Life Etc Etc

Somewhere at the back of my mind I had to publish a follow-up to my previous commentary because in all these years of watching cricket there were lot more than just three performances which caused me pain. You might have already noticed that I am using the word ‘performances’ instead of ‘knocks’. This is because even though Cricket is a batsman’s game all the three departments of bowling, batting and fielding need to work in order to make a team go over the line. So here are a few embarrassing moments in the sport of cricket which have well and truly upped my pain levels. Shastri deadbats:   Ravi Shastri paved the way for many Indian triumphs over the course of his career but the 1992 world cup (which was also his last) came at a time when he was at the nadir of his powers. Shastri started off the world cup with a sluggish 57 (112) against England which India went on to lose by nine runs .   Shastri decelerated further in the next match against Australia where he blocked his way

Its been just a shade over twenty four hours since the World T20 final and the story on everyone's lips continues to be how Yuvraj's knock of 11 from 21 balls deprived India of a second world championship in the shortest format. I watched the Indian innings in its entirety and I must confess that even though  Yuvraj's knock was agonizing, what was even more painful to watch was the disappointment on the faces of the spectators (who had travelled far and wide to support the Indian team) and the disbelief on the faces of the players (in the Indian Team dugout) regarding what was transpiring on the field. Yuvraj Singh unable to middle the ball Yuvraj Singh Strike Rate 2014 T20 World Cup <Courtesy:  Chandi Sports > Now make no mistake I have tremendous respect for Yuvraj's determination and have been an ardent admirer of his talents right from his fiery debut in Nairobi. His unbelievable six-hitting in Durban was magical and his champion like perf

Words don’t do justice to pure ecstasy but if they do its only fair that I recap India’s victory exactly a month into their reign as world cup champions.  For the first time in two decades (since the 1992 edition ) we had a competition so open that it almost required a magician with a crystal ball to predict the winner right until the final moments of the final. At the end, the prayers of a billion people were answered, India were once again champions of the cricket world after 28 long years. While India winning the tournament justified their "favourite" billing it wasn’t an easy road at all for the home team. So how did each of the 14 teams competing in the world cup fare? Let’s find out: 1.       Kenya:   Kenya looked the weakest and most underprepared of all the sides in the tournament. Their bowling lacked teeth their batting was equally inept. It was painful to watch one of the most promising associate nations of the past slip to such depths. Highs: There weren’

Its been a roller coaster ride the past few months but completing my MBA and watching India win the cricket world cup were definitely the highs in this otherwise dull period of my life. Yes my dear netizens no prizes for guessing the topic for the next two entries would be the recently concluded cricket world cup. The first time I saw a cricket world cup match was in 1992 when the tournament was hosted by Australia. The 1992 world cup was a revelation and included many firsts such as coloured clothing, floodlit matches and more importantly it was the first time the two group format was discarded with South Africa joining the competition as the ninth team. Since 1992 the format of the tournament has never been the same and has consistently gone through major upheavals. We saw the introduction of quarterfinals in 1996 , the super sixes in 1999 ( 2003 tournament followed the 1999 format with 14 teams competing) and super eights in 2007 (with 16 teams competing). The recently co