There was nothing between the 2 sides. That ball could have gone anywhere. Luckily for India, it fell in Shreesanth's lap. All of us jumped out of the sofa in anticipation. And so must have everyone all over the country. And then it took a few moments to sink in. World Champions! Albeit T20 World Cup. For once India knows how it feels to be on the winning side of a global competition. We now know how the Australia would have felt in 1999, 2003 and 2007, though that might be a case of diminishing marginal utility. How Pakistan felt in 92 and Sri Lanka in 96.
But does it feel so much more when you r on the other side? Much worse when you are on the losing side than good when you r on the winning side. I can imagine how Misbah-ul-Haq would have felt. That photo on Cricinfo captures it all. Ecstasy for some, despair for the rest. The heartbreak of being so close, yet so far. It might take a life time to get that opportunity again, that shot at the championship. In the life of many players it may never come again. That is the worst part of quadrennial tournaments, and that is also what makes them so special!
26.9.07
23.9.07
The South African Party
The organizers of the inaugural T20 World cup couldn't have asked for more. Explosive batting, nail biting finishes, 6 sixes in an over, a tied match...and the icing on the cake: an India Pakistan final! Just when ODIs were becoming a tad monotonous, T20 is a welcome respite.
Cricket is a game of a bygone era. Games lasting for 5 days. Players and umpires dressed in white. Run rates-though they have been improving of late- being puny 3 storey buildings of the 70s than the 20 storey scyscrappers of the new millenium. Well dont get me wrong here. I am an avid fan of Test match Cricket. It is the best game that can ever be. Same players adapting to different conditions. WACA being the bounciest track, Kingsmead and Headingley offering the most lateral movement. the swing of Lords and the spin of Eden Gardens or Chepauk. Matches swaying from one team to the other just because some dark clouds suddenly showed up. Shane Warne weaving his web around the batsman. Steve Waugh taking on the deadly duo of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh on a lively Sabina Park track with his best weapon, grit. Glen McGrath's perfection. Virender Sehwag's flair. Saqlain Mushtaq's guile. Inzamam's lazy elegance. Wasimbhai creating magic with leather. Rahul Dravid taking a hit on his ribs so that the next batsman can murder the English bowling attack later. Test matches are the truest test of a sportsman's charecter. There is aggression here, but more subtle than the blatant T20 format. Skill and flair may be the lead actors, but temperament and patience are important supporting actors. Test Match Cricket is and shall always be the game of glorious uncertainities. It would have an audience in every era.
But it's just a part of me saying that. Another part of me belongs to this fast paced, high adreniline times. After a hectic day's work, there's nothing like going to Hard Rock Cafe and enjoying some good music with friends. Or heading out to the movies. I dont have an entire day to spare for Test cricket or even for One day cricket. So for this high action, slam dunk kinda lifestyle, Twenty 20 cricket is an apt reply. It gets over in 3 hrs flat. And every minute of those 3 hrs is pure entertainment. If you look deep it is the same 50 over format with those boring overs between 15 and 40 cropped and the hard hitting power plays retained.
And it is not all hard hitting either. With sporting wickets offering something to the bowlers like the one we've had at Kingsmead during the WC, there is a genuine contest between bat and ball. The batsman have to keep innovating. The bowlers need to think on their feet. And it all happens very fast; one moment you're cruising along, the next your in a deep hole.
This format is here to stay. But while it stays, I hope it doesnt poach into the other formats. T20 can at best be one very well made trailer for a blockbuster movie. And while I hope, I am also eagerly awaiting the Indian Premier T20 league to begin, with matches every week. And I hope it provides the same value for money as has this WC. While that will have to wait a tad longer, I am eagerly awaiting the clash of the subcontinent giants on Monday at the bullring.
Are you watching it too?
Cricket is a game of a bygone era. Games lasting for 5 days. Players and umpires dressed in white. Run rates-though they have been improving of late- being puny 3 storey buildings of the 70s than the 20 storey scyscrappers of the new millenium. Well dont get me wrong here. I am an avid fan of Test match Cricket. It is the best game that can ever be. Same players adapting to different conditions. WACA being the bounciest track, Kingsmead and Headingley offering the most lateral movement. the swing of Lords and the spin of Eden Gardens or Chepauk. Matches swaying from one team to the other just because some dark clouds suddenly showed up. Shane Warne weaving his web around the batsman. Steve Waugh taking on the deadly duo of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh on a lively Sabina Park track with his best weapon, grit. Glen McGrath's perfection. Virender Sehwag's flair. Saqlain Mushtaq's guile. Inzamam's lazy elegance. Wasimbhai creating magic with leather. Rahul Dravid taking a hit on his ribs so that the next batsman can murder the English bowling attack later. Test matches are the truest test of a sportsman's charecter. There is aggression here, but more subtle than the blatant T20 format. Skill and flair may be the lead actors, but temperament and patience are important supporting actors. Test Match Cricket is and shall always be the game of glorious uncertainities. It would have an audience in every era.
But it's just a part of me saying that. Another part of me belongs to this fast paced, high adreniline times. After a hectic day's work, there's nothing like going to Hard Rock Cafe and enjoying some good music with friends. Or heading out to the movies. I dont have an entire day to spare for Test cricket or even for One day cricket. So for this high action, slam dunk kinda lifestyle, Twenty 20 cricket is an apt reply. It gets over in 3 hrs flat. And every minute of those 3 hrs is pure entertainment. If you look deep it is the same 50 over format with those boring overs between 15 and 40 cropped and the hard hitting power plays retained.
And it is not all hard hitting either. With sporting wickets offering something to the bowlers like the one we've had at Kingsmead during the WC, there is a genuine contest between bat and ball. The batsman have to keep innovating. The bowlers need to think on their feet. And it all happens very fast; one moment you're cruising along, the next your in a deep hole.
This format is here to stay. But while it stays, I hope it doesnt poach into the other formats. T20 can at best be one very well made trailer for a blockbuster movie. And while I hope, I am also eagerly awaiting the Indian Premier T20 league to begin, with matches every week. And I hope it provides the same value for money as has this WC. While that will have to wait a tad longer, I am eagerly awaiting the clash of the subcontinent giants on Monday at the bullring.
Are you watching it too?
8.9.07
River, rocks, tents, Whisky, safari, Bhutan, teen patti, general dabba!
It was a good trip.
2 days into the trip, I felt as if Id been there forever. And the 7 days that were to follow seemed never ending. There were sunny days, there were cloudy days, there were windy nights, there were murky evenings, there was the full moon and there was the rain... morning, afternoon, evening, night, whenever, always! And it seemed like a cloud burst each time. Then there were pricky track pants, wet towels, K750i with Jim Morrison's 'The End', non-drying shoes and broken slippers... ah! about wet shoes and broken slippers: initially everyone was very concerned about the shoes getting wet and removed them while crossing the river. But, what the heck!! Aren't shoes supposed to get wet on adventure trips... and then kept for drying for the next 4 days! While they are drying, you put ur slippers on and when one of them breaks, the love-hate u feel with each step you take...
The base camp changed constantly. First we were staying in tents with no electricity, along the rocky, wild river. Next we were in cottages amidst green paddy fields. Then we were put up in rooms alongside a lone railway track in the wildlife sanctuary. And we trekked everywhere: on the river bed (twice), amidst lush tea gardens, through the small pathway in the jungle and on the steep hill. The food was simple: Dal, chawal, aloo, parwal, poori with dal for breakfast. And it was uniform: we travelled across North Bengal and the sameness of the food at each place was remarkable. Then there were the Fears: The fear of leaches. The fear of slipping from top of a very steep slope. The fear of falling into the wild river. The fear of the Royal Bengal Tiger making a sudden appearance from the dark.
And then the gang. 9 unknown people and it was as if we were friends for a long time. DumbC, Bluff, teen patti with matches and beedis replacing the money, whisky with Limca and water, tandoor... constant case taking, singing aloud, 'Chaiyya-Chaiyya' on the jeep, discussions: strategy discussions, culture discussions, love discussions, 'on a high by the railway track' discussion, 'on the rocks in the moonlight' discussions, people discussions, undergrad discussions, 'no' discussions, 'UP-Bihar politics in the toilet of a crowded unreserved compartment of the Guwahati-Bangalore express' discussions...
2 days into the trip, I felt as if Id been there forever. And the 7 days that were to follow seemed never ending. There were sunny days, there were cloudy days, there were windy nights, there were murky evenings, there was the full moon and there was the rain... morning, afternoon, evening, night, whenever, always! And it seemed like a cloud burst each time. Then there were pricky track pants, wet towels, K750i with Jim Morrison's 'The End', non-drying shoes and broken slippers... ah! about wet shoes and broken slippers: initially everyone was very concerned about the shoes getting wet and removed them while crossing the river. But, what the heck!! Aren't shoes supposed to get wet on adventure trips... and then kept for drying for the next 4 days! While they are drying, you put ur slippers on and when one of them breaks, the love-hate u feel with each step you take...
The base camp changed constantly. First we were staying in tents with no electricity, along the rocky, wild river. Next we were in cottages amidst green paddy fields. Then we were put up in rooms alongside a lone railway track in the wildlife sanctuary. And we trekked everywhere: on the river bed (twice), amidst lush tea gardens, through the small pathway in the jungle and on the steep hill. The food was simple: Dal, chawal, aloo, parwal, poori with dal for breakfast. And it was uniform: we travelled across North Bengal and the sameness of the food at each place was remarkable. Then there were the Fears: The fear of leaches. The fear of slipping from top of a very steep slope. The fear of falling into the wild river. The fear of the Royal Bengal Tiger making a sudden appearance from the dark.
And then the gang. 9 unknown people and it was as if we were friends for a long time. DumbC, Bluff, teen patti with matches and beedis replacing the money, whisky with Limca and water, tandoor... constant case taking, singing aloud, 'Chaiyya-Chaiyya' on the jeep, discussions: strategy discussions, culture discussions, love discussions, 'on a high by the railway track' discussion, 'on the rocks in the moonlight' discussions, people discussions, undergrad discussions, 'no' discussions, 'UP-Bihar politics in the toilet of a crowded unreserved compartment of the Guwahati-Bangalore express' discussions...
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