A passage through time

Not a maverick level cricket fan, but I do follow a bit of cricket.

ICL as a concept was excellent, and IPL copied to the "T". Added more drama in it, by having "owners" for teams etc. Let me not get into those details, but at least, I thought Super Kings, and Deccan Chargers were the best of teams (theoretically)

Super Kings are still living up to their reputation, but DC failed to impress me. They just proved to be "Paper tigers" (no pun intended, that it is owned by a News paper group)

Initially I didn't have a choice of "favorite" team. There is a moral dilemma. Which is my home team. Hyderabad or Bangalore? or should I support any team of my choice based on merits of team, or let the best team win.

I started off with the series enjoying the game.
But with yesterday's game of Hyd Vs Delhi, I switched off after 10th over of Delhi batting.
I did not enjoy the first game where Bangalore lost.

Was it because my "home team" was losing?
Was it that I am not enjoying the game as it is too much one sided.

Even if the game is too much one sided, similar to this, and the winning team is India, and other team is some other country, we would have enjoyed thoroughly.

So, did this bring out a true lover of game or a "home team supporter" ???

Not sure.

Moral dilemma continues...

Labels: cricket, ipl

I was reading Times of India this Sunday, and I came across this article by Shashi Tharoor
It was an interesting reading.

The most important point stressed is the attitude...
This is the India that did a deal with the Kandahar hijackers rather than the India that threw out the intruders of Kargil.

Some of the key things...
Sreesanth’s extraordinary hit over Nel’s head for six — in reaction to the South African paceman’s attempt to intimidate him — encapsulated, I argued then, all that is different about the new India: courage, assertiveness, a refusal to be cowed, a willingness to take risks and ultimately the confidence to stand up to the best that the outside world can flung at us

What Sreesanth demonstrated in Johannesburg was an attitude that has transformed the younger generation into a breed apart from its parents’. It is the attitude of an India that can hold its nerve and flex its sinews, an India whose self-confidence is rooted in the sober certitude of self-knowledge, an India that says to the future, “come on; I am not afraid of you.”

Dravid demonstrated, haplessly, that the dead hand of the older India still clings on — an India that is afraid to take risks for fear of failure, an India without the courage of self-belief, an India that is all too willing to settle for 1-0 than go for 2-0.

Labels: cricket, media

After coming to the exam, you cannot say that instead of having for 100 marks, lets just have the paper for 60 marks, and decide the result.
I accept, if I am appearing for an examination, I should be prepared for "all situations".
Atleast when the exam is so crucial and it cannot be re-done. Worst so, you cannot say that few people will write the test for 80 marks, and few people will attempt the question paper for only 60 marks, and we will decide the result with complex calculations.(Bad comparision?)

Over to Duckworth and Lewis for the complex calculation.

There should be exceptions atleast to finals of "big" tournaments. You cannot decide the "world cup winner" by D/L method.
If the match cannot be played 50 overs, let it be postponed to the next day. Even in the situation where both teams played 38 overs, it was an incorrect evaluation.

Labels: cricket

I too watch cricket.
I am also disappointed with the performance of "Team India"
I also participated in discussions ranging from "who should be sacked" to "what is the root cause"?(I know I am used to RCAs, blame it on my work)
I also made recommendations about who should be included in team.

But, there is an end to it.

Media is still obsessed with it. Apart from the fact that they lost obsene amount of advertising revenues, they are trying to let people concentrate on Indian cricket(not cricket as a sport).
They run shows all through the day with titles like "Should Sachin retire?" "Should Dravid continue as captian?".
They have SMS polls, expert views, discussions, etc. etc., to keep dirty minds busy.

I was flipping channels, and since my TV remote control is not very responsive, and I had the opportunity to see one such programs for more than one minute.

There were expert comments from "Rohan Gavaskar". Give me a break folks... this guy havent even played a dozen games of international cricket(Not very sure though. I am not very good at cricket statistics), and can be labelled as an expert panel member. What a great relocation package...

Can I pass off as an expert in any area? Let me think and come back. With so many news channels trying to fill up for the 24 hours of programming they need, I am sure I will find some palce as an expert. Let me try...

Labels: cricket, life