The Common Man Speaks

World Cup 2011 Final Photos

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Pictures Courtesy: Cricinfo.com

Dhoni's six sealing it off for India

Yuvraj Singh's reaction after the winning runs were hit

Yuvraj and Dhoni rejoice the happiest moment of their lives

Fireworks blow up at the Wankhede Stadium

Indian skipper being carried off by his team-mates

Sachin being carried by his team-mates as an honour for his non-stop service to the nation for 22 years

The moment that will stay etched in the minds of all the Indians. We are the World Champions

Sachin going berserk with his team-mates and why not

A rare picture of Sachin Tendulkar with his daughter Sara and son Arjun, all smiles

World Cup Final: ‘Win The Toss, Win The Match’ Situation For India?

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Experts often use the phrase ‘Win the toss, win the match’ by taking the nature of the pitch and other conditions into account as it is believed that the team that wins the toss will most probably win the match. This phrase can be used for Team India for their all important final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at the Wankhede Stadium against Sri Lanka on Saturday April 2, 2011.

If India wins the toss and decides to bat first and puts up a challenging  score, they have a great chance of grabbing the World Cup. This is simply because Sri Lanka has struggled to chase challenging totals in recent times. This can be attributed to the fact that they have a long tail. Sri Lanka’s number 7 batsman Angelo Matthews, who hasn’t been in that good form, is followed by 4 bowlers, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Murlitharan, who are mug with the bat.

Lanka was affected by their long tail in their match against Pakistan when they were unable to chase a challenging score of 277. They have won chasing twice in the tournament against Kenya and England. In the first instance, they had to chase just 143 and that too against a minnow. And against England, they were chasing a non-challenging score (230) which their openers managed alone. So, if India bats first and puts up a total close to 280 or more, it will be huge ask for the 1996 World Cup champions.

Apart from that, looking back at all the one-day internationals played at the Wankhede Stadium, team that bats first and scores more than 250 has always won the match. No team has won batting second when the team batting first has gone on to score more than 250. This statistic, coupled with the fact that Sri Lanka has a long tail, clearly indicates that India has a mammoth chance batting first. Hence, if we win the toss, the ICC World Cup 2011 could well be ours!

India v/s Pakistan Semi Final: Can We Please Talk Cricket?

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As soon as India came closer to Australia’s target of 261 in the second quarterfinal, the excitement levels of the whole of India went out of control as it meant that India will play Pakistan in the semi-final of the World Cup 2011. Unfortunately, this gave rise to all kinds of discussions, debates and incidents that had nothing to do with cricket.

Forward SMS’es bashing Pakistani terrorists, people and even cricketers started doing the rounds. People started predicting which Indian or Pakistani cricketer will have a verbal spat with his counterpart. Hindi news channels started sensationalizing the match in such a manner as if the two nations are actually going to have a war on the border. The Kashmir issue also started booming. Of course, the political relations between the two countries became the hot issue. All this just because of a non-violent sport between the two countries.

And if this wasn’t enough, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made use of the match by playing a huge political trump card by inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari for the match. Manmohan thought the match will make his task easier of improving the relations between India and Pakistan. A sheer example of how politicians can pounce on every opportunity to make their ends meet.

By doing this, the match is now being looked upon by the world as a political battleground on the relations between India and Pakistan. Not to mention, the security headaches for the Chandigarh police and other security officials since the two Pakistani big shots will surely bring in a line of politicians with them and so will Manmohan and Sonia Gandhi (who has decided to ‘back’ Manmohan). Hence, the Mohali cricket stadium will be turned into a fortress.

And worse, there will be anti-aircraft missiles, guns and robotic bomb-disposal units in and around Mohali. So, are we preparing for a cricket match or an actual war between India and Pakistan? In the midst of all this, where the hell is cricket? Why not talk about the strengths and weaknesses of both the teams and analyze the day by just keeping the game in mind? One can just hope that on the big day, the unimportant factors take a backseat and only the game of cricket rules and the best team wins.

India hasn’t beaten a Test-Playing team (except B’desh) in WC since 8 years and 10 matches!!!

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After India’s disappointing loss to South Africa in their group B match at Nagpur on March 12, questions have started rising whether India really has in it to win the World Cup 2011. Before the start of the WC 2011, the cricket fanatics in India and a section of the media undoubtedly labeled India as the biggest favorites to win the cup. In fact, there was a common assumption that only Dhoni’s men can win the cup.

But after India’s performance in the ongoing world cup and a shocking statistic which it gives rise to, one can conclude that India needs nothing short than a miracle to lift the cup. The shocking statistic is that India hasn’t beaten a single test-playing team (except Bangladesh) in a World Cup match since eight years! In other words, India hasn’t defeated a strong team in their last 10 WC matches! So can they still be called even near favorites to win the cup?

India’s last 10 performances in WC matches are as follows: –

  • India v/s Kenya (2003 WC Semi Final at Durban) – India beat Kenya by 91 runs
  • India v/s Australia (2003 WC Final at Johannesburg) – Australia beat India by 125 runs
  • India v/s Bangladesh (2007 WC Group B match at Trinidad) – Bangladesh beat India by 5 wickets
  • India v/s Bermuda (2007 WC Group B match at Trinidad) – India beat Bermuda by 257 runs
  • India v/s Sri Lanka (2007 WC Group B match at Trinidad) – Sri Lanka beat India by 69 runs
  • India v/s Bangladesh (2011 WC Group B match at Dhaka) – India beat Bangladesh by 87 runs
  • India v/s England (2011 WC Group B match at Bangalore) – Match tied
  • India v/s Ireland (2011 WC Group B match at Bangalore) – India beat Ireland by 5 wickets
  • India v/s Netherlands (2011 WC Group B match at Delhi) – India beat Netherlands by 5 wickets
  • India v/s South Africa (2011 WC Group B match at Nagpur) – South Africa beat India by 3 wickets

We can also say that in India’s last 6 games against test playing teams (including Bangladesh); India has managed to win just once and that too against Bangladesh! It was against New Zealand in the Super Six stage of 2003 WC that India last beat a strong team in a WC and that was on March 14, 2003 (exactly 8 years ago).

So, forget winning the World Cup, India first needs to beat a strong test playing team. And to win the cup, India needs to beat 4 strong teams in a row. But it looks like our captain cool Dhoni isn’t aware of this as he looks satisfied beating minnows. When it was pointed out to Dhoni that India struggled to beat a team like Netherlands, he said, “Look at the scorecard. It says India won by 5 wickets.” Such a huge achievement to beat Netherlands, Dhoni?

Will we be able to win the World Cup if we are just satisfied beating teams like Netherlands? Considering India hasn’t beaten a single strong team in their last 10 WC outings, will they be able to beat 4 in a row? It looks tougher than climbing Mount Everest especially with our bowling attack. Of course, being a strong Indian supporter, I will be highly glad if I am proved wrong by Dhoni’s men.

My First World Cup Experience: Popats Do Happen!

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I have seen a number of matches in the stadium but on Sunday March 13, 2011 it was special as it was the first time I saw a one day international in the stadium and that too a World Cup match, even though it was an unimportant tie between New Zealand and Canada. Also, this was the first international match at the Wankhede Stadium after a major renovation.

There were strict instructions written on the ticket that patrons won’t be allowed to take any accessory or articles that has a battery inside the stadium. So, it was kind of difficult and unusual for me to keep my mobile phone at home as I have never kept it away from me since last 5 years ever since I started using it.

But my uneasiness because of the absence of mobile phone disappeared as soon as I entered the stadium. The newly revamped Wankhede Stadium was a treat to the eyes! New stands, jazzy interiors and the roof appeared royal and overwhelming. Just few minutes inside the stadium and I was convinced the stadium is the right choice for the World Cup Final. Another thing which amazed the cricket lovers was the price of the snacks and beverages. The rates were way below the cricket match standards.

But all wasn’t hunky dory: there were huge layers of dust on the seats. Such a scene for the first match after the new seats were placed was just unexpected. But the biggest negative point was that the screen just didn’t show anyone from the crowd! If crowds are shown in each and every venues then why not in Wankhede??? I hope this is not repeated in the next match and most importantly in the finals.

New Zealand, who were put in to bat by Canada, piled off a mountainous 358 for 6 in 50 overs courtesy a century by opener Brandon McCullum (101) and a quickfire 74 by Ross Taylor. Canada in reply looked as if they would be bowled out cheaply after losing quick wickets. However, skipper Ashish Bagai (84) and Jimmy Hansra (70*) led a tremendous fight back to help their team reach 261 for 9 in 50 overs. It’s a big thing for a team like Canada to reach that score after being 4 for 2 in 4 overs.

Not a close or interesting contest by any means but at least I can tell my grandchildren that I saw a World Cup match in a stadium (lol). But I certainly won’t tell them that I was without a mobile phone for 10 hours 15 minutes when mobiles were actually ALLOWED in the stadium. Yes, just before entering I got to know that the instructions behind the tickets meant for gadgets like cameras. Well, popats do happen!

Ireland At ICC’s Mercy

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By: Keyur Seta

The whole cricketing world is going gaga over the heroics achieved by Ireland in the ongoing 2011 Cricket World Cup despite being just an associate nation. And why not? The men in light green have rubbished off the title of ‘minnows’ associated with them by their infamous world record victory against England and by showing fight and determination against other teams as well.

But Ireland’s success story reminds us of the heroic feat achieved by Kenya in the 2003 World Cup where they shocked everyone and managed to reach the semi-finals. (Even their victory against the West Indies in the 1996 World Cup is still fresh in cricket lovers’ minds). This was considered as the rise of the Kenyan cricket by many and a possible chance of gaining a status of a test-playing nation. Sadly, that was not to be. Kenya never really managed anything after their World Cup fairytale.

The obvious reason for this appears Kenya’s poor performance. But I strongly feel that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is mostly responsible for this. For a well performing associate team, it is necessary that they continuously get international exposure and that too against strong opponents.  Right after the 2003 WC, Kenya played just a four nation series in Sharjah and that too because the Indian team wasn’t available. But after that series, Kenya played just two one-day internationals in the next three years (Wikipedia)!

By ignoring such a well performing associate team, one is forced to question whether the ICC wants the game to spread in more and more countries. On and off, these associate teams do play against other associate teams but if they really need to grow as a full-fledged cricket team, they need to play regularly against stronger test-playing nations.

In the summer of 1998, there was a triangular series in India featuring India, Kenya and Bangladesh. Such series are the need of the hour for associate teams. Surely, it shouldn’t be difficult for the ICC to hold such tournaments regularly. Audience attendance won’t be a problem as one can see large number of supporters of Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, etc thronging the stadiums during their matches. So, revenue won’t be a problem for the ICC, if that is what is bothering them.

And all that talk of scrapping the associate teams from playing in World Cups is annoying! Only those who are against the growth of the game can think this way. Agreed, the matches can be boring when a strong team thrashes an associate one. But then, you have every option of not watching such matches; no one is forcing you.

One just hopes Ireland doesn’t follow Kenya’s fate because of ICC’s cold-shouldering. After all, organizing exciting and interesting cricket matches is not just all. Spreading this great game far and wide is equally important.

Indian Fans Denied India Victory!

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Indian cricket fans are citing a number of instances that denied India a victory in their 2011 World Cup clash against England in Bangalore (Bangaluru). These include poor fielding, batting collapse in the last 3-4 overs and the biggest one being the leg before review turned in favour of batsman Ian Bell when he looked absolutely plum in front of the wicket. But there is a much bigger reason which denied India a victory and helped England fight back chasing a mammoth total of 338. As crazy as it may sound, it’s the crowd cheer I am referring to.

Before you rubbish off my point as ridiculous, let me get it straight. During the early overs of England’s batting, opener and captain Andrew Strauss got an outside edge off the balling of Zaheer Khan which was gleefully collected by India’s captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

I heard a loud nick while watching it on TV and even the commentators did. And the numerous replays confirmed that it was an obvious edge because of the clear sound it made. But shockingly, neither the bowler nor the wicketkeeper or anyone for the matter appealed to the umpire. Why? Simply because they couldn’t hear any nick in of the loud noise of the crowd!

At that time, Strauss was not even on 30 and later on the man goes on to score 158! Imagine Strauss getting out so early in his innings. Obviously, India would have won and they might have even beaten the opposition comprehensively.

Crowds come in large numbers and cheer in loud voices as they feel that will help their team win. I used to agree with this but not anymore after this India-England tie. What’s the use of such loud cheer if it denies your team a win?

In a place like India where cricket is a religion and the victory of the national team is considered divine, it is practically impossible for the crowd to keep their voices down. But after this match-turning instance, I feel they should keep their voices low at least when the bowler delivers the ball. Well, even I am finding this idea funny. But I couldn’t help not sharing this when a victory is denied because of such an ironical reason!

Why Over Optimism For 2011 Cricket World Cup?

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The World Cup is back in India so one can expect high levels of excitement from a cricket-crazy nation. But more than the excitement, all we can see is a huge mountain of expectations being laden on the Indian team and especially the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar. The cricket fans of India have subconsciously assumed that India will lift the trophy with the help of Tendulkar.

Expecting your team to win the cup is natural and there’s nothing wrong in it. However, having a pre-occupied notion that India will reach the final and win it and not ready to accept or expect any other result can have dire consequences.

One should not forget that there are 14 teams participating in the World Cup. Out of these, six teams, apart from India, stand a chance of winning the cup. But it seems people of India feel that the rest of the 13 teams are as good as Canada or Netherlands, judging by the way they are expecting India to win.

And Tendulkar has never had such a huge load of expectations from the public as he is having right now. We should also not forget that although he is considered as God of cricket, he is a human being after all.

Right now, people are buying Indian team’s t-shirts in large number and displaying their support in every manner possible. However, God forbid if India fails to lift the trophy, the same people will burn effigies of the team while giving all kinds of filthy abuses. We have witnessed such terrible and shameful scenes during the last few world cups.

Even though maximum numbers of cricket fans are in India, there are very few who understand the game and are ready to accept any result by being a true fan of the game and a true supporter of team India.

I understand there is a huge amount of disappointment after India loses but why can’t we be open minded and accept that it’s a game where one team has to lose? If we are true supporters of team India then why we can’t show support when our team loses since that is the time when they need maximum support? Being a true supporter of team India, I will pray for our team but I am also ready to accept any result.

 

The schedule for the 2011 World Cup – (taken from http://cricket.yahoo.com)

# Date & Time Match Venue
1 Sat 19 Feb 02:00 PM IST IND vs BAN Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

 
2 Sun 20 Feb 09:30 AM IST NZ vs KEN MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

 
3 Sun 20 Feb 02:30 PM IST SL vs CAN Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

 
4 Mon 21 Feb 02:30 PM IST AUS vs ZIM Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera

 
5 Tue 22 Feb 02:30 PM IST ENG vs NED Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

 
6 Wed 23 Feb 02:30 PM IST PAK vs KEN Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

 
7 Thu 24 Feb 02:30 PM IST SA vs WI Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

 
8 Fri 25 Feb 09:30 AM IST AUS vs NZ Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

 
9 Fri 25 Feb 02:00 PM IST BAN vs IRE Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

 
10 Sat 26 Feb 02:30 PM IST PAK vs SL R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 
11 Sun 27 Feb 02:30 PM IST IND vs ENG M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

 
12 Mon 28 Feb 09:30 AM IST ZIM vs CAN Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

 
13 Mon 28 Feb 02:30 PM IST WI vs NED Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

 
14 Tue 01 Mar 02:30 PM IST SL vs KEN R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 
15 Wed 02 Mar 02:30 PM IST ENG vs IRE M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

 
16 Thu 03 Mar 09:30 AM IST SA vs NED Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

 
17 Thu 03 Mar 02:30 PM IST PAK vs CAN R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 
18 Fri 04 Mar 09:30 AM IST NZ vs ZIM Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera

 
19 Fri 04 Mar 02:00 PM IST BAN vs WI Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

 
20 Sat 05 Mar 02:30 PM IST AUS vs SL R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 
21 Sun 06 Mar 09:30 AM IST SA vs ENG MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

 
22 Sun 06 Mar 02:30 PM IST IND vs IRE M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

 
23 Mon 07 Mar 02:30 PM IST CAN vs KEN Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

 
24 Tue 08 Mar 02:30 PM IST PAK vs NZ Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

 
25 Wed 09 Mar 02:30 PM IST IND vs NED Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

 
26 Thu 10 Mar 02:30 PM IST SL vs ZIM Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

 
27 Fri 11 Mar 09:30 AM IST WI vs IRE Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

 
28 Fri 11 Mar 02:00 PM IST BAN vs ENG Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

 
29 Sat 12 Mar 02:30 PM IST IND vs SA Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

 
30 Sun 13 Mar 09:30 AM IST NZ vs CAN Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

 
31 Sun 13 Mar 02:30 PM IST AUS vs KEN M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

 
32 Mon 14 Mar 09:00 AM IST BAN vs NED Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

 
33 Mon 14 Mar 02:30 PM IST PAK vs ZIM Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

 
34 Tue 15 Mar 02:30 PM IST SA vs IRE Eden Gardens, Kolkata

 
35 Wed 16 Mar 02:30 PM IST AUS vs CAN M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

 
36 Thu 17 Mar 02:30 PM IST ENG vs WI MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

 
37 Fri 18 Mar 09:30 AM IST NED vs IRE Eden Gardens, Kolkata

 
38 Fri 18 Mar 02:30 PM IST NZ vs SL Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai  

 
39 Sat 19 Mar 09:00 AM IST BAN vs SA Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

 
40 Sat 19 Mar 02:30 PM IST AUS vs PAK R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 
41 Sun 20 Mar 09:30 AM IST ZIM vs KEN Eden Gardens, Kolkata

 
42 Sun 20 Mar 02:30 PM IST IND vs WI MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

 
43 Wed 23 Mar 02:00 PM IST A1 vs B4 (1st Quarter Final, C) Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur  

 

 

 
44 Thu 24 Mar 02:30 PM IST A2 vs B3 (2nd Quarter Final, D) Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera  

 

 

 
45 Fri 25 Mar 02:00 PM IST A3 vs B2 (3rd Quarter Final, E) Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur  

 

 

 
46 Sat 26 Mar 02:30 PM IST A4 vs B1 (4th Quarter Final, F) R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 

 

 
47 Tue 29 Mar 02:30 PM IST Winner C vs Winner E (1st Semi Final) R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo  

 

 

 

 
48 Wed 30 Mar 02:30 PM IST Winner D vs Winner F (2nd Semi Final) Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali  

 

 

 

 
49 Sat 02 Apr 02:30 PM IST SF1 vs SF2 (Final) Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Final Slap For The Critics!

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After carrying out the mountainous task of batting throughout the fifty overs and scoring the first ever double ton in the history one day internationals, Sachin Tendulkar has once again proved that age is nothing more than just a number. While he hit 25 fours and 3 sixes, he was also hitting away the question of his retirement … for ever! As it is, the demand for his retirement from his critics was always baseless. And on February 24, 2010, the Master Blaster proved their idiocy while batting against South Africa in Gwalior.

Since February 2009, Sachin has scored 1,158 runs in 20 one day internationals with 4 centuries at a mammoth average of 72.37 (Stats provided by The Times Of India). Apart from this, he has to his name 10 Test Match centuries since January 2008 in 23 test matches (Cricinfo stats).

Apart from scoring these huge numbers of runs, just playing in these many matches in both the forms of the game requires a unique fitness level when you are in your late 30s. That uniqueness is seen not only in the maestro’s batting but also his fielding. He plays all kind of traditional as well as cheeky shots with ease. He sprints across the boundary with the same level of energy when he was 20. So, while considering all this, why the hell should anyone think of his retirement?

Time and again Tendulkar has answered his critics by his performance and in Gwalior he provided a final slap to them. These include, Indian and international ex-players, columnists, the cricket-illiterate news reporters and anchors and some self proclaimed chaps who wrongly consider themselves pundits of cricket. However, if they still continue to wriggle their tongues, Sachin’s bat is always there to do the talking with those fools!

Sachin Tendulkar Completes 20 Years in International Cricket!

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Maybe for the first time in my life I am caught in a situation where I am eager and enthusiastic to express myself but I am not able to find the words.

Well, I have no problems with this because it is the bewilderment of the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar which is making me speechless as he completes 20 years in international cricket, 20 years of making India proud, 20 years of carrying the pressure of the whole match on his shoulders, 20 years of giving a nightmare to bowlers around the world, 20 years of being down to earth despite being the biggest cricketing hero in the world, 20 years of forcing tens of thousands of his followers to ram in the stadium just to watch him and last but not the least – 20 years of being what he is.

Sachin_century-NagpurBecause of my writer’s block right now (for which I am proud), I can just say I feel fortunate to have been born in this era as I got a chance to grow simultaneously with Sachin’s career.

If it wasn’t for Sachin’s determination and strong will, he couldn’t have completed two decades in international cricket because of the tremendous pressure laden on him to retire by some ‘so-called’ cricket experts since last 4-5 years. Well, they will still pester him to hang his boots and call it a day soon but who responds to barking dogs?

By the way, despite having a writer’s block, I still managed to write almost close to 300 words. Well, this is also because of the genius of the master!

Lastly, I am never able to keep my filmy keeda away which is forcing me to present you the Master Blaster in the following manners: –

Sachin - Sarkar Final2Sachin - Don Final2Sachin - Baadshah Final2Sachin - Shahenshah Final2