everybody has realized the importance of our ancient scriptures. During our times we transformed earth into a Global Village through the Internet revolution. Our children have transformed the whole COSMOS into a paradise through the know thyself revolution .By the Galactic Empire if there is one thing that I am as sure as of planets, it is that the future of our children is as bright as Venus.

The Topic given was....
You were on the first manned mission to Titan when your spacecraft brokedown. Without any source of power, and at a great distance from the sun the spacecraft underwent rapid cooling. As a result you went into a ‘cryogenic stasis’ and got lost in space and after 500 years, your spacecraft is found by future human beings. They resuscitate you and take you back to Earth. Write about how Earth has changed over the course of five centuries and how you feel about being brought back to life in a strange time.
You need to include the following three phrases in your creation and these phrases must occur in different paragraphs.

1. Blue furry object
2. Roman gladiator
3. Medulla oblongata

IMPOSSIBLE ?

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they've been given , than to explore the power they have to change it.

Impossible is not a fact. It's an Opinion.
Impossible is not a declaration. It 's a dare .
Impossible is Potential . Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is Nothing.

by Mohammad Ali

To Know more about Mohammad Ali please visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Ali

Hail Ashes

What a series we‘ve had so far, the series precariously poised at 1-1 , it has been one of the most closely contested Test Series ever. What excitement!! What Passion!! What Drama!!!! Oh yes, you’re right, I am talking about the Ashes 2005.

Talks about this Ashes , the mother of all battles , began almost a year back , with people saying that the side put up by England was the best ever against Australia in recent times.The bowling looked sharp and potent, thanks to the genuine pace of Harmison and Flintoff. , the pace and reverse swing of Simon Jones , the swing of Matthew Hoggard and the guiles of the veteran spinner Ashley Giles. The batting wasn’t doing any badly either. Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan, the two stalwarts of the English were in good form and Andrew Flintoff was getting better and better with every match. The English also discovered a good batsman in their keeper Geraint Jones to their advantage. Tongues wagged on both the sides, the media contributing enormously to the hype of the series, both the captains trying to put pressure on each other, the regular mind games being played with a renewed intensity. The stage was set .It was the Ashes 2005.

Things started getting hot as the time drew to a close. The English side found a swashbuckler in Kevin Pietersen who refused to be dominated even by the mighty Australians. England thrashed Australia in a 20 – 20 game with Pietersen scoring 34 runs in 18 balls. In their very next match Australia suffered a defeat against Somerset led by an inspired Graeme Smith assisted by the Sri Lankan Southpaw Sanath Jayasuriya. What with one thing and another ,things looked ominous for Australia .As if there was any need to confirm it ,the Natwest 2005 final, which was a humdinger of a match ended in a thrilling tie, England giving Australia a run for their money and almost snatching it right off them. Kevin Pietersen continuing his dazzling run scoring 139 runs in the series at a strike rate of 107.75, a testimony to his dominant personality.

The First test was just like any other match of a regular Ashes series. Australia beating England hands down in just 3 days by 239 runs , McGrath claiming 9 English Scalps... Pietersen again defied Australia in his maiden Test Match with a 50 in each innings .Harmison bowled well to knock over 8 Australians in the match. Apart from these two performances Englishmen were taken to the cleaners by the Australians. Momentum could easily have shifted back to the Australians, but it was not to be.

The second test at Edgbaston was an edge-of-the-seat thriller. You blink once and u missed something. It was Out and Out Andrew Flintoff’s match. He bowled , batted and fielded magnificently .The Ground was like a Greek war field with Gods favoring both the sides at different times and Flintoff was like the God’s favorite son .He could do nothing wrong on the cricket field or so it seemed. Australia looked sheepish as the giant Andrew Flintoff browbeat them into submission. Pieterson too maimed Australia in his own way. The absence of Glenn McGrath was telling, as the rate at which the Englishmen scored their runs was Staggering. Ashley Giles too getting into his rhythm sealed the coffin for Australia. This was one of the Greatest Test matches ever to have been played. The English rejoiced as the ghastly bombings were forgotten for the moment. The English Empire where the sun never used to set saw sunrise after 18 years and the people had more reason than just blind hope to believe that the Urn would return to England..

The third test started with England taking the initial glories despite the return of Glenn McGrath . The Spin Wizard Shane Warne reached the magic figure of 600 Test Wickets, the first person to do so and the whole world cheered for the Champion Leg Spinner. It was all the more Special because of the fact that his very first Test wicket came on the same ground. England’s skipper soon came to the party with a scintillating 162 during the course of which he looked his old elegant self again, driving and dismissing Brett Lee with utter disdain and dancing down the track effectively, much to the chagrin of Shane Warne. England amassed a huge score of 444 and dismissed Australia for 302, Simon Jones taking 6 wickets. Australia ’s 302 was mainly due to the lusty blows Shane Warne delivered late in the innings .In their Second Innings England again scored very fast to make 280 before declaring with a lead of 422 runs. Strauss made a gritty century after being hit initially by a Brett Lee bouncer on the ear. The stage was set for England‘s second straight victory against Australia. England tried all the tricks in the trade and would have come out the winner but for the skipper punter Ponting’s determined 156. Flintoff bowled his heart out dismissing the batsmen at the other end while Ponting held the fort at his end.Ponting was dismissed by Harmison when there were three overs remaining to be bowled in the day and one wicket between England and yet another famous victory . McGrath joined Brett Lee in the middle and both the batsman after some close calls survived the day to end the Test Match in a draw.

In this epic battle between two Champion sides who have given their utmost for their countries it was only fitting that the match end in a draw. No team deserved to lose after the performance it put up. It has been a roller coaster ride for both the teams and the audiences with fortunes fluctuating like a pendulum between the sides .It has been a treat to the senses to have viewed a contest so spectacular and spell bounding. Deservedly the series lies open at 1 -1, the Urn beckoning the players to fight on ………………

The Ashes 2005 fourth test match starts on August the 25 th at the Oval.

HAIL ASHES!!!!!

Wodehouse - a joy to read

P.G.Wodehouse is one of the best writers ever to explore the intricacies of humor. His Characters are extremely lively and heart warming. Wodehouse’s works are set in ancient England with its affluence and Grandiloquence Unfolding all its charm and beauty. We get to see a vivid but varied array of characters who tickle our funny bone.Wodehouse’s class and brilliance in weaving those intricate and subtle plots dripping with humorous extravaganza is unparalled.

My Favorites among the Creations of Wodehouse are

Psmith

Psmith (pronounced as smith) is a lively character who is an immaculate dresser, wears a monocle and with very definite views on sociology. He is a very glib speaker and can talk his way out of anything. He strongly believes that people always confuse the unusual with the impossible. His policy is to be prepared for everything and firmly believes that there is nothing that a person with resource and enterprise can’t handle. His early adventures with Mike and his adventures in the city and at Blanding’s Castle are Awesome.

Galahad Threepwood

Fondly known as Gally to his friends, this former member of the Pelican club is a most well known figure in the suburbs of London. His ability as a raconteur is enviable. He thrives in tricky situations and is always there to fix broken hearts. Many people believe him to be the only sane occupant of the Blanding’s castle. The world is full of Gally’s Godsons and they are invariably in a fix and Gally’s ingenious brain always has answers to all their problems. All in all Gally is a good man to have by your side when you are in trouble.

Uncle Fred

Uncle Fred is rightly also called Uncle Dynamite and the lives of people around him can never be boring. His policy is to spread sweetness and light in the world and he does so in good measure from time to time whenever his wife is out on a vacation to the Caribbean .Trips to London bring out the best in him. Uncle Fred is extremely venturesome and is always ready to take up anything against all odds and comes out winning every single time.

My Favorites by Wodehouse
1. Mike and Psmith
2. Psmith in the city
3. Psmith journalist
4. Uncle Fred in Springtime
5. Cocktail Time
6. Service with a smile
7. A pelican at blandings
8. Pigs have wings
The List is endless …………….

So please give Wodehouse a try. He may not be your cup of tea in the beginning but keep up and you‘ll find that he is just AMAZING. Give him a miss and you’ll never know what you’ve missed