Incredible India

Sunday, February 24, 2008

What the hell was Dhoni thinking?

I think by the time Dhoni played his knock of 36 off 66(?!!) balls and then got out, the damage was done. Australia were well and truly on their way to victory.

I mean, 36 off 66 precious deliveries? Alright, they needed to ensure they didn't lose any more wickets. But then, a strike rate of just over 50 in a one-day match while chasing a huge total of 317 runs?

By the time he got out, India was left needing 169 runs off 117 deliveries at a rate of about 8.5 an over with 5 wickets in hand - an almost impossible task that was only made to look possible by Uthappa's brilliant cameo.

The Indian skipper should have done better than what he came up with today. I hope all those recently played matches where he has had to graft an innings picking up ones and twos, have not robbed him off his shot-making abilities.

4 comments

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Sachin deserves that knighthood even more now

I had written about that knighthood that could possibly come Sachin Tendulkar's way. Now, after this sterling, still unbeaten, performance from Sachin at Adelaide, I guess the officials concerned need to rush with the honouring formalities!

He has really proved his class by the manner in which he totally dominated the bowlers. Man, you've got to respect him for the way he has carried on and on doing his stuff inspite of all that has happened around him. So much pressure, so many expectations. Anyone else will have definitey crumbled.

Anyway, that's just about one innings in one day of one test match. Still a long way to go in the game. I guess we'll get upto about 400 in the first innings. Then it's upto the bowlers to rework the magic that hapened at Perth.

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Awesome deals

Off-topic

When you visit a website by the name savebuckets, you start wondering what it can be about. But when you visit the site, you will realize that the site could not have been named better. It is all about saving buckets of money! Hence the name 'savebuckets'! The site sports a huge array of products offered by different shops neatly classified by category. I was searching for mp3 players and somehow ended up at savebuckets. And thank god for that. The site has a very pleasing and easily navigable layout that makes the shopping experience a pleasant one. As if the neat and profitable deals themselves are not enough! Searching for a product in the site is easy and the comprehensive and well written buying guides only make things better. Well, I guess I am buying that mp3 player. And maybe I'll indulge myself even further and get a good gaming console too!

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Knighthood for Sachin?

I hadn't thought about this earlier. But I guess the English should be enjoying every moment of the ongoing test series against India where the Australians have surprisingly found themselves at the receiving end. Atleast, the British Prime Minister seems to be happy.

Just a little something that I came across on the Internet:

Can Sachin Tendulkar join the honoured ranks of Sir Don Bradman or Sir Gary Sobers? Well, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown certainly seems to think so. If he had his way, he would recommend the little master for a knighthood.

"I would like to see some of the great players of the modern era — like Sachin Tendulkar — proposed for honorary awards so the British nation can salute their achievements in these sports."

If Brown's remarks come true, we could be looking at the first Indian sports knight. In between courting trade and investment from India and China visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown showed where his heart really lay — at the WACA stadium in Perth.

"I believe it was a good tradition to celebrate the achievements of the great Commonwealth cricketers. Obviously these are issues for the independent honours committee, but - hope they will consider it."

Well, looking at the way Sachin Tendulkar has made a silent yet thumping comeback inspite of all the criticisms, he does deserve any honour, I suppose.

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Home plans

Off-topic
Charting a house plan is a pretty complicated affair. There are just so may things to be considered. Plus, other than just preparing a plan like you want it, you will also want to see to it that the costs wouldn't ultimately cross your budget. Consequently, owing to the complications involved, you would normally choose a professional to make the plan for you. But here's another way. HousePlansAndMore.com allows you to just enter your various criteria such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want, the plot area, your budget limit etc. and you'll have plans ready for you to choose from and download(at a price, of course). So, whether you are in need of Log Home Plans, Ranch house plans or bungalow house Plans, you can find all of them there, easily, from the comfort of your home. Great plans, minimal efforts. What more could you ask for?

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On dropping Ganguly and Dravid

Now, there has already been so much said on the selectors' decision to leave out Ganguly and Dravid from India's ODI team for Australian series. So I will spare you the pain of reading all that stuff again.

All I'll say is that my take on the issue is that it is surely better for the team. After all, ODI cricket is almost totally about slambang stuff and yougsters can do the job better. Plus, there are so many talented(and powerful!) young guys waiting to get into the team too.

So lets hope this young team does well in Australia and we get to see some awesome cricket.

And by the way, Sreesanth has already gotten into aggressive mode. This is going to be fun!

1 comments

Web host search

Let me help you along with your search for a web-host. Go to web hosting choice and perform a search specifying all the features you expect off a web-host. You could either do a quick search there or there is this awesome advanced search page there that lets you specify almost every single detail. Now, that should be helpful.

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

We've won...and how!!!

No joy like the joy of victory. No joy like the joy of defeating a World Champion team in their own backyard. No joy like the joy of watching rookie pacemen rendering doyens of the game in the opposition clueless. No wonder these guys have gone mad with joy!! So have I...






Uncork the champagne bottle everyone..

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

A beautiful day of cricket ahead

What an awesome contest this India-Australia match at pacy Perth is turning out to be! No Zaheer, no Sresanth and no Munaf and yet there were three Indian fast bowlers who could skittle out the Australian batsmen for a mere 212 runs. Booming hurrays for RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma who have done what I, atleast, had thought to be unthinkable. If bowlers win test matches, then India must and should win this one.

Also, looking at the way the Australian batsmen themselves struggled against the subtle movement and extra bounce, I am full of awe for the way Dravid and Sachin played yesterday. Truly fine batsmen, they are.

The lead for India is now a good 170 runs. Sehwag is still there and looking very very good. The Indians are surely in the driver's seat and if they can give the Australians a target of above 400 to chase then we should be in with a very good chance of winning the game.

But then as Ponting had said before the match commenced, the Australians are desperate for victory. A win here will enable them to create history, which means they will make it as tough as possible for India, which in turn means there is a riveting third day's play ahead!

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Anil Kumble's 600

Congrats, Anil! What a feat!

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Sir Donald Bradman - The Don

Sir Donald Bradman - The Don
it will long be remembered as the day that marked the end of the finest innings in world cricket history. February 25, 2001 is a date known by cricket followers far and wide as the one that marks the passing of the great Sir Donald George Bradman, a legendary cricketer many have described as the greatest batsman of all time. Many of the amazing batting feats of The Don still remain unsurpassed till this day.

A champion performer both on and off the field, Sir Donald Bradman was known for his sportsmanship and his devotion to the spirit of cricket. Having devoted the best part of his life to the sport, join with us as we pay tribute to this great man and reminisce as the 1st anniversary (25 Feb 2002) of his passing approaches, by taking a look at the life, cricket career and achievements of The Don.

he Man,His Life

Universally regarded as the greatest cricket player of all time and one of Australia's greatest popular heroes.

Over an international career spanning nearly 20 years from 1930 to 1948, Bradman's statistical achievements were unparalleled. He broke scoring records for both first-class and international matches, his highest international score (334 not out) still standing as the highest ever test class score by an Australian (though recently equalled by Mark Taylor, who deliberately cut his score at that point, in what many regard as a tribute to Bradman).

He so dominated the game that special bowling tactics, known as leg theory or Bodyline, regarded by many as unsporting and dangerous, were devised by England captain Douglas Jardine to reduce his dominance in a series of international matches (Ashes) against England in the Australian summer of 1932-33. The principal English exponent of Bodyline was the Nottinghamshire pace bowler Harold Larwood, and the contest between Bradman and Larwood was to prove to be the focal point of the contest.

Some indication of his superlative skill was that his average for that series, 56.57, is above the career averages of all but a handful of international players in the 125-odd years of international cricket matches.

Despite occasional battles with illness, he continued to dominate world cricket throughout the 1930's and is credited with raising the spirit of a nation (Australia) suffering under the vagaries of the economic depression, until war intervened.

Despite approaching forty, he returned to play cricket after World War II, leading one of the most talented teams in Australia's history. In his farewell 1948 tour of England, the team he led, dubbed "the Invincibles", went undefeated throughout the tour, a feat unmatched until this time.

On the occasion of his last international innings, Bradman needed four runs to be able to retire with a batting average of 100, but was dismissed for nought (in cricketing parlance, "a duck") by spin bowler Eric Hollies. Applauded onto the pitch by both teams, it was sometimes claimed that he was unable to see the ball due to the tears welling in his eyes, a claim Bradman always dismissed as sentimental nonsense. "I knew it would be my last test match after a career spanning 20-years", he said, "but to suggest I got out as some people did, because I had tears in my eyes is to belittle the bowler and is quite untrue." Regardless, he was given a guard of honor by players and spectators alike as he left the ground with a batting average of 99.94 from his 52 tests, nearly double the average of any other player before or since. He was awarded a knighthood in 1949, and a Companion of the Order of Australia (Australia's highest civil honor) in 1979.

After retiring from playing cricket, Bradman continued working as a stockbroker. Allegations that he had acted improperly during the collapse of his employer's firm and the subsequent establishment of his own, made behind closed doors up until his death, were publicised in November 2001. He became heavily involved in cricket administration, serving as a selector for the national team for nearly 30 years. He was selector (and acknowledged as a force urging the players of both teams to play entertaining, attacking cricket) for the famous Australia - West Indies test series of 1960-61, and was also involved in negotiations with the World Series Cricket schism in the late 1970's. He was also famous for answering innumerable letters from cricket fans across the world, which he continued to do until well into his eighties.

Bradman married his childhood sweetheart, Jessie, and had one child. An intensely private person, probably because of the intense media scrutiny he suffered under, he was regarded as aloof even by teammates, particularly in later years. A strict Methodist, he has occasionally been accused of anti-Catholicism in his actions as captain and selector, however, it should be pointed out that at that time sectarian prejudice was very widespread in Australia.

Statistical analyses give some credence to the claim that Bradman dominated his sport more than Pele (soccer), Ty Cobb (baseball), Tiger Woods (golf) or Michael Jordan (basketball), amongst other champions of their disciplines. Regardless, his impact on a nation's psyche is arguably unmatched.

Career Stats

Opponents	Innings	Not Outs	Runs	HS	Average	Centuries
England	63	7	5,028	334	89.78	19
West Indies	6	0	447	223	74.50	2
South Africa	5	1	806	229	201.50	4
India	6	2	715	201	178.75	4
Total	80	10	6,996	334	99.94	29

Bradman Memorabilia

No doubt, after learning a little about this great legendary cricketer, you will either wish to learn more or maybe even purchase some memorabilia associated with Sir Donald Bradman. To make this easy for you, we provide the following links.

Bradman's Best
Sir Donald Bradman saw more cricket than anyone else in the 20th century. He personally watched virtually all the best cricketers from all the major playing nations, as well as both playing in and selecting Test sides from 1928 to 1971, giving him an unprecedented appreciation of the best the sport had to offer. Towards the end of his life, from a whole century of cricketers, he selected the very finest twelve for his ideal team. Now, you can read about that team, in the words of the great man himself and in so doing gain an insight into the game he loved.

the Don: The Definitive Biography Of Sir Donald Bradman
This biography of the cricketer, Donald Bradman, is based on exclusive and extensive interviews with him. It traces the story of his early years and brings to life every major performance.

Bradman Collectables

The Ashes, Bradman and Bodyline