6 x 6 = 36

There are two kinds of men:

1. Those who openly admit that they adore Tendulkar and
2. Those who do not openly admit that they adore Tendulkar.

Period.


The Little Master turns 36 today. In a career that spans across two decades, he has been the best 'coz no other icon has even come close to knowing the expectations of a billion people. He has been the best 'coz he has been a benchmark for batsmen around the world. He has been the best 'coz he is revered by people the world over. He has been the best 'coz this list is endless.

There are a very few occasions when a sportsperson becomes bigger than the game itself. Tendulkar, unknowingly, through sheer genius, has gone eons ahead of that.

He is the best 'coz, well, he simply is.

IPL

Just as I relish watching a masterpiece like The Shawshank Redemption, so do I get captivated by a Matrix Revolutions.

Just as I find bliss in classics like O. Henry, so do I enjoy a frivolous Five Point Someone.

Just as I cherish the nuances of Test cricket, so do I immerse myself in the pleasures of Twenty20.

Evenings, for the days to come, shall no longer be dull and boring. The IPL 2.0 shall finally get rolling this Saturday.

The high flyer

I think I have primarily two split personalities. One, the average human being who behaves normally and follows blog etiquettes. And the other, the sports freak who at times gets too nostalgic and romantic about his favorite game. Today, the latter has taken over.

"..although I am still trying to find out how I can bowl legspin"

- Anil Kumble

They criticized him coz he could not turn the ball. He ended up taking 619 test wickets!

Yes, for the record, Kumble did not spin the ball. But with his high arm action, he extracted bounce which made batsmen dance to his tune on dusty Indian tracks. Also, Kumble had pace. (I mean his quicker delivery was faster than Prasad's slower delivery; or at times even faster than Prasad's normal delivery ;) ) Pace, which batsmen were not accusotmed to from a spinner. And most importantly, Kumble thrived on the age old philosophy of line n length. Mc'grath mastered it in pace. Kumble perfected it in spin.

When it came to Kumble, perseverance was the word. He was always probing on and around that off stump. And every now and then he used to slip in that fast straighter one. Invariably the batsman was trapped in front. The trademark Kumble dismissal. No wonder he holds the record for the most lbw dismissals. 156 to be precise!

Facts and figures apart, Kumble always gave his cent percent. He was alwasys the fighter. One relates to the word fighter and the mind immediately rushes back to Antigua 2002. A dead track. A broken jaw. A bandaged face. He walked onto the field like a gladiator marching onto a battlefield. Bowling with unbearable pain, he dismissed the Prince of Barbados.. Lara became part of a legend that will be passed on to generation after generation. If my grandchildren ever ask me to pick one cricketing instance that made me proud, it will easily be that moment.

Kumble has given so many such memories to cricket lovers like me. He has easily been India's biggest matchwinner at home. True, tracks were suited for spin bowling. But one still needed someone to go out there and do the job. Kumble did that with ease, more so of as a daily duty affair.

It has been an honour watching him play all these years. A champion cricketer. A champion person.

Adios Jumbo. A salute is all a mere mortal like me can offer.

1.. 2.. 3.. Cha-cha-cha

One living legend

surpasses another.

--------------------------------------------------------

..and then goes on to score 50 fifties.

--------------------------------------------------------

..and then goes on to become the first batsman ever to score 12,000 runs in Tests.

Dear Sachin,

Thank you for all the years of blissful batsmanship. Thank you for all the sublime square cuts and the cover drives. Thank you for all the blazing back-foot cover drives. Thank you for all the upper cuts and the late cuts. Thank you for all the audacious pulls and hooks. Thank you for all the sweeps and slog sweeps. Thank you for all the innovative reverse sweeps and paddle sweeps. Thank you for all the deft flicks and nudges. And ofcourse, thank you for all the signature straight drives.

It has always been a pleasure watching you bat. And it always will be.


Yours truly,

The Cricket Lover

public IPL getIplThoughts(Cheer cheerleasers)-II

The title has been named so to maintain uniformity with this one. The IPL has ended. So here go some more random thoughts about it:

• First of all, lets get some cello tape to stick on to Krisnamachari Srikkanth's mouth. The guy speaks way toooo much. He could have easily played Kareena in Jab We Mate.

• Aamir Sohail, STILL, as a commentator, sucks bigtime.

• It literally hurts to see anyone other than Harsha present the pre/post-match analysis. Charu Sharma standards (of course without Mandira) would be acceptable, but definitely not these Sprite, Close-up type dudes and dudesses. As the Sprite punch line goes, 'seedhi baat, no bakwaas, clear hai!'; this bande bandiyan have a total clear dimaag and all they do is 'no baat, seedhi bakwaas'.

• A captain is as good as his team. But there are some exceptions. After being highly unsuccessful during his career as a bowler on the pitches of India, Warne brilliantly led the underdogs to a championship win.
  

• Pee Pee*, as they call him, is the most annoying batsman to watch. The 4 footer toddler can hardly life the bat before the ball arrives.
  

• The catching in the tournament was appalling. Even Geoffrey's mom could have fared better.
  

• So goes with the umpiring.
  

• I was glad that neither Shah rukh's nor Priety's team won. I could not tolerate the sight of those two on a cricket field.
  

Mr. Vijay Mallya, if you happen to be reading this, I would like to let you know that my grandfather would like to play for your team the next season. If you can pick Sunil Joshi, then I think my grandpa too should be no problem.

*Pee Pee stands for Parthiv Patel.

180 degrees

I vividly remember that day, that moment. It was a jam packed Eden Gardens, the mecca of cricket. Rahul Dravid was well set, batting with ease. The man they call the Rawalpindi Express was handed the ball. Its said that the yorker is one of the most lethal weapons. Especially when you can reverse swing it. And especially when its at 150ks an hour. Dravid's defenses were shattered, and one heard that sweet sound of leather hitting wood. So, out walked The Wall. And in walked the little master, to a roaring welcome. This was going to be Sachin's first encounter with Shoaib. Charging came he. The ball came out of his hands, swung back in from outside off, and knocked Sachin's middle stump out of the ground. The crowd was stunned to silence. Eden Gardens, the nosiest of cricket grounds, went into mourning.

Yesterday, it was the same Shoaib. Once again at the same Eden Gardens. But yesterday, when he knocked Sehwag and Gambhir, the crowd went berserk. They were cheering him on. Getting behind him. Somehow, I felt strange.. Very strange.. Life makes one witness many strange things.. Maybe life has come a half circle in this case.. 180 degrees.

Balle balle: At a restaurant - If you have any valuable suggestions tell us, it will help us, to serve your better.
*No thanks. And any attempt whatsoever be strictly/legally dealt with.*

public IPL getIplThoughts(Cheer cheerleaders)

Don't bother yourself with the title. We engineers have a habit of acting all geeky n nerdy at times. I just wanted to pen down some random thoughts about the IPL so far. A little following of the IPL matches might prove in handy for a further read.

• I guess that Bangalore and Hyderabad must be the hottest places in India. Atleast thats what the costume of their cheerleaders suggests. I am planning to go see it. Don't want to miss such an opportunity. HEY, I meant the match! This is the only match left in Bangalore that falls on a Saturday.

• Call me a purist, but for me, Dravid's straight drive of Kulkarni was the shot of the tourament. Only one man could have matched it. And, Yuvi pulled off the catch of the tournament.

• Somehow the idea of guy cheerleaders freaks me out; just like Ross is freaked out by the thought of a male Nanny n Chandler by the thought of a male nurse.

• Aamir Sohail, as a commentator, sucks bigtime.

• I could not stop laughing when Rahul Dravid n Wasim Jaffer decided to open the innings of a Twenty20 match when their side had to chase 222. Poor Mallya.

• Shanthakumaran Sreesanth would have made sure that the Kings XI Punjab came last in the Fair Play Award if Bhajji had not come to his rescue.

• I just realized the irony: the ever so agreesive Sreesanth's name begins with the word 'Shant'

• I was rolling on the floor laughing when, after Chennai's 4th consecutive victory, Zrikkanth started singing 'Chennai chennai Zuper king, chennai chennai Zuper king'. It was abZZZolutely hillarious.

• In terms of whats-right-and-whats-wrong, I don't think cheerleaders should be allowed onto a cricket field. Its supposed to be a family game after all.

• Its sad that Wizard of Oz never got to be captain of Australia. I believe he has one of the smartest cricketing brains.

• I am eagerly waiting to see the 2 greats - Jayasuriya and Sachin walk side by side and open the batting.

Cometh the man, cometh the hour

The saying is supposed to be the other way around. But then there are some men who dictate the way history books are written. Men who scale heights which the ordianry mind cannot even fathom. Men who leave a mark of their own. Men, without whose acknowledgement, even time cannot tick.

Today, India's favorite son turns 35. Cricket in India is what it is today because of this one man. It may loose its religion status in the decades to come; people may stop following it; people may stop talking about cricket; but this man will reside in the head n heart of every cricket lover as long as there is air n water on earth.

It has always been a pleasure watching him bat.. Cheers.. to the living legend..

(St)ripped apart

Shame shame.. Twice in 2 matches.. Consecutive matches.. Twice in a span of 3 days.. and the knockout punch..

Oh, of course I am talking about the streaker running on to the ground in both the finals.. ;) *winking so hard that its hurting the eye*

In our office, everyone who loved cricket, or played, or knew what it meant had come together in the cafeteria to see the match.. It was truly a sight to watch.. there was hardly any space to stand.. and people forgetting all the sophistication and climbing on tables and chairs and whistling and clapping and cheering.. watching together in unison as India made history..

Last time when India toured Australia, they did well in the Test series but then faltered in the ODIs.. they had been burned out due to the very long series.. they peaked their performance well before the summit and then went down the valley.. but not this time.. they peaked at the right time.. n they rose to the top..
And as so often, India rose again with Tendulkar..

Gone with the wind...

Whenever he walked out on a cricket pitch and took guard, bowlers all round the world trembled and shivered in their run ups.. coz no matter how hard you tried, invariably the ball would race to the boundary at the speed of lightning.. before you could realize, the ball was gone.. gone with the wind..

For almost a decade, he has been an entertainer.. and probably the best at the job.. It did not matter whether he was opening the batting in ODIs or coming in at no. 7 in Tests, Adam Gilchrist knew only one thing.. to Hit the ball.. and he did it with class.. with a deadly combination of power and timing.. he has played many a memorable innings.. and they were all the same.. scintillating, with a stamp of authority.. the ball flying to all parts of the ground..

As a cricket lover, it is sad that he got out cheaply in what could be his last ODI.. but then, Don Bradman got out for a duck in his last international innings.. I know the comparisons may not seem appropriate.. but then the Don remains the most respected of cricketers.. the legend of Gilly calls for similar respect.. the man who walked in a World cup semi-final.. the most respected Australian cricketer.. or rather the only respected Aussie cricketer.. today, his walk back to the pavilion was not a typical Gilly walk back - brisk after a dominating innings.. it was slow.. it seemed heavy.. you wanted him to raise the bat but he could not.. the innings did not call for it.. but maybe the career did.. a supreme career.. by one of the greats of the game.. one who could walk in to any hall of fame.. today, I have goosebumps watching him leave the field..

Hold on, my vision's getting all blurry.. I feel my eyes getting a wee bit moist.. maybe its due to the wind.. and it will go away with the wind..

Goodbye Gilly.. Thanks a ton for all the entertainment.. will miss ya mate..

3 in 1

Well, just 3 small posts in 1. Hence the title.

Ducking down under

Oh! What a sight. Waking up on a Sunday morning, getting out of your room, switching on Star sports, and watching the biggest bullies in world cricket(read Matthew Hayden) ducking down to an Indian fast bowler(read Ishant Sharma). Since childhood, I have heard people talk in awe about India's famous spin quartet, and I have grown up watching the likes of Kumble make batsmen jump up and down on Indian square turners. It simply feels wonderful to have an Indian pacer charging in and touching 150 ks. And this seems to be just the beginning.

Raising the bar

Just when I thought it could not get worse than OSO, Saif and Shahrukh just raised the bar; setting new heights of cheapness and insensibility. Oh my god! I can't digest the fact that they were supposedly presenting the Indian film industry's most prestigious awards. Someone ought to restore some class and credibility to it.

Maybe their Na-real award for Bravery should have been bagged by the duo themselves, coz it takes great courage to portray such crassy crap.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Well, there is nothing new about the saying. But then there is nothing new as well about the genius of the man. When asked, "So, will we see you at the Adelaide Oval in the third final?", with his trademark grin, Tendulkar replied, "Oh! We might finish off the series in the first two matches itself." And he made sure that he started things in the perfect manner. And in the process, getting India closer to the top, down under.

Come on Sachin, give us an encore of Sharjah. Yes, it was not that kind of a blazing, swashbuckling innings.. but then, there are various shades of greatness..

Aaila !

When Sachin plays, big-city roads are easy and trains and buses ply empty at rush hour and the markets take a beating...
When Sachin plays , busy, ambitious executives ignore their calls and cancel their appointments and avoid their clients and miss their deadlines...
When Sachin plays, college Common Rooms are dense and tense and hushed as an entire generation sits on pins and needles...
When Sachin plays, school-yards are silent and playgrounds are deserted because those who normally make such a racket imitating their hero are all too busy watching him make batting look so ridiculously easy...
When Sachin plays, fathers who want the news and daughters and mothers who always want soft stuff and brothers who fight for action, for once all agree on what to watch...
When Sachin plays, India forgets its differences and divisions and teeters between tensions and exhilaration and breaths and laughs and cries as one, as its heart fills with pride and joy...
When Sachin plays, all else is irrelevant...

Written above is what I had read in a sports magazine a long time back. But it is something that holds true for eternity. Just today morning when I saw him come to bat at the Adelaide Oval, getting up at 5:30 seemed all worth it. He was once again greeted to a standing ovation. The respect the man draws all over the world is truly astounding. No other recent player(maybe Lara to some extent) comes close to that. Watching him come out to bat made me a bit nostalgic. It reminded me of India's '92 tour to Australia. I was hardly 7 when this little boy who was not even 20 came out to bat at the WACA. I did not know much about cricket back then, but I found something very crickety romantic about him. It was indeed a treat to watch a guy 5'4" stand tall to the fast bowlers. The world could not help but take notice of him. The little boy had become a man. It was just the beginning of what was to come in the years thereafter.

He has come a long way since that innings. He has broken like a zillion records but what has been more satisfying is the way he has achieved them. Australia too have broken records but we all know how much they have lost on the way;they have lost the respect of the people. They might be a cricketing powerhouse that keeps on producing mechanical champions but they no longer have role models. Sachin on the other hand has been an ideal ambassador for the gentleman's game and the perfect role model for millions of budding youngsters the world over. There have been many legendary cricketers who have done wonders on the pitch; Shane Warne for instance. The man who revived the art of leg spin bowling in an era when youngsters wanted to steam in hard and tear apart batsmen with pace. He made leg spin look catchy and sexy. And that was his greatest contribution to the game of cricket. But if a boy walked up to his dear daddy and told him that he wanted to be like Warny, the father would have to impart some wisdom on what-to-dos and what-SO-not-to-dos of Warny's life. And there would be quite a few things on the not-to-dos list. Not being too friendly with bookies, always making sure that mommy does not make you take pills that might ban you, making sure that your SMS text messages have the correct recipients, and who knows what not. Sachin has not only been a great cricketer, but more importantly, the greater person. A champion on the field, and also off the field.

Speaking on cricketing terms, he is always a delight to watch. No matter if he is on song like against Pakistan in the world cup or crafting his way against Australia at Sydney(his highest Test score). Even when is he is playing a defensive shot, there is something very authoritative about it. The way he brings down his bat, the perfect manner in which his elbow is lined up, the way his front foot moves to come in line with the ball; its a picture-perfect image for any textbook on cricket. And then there are his signature shots. The backfoot-on-the-up cover drives and the straight drive past the bowler. Aah.. life seems so beautiful at times like these. Just if you could have Harsha Bhogle in the commentary box. That would be like the icing on the cake.

I just have 2 wishes when it comes to him. I want to see him take India to a World Cup ODI victory (even more than I want to see India win the world cup). Its not that I am not patriotic or anything but its just that India has been blessed to have the most complete batsman of all time and it would be the most fitting tribute to India's favorite son.
And whenever he decides to call it a day from Tests and ODIs, I want him to play Twenty 20 cricket. I want to see the no-holds-barred vintage Tendulkar once again. To see the helplessness in the bowlers as he tries to innocently ridicule them. To see him come charging down to the fastest of bowlers and mercilessly pull them through mid-wicket, to stand tall and effortlessly play the upper cuts over the keeper, to have the audacity to slog sweep spinners against the turn, to have the class to hit them inside out over the covers, and all the while innovating with his blade the way one cant imagine.

When I try to recollect moments from the past, a couple of 'em vividly come to mind. The 2003 World Cup clash against arch rivals Pakistan. The stage was set. And he decided to make it his own. Not only did he play an electrifying innings, but he gave us one of the most memorable moments in history - sending the ball sailing into the crowd over backward point. It was one of those 'I was there' moments. Everyone who was present at the ground and the millions who saw on their TV sets will tell their children and grandchildren - I was there.. I was there when the little master smacked the man they call the 'Rawalpindi Express'.
The other one that flashes across the mind is the Sharjah blitzkrieg. The back-to-back hundreds against Australia. Oh, and the look on Warne's face. The utter shock out of sheer helplessness. There was a sandstorm in Sharjah but far greater was the impact of Tendulkar who stormed the Aussies. I still remember the instance when Tony Greig was on commentary and Sachin had just hit another six. And all he said was 'What a player'(in his typical style with all the excitement in the voice). They are 3 very simple words but they sum up everything. And they are words that you don't hear about other players that often.

If I had to pick a batsman to pay my money to watch, there would be no second thoughts. Yes, I know that Lara-on-song is a class apart, but he does go through in-form out-of-form patches. (And when in-form he more than makes up for the lean patches.) But Tendulkar is always a treat to watch.

When Sachin plays, the world watches in awe.. India comes to a standstill...
Go commit whatever crime you want.. It will go unnoticed.. Because, even the Lord is watching...


Please note: this post has not been inspired because of news that Gordon Brown wants to honor him with knighthood. It has only been written out of my love for cricket and my most admired sportsperson.
Today is one of my best friend's birthday. Happy birthday dear. And Sachin just made a hundred. Hows that for a birthday present :)

Sweet 16... all over again

In all the years that I have watched cricket, I have never felt prouder. Sure, winning the Twenty 20 World Cup was a huge thing. Just today I again saw the highlights of the India-Pak finals. Even after so many months having gone by, I can not stop having goosebumps when Ravi Shastri announces - India are the Twenty 20 champions. That entire tournament was exhilarating stuff. But what happened at Perth was something on a totally different level. I am a purist when it comes to certain aspects of cricket. The pitch and the weather report for instance. I have always preferred it the Geoffrey Boycott way rather than with all the facts and figures about the humidity and the temperature. Technology will tell you that its 30 degrees with 40% humidity. Go hell with that. Check out if Geoffrey is wearing his hat.
*checking*
Yes he is. Oh, then it must be hot out there. And then there is the pitch report - Geoffrey with his famous key. All you need to know is how deep the key goes into the pitch. And you can pretty much figure out on which side to put your money.

So, as a purist would say, Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket. It is the true test of one's character. That is why it has been so difficult to beat the Australian side in Tests. Because you need to play good cricket throughout. Not just a session or two. And that is why I believe that the win at Perth was a very commanding one. When you think of India's recent historic wins, Kolkatta immediately comes to mind. That was a miracle that happened thanks to the greatest innings I have seen. And then there is Adelaide the last time India went down under. However, that was an even contest between the 2 sides. But Perth was different. India had dominated Australia in the Twenty 20 semis and they dominated them again in the longer version of the game. Australia were thoroughly beaten in their own bastion. It probably was not a typical Perth wicket but just imagine the scenario if it had been. The Aussie batsmen would have fallen like ninepins! India's trio of seamers was surely more impressive than the Kangaroos' all-pace attack. The Indians outplayed the Aussies and stopped them once again. Its sweet 16 all over again. 16 for the Aussies and sweet as nectar for the Indians.

Here are some words of wisdom for the Australian think tank:

• When an India team is ready to pack their bags and go home, let them do so. Don't order nails and wood for your own coffin.
  
• The Aussie management should make sure that they don't play India when they are nearing their record breaking streak. (If necessary, bribe the ICC for altering the schedule. If you want, ask the BCCI to lend you some money. They have plenty of it.)
• I pray that the Australians will not babble about any kind of charges against Ishant Sharma. (He gave a hell of a time to Mr. Ponting. And thats what Bhajji had done. So I hope they don't try that angle once again.)
  

Chakk de phatte

Just back from lunch. It was one of those perfect lunches that you can think of. The weather was just perfect. A cool breeze was blowing while the sun was trying its best to pierce the Bangalore clouds. Walked down to a place called 'Mast Kalandar' with a couple of friends. This place I think offers Punjabi food with the the most wholesome taste. See its not that easy finding many restaurants where you have the food to your liking if you come from "North India" (actually I come from Gujarat but anything above the 4 states over here is referred to as North). Well so I had the Chakk de phatte - Sarson ka saag n makke di roti (ah, the land of spices has so much to offer) while watching on a 14 inch tv the Indian tail wagging against the Aussie quicks. It was so thrilling to watch R.P.Singh stand up to them and annoy the hell out of Ponting. India are now in a very strong position. Australia are 16 unbeaten. Last time they wanted to make it 17, India had other ideas. Can India do the same again. Can India hit them where it would hurt most. At the WACA. One can hear Bhajji shout from the dressing room to his teammates - Chakk de phatte.

Hop Hop

So the 3rd test begins tomorrow at the pace paradise of cricket. Mr. Bucknor has been "rested" while Ponting's nemesis has been allowed to stay on. The man India does not know how to get out will miss the test. The out-of-form Yuvraj is going to be replaced by the ex-out-of-form Sehwag. Australia are going in with an all seam attack. Maybe Kumble too should think of bowling his seamers. We will have to wait n watch how the test unfolds. One thing though most likely to happen - its the Aussies that are called the Kangaroos.. but during the next few days, it will be the Indians doing most of the hopping around at the mercy of Mr. Lee and company..