Dhoni is Alien!

I have been an ardent follower of cricket since my childhood(to be precise I was watching cricket since 1992 B&H WC.), which of course many of us would have also done! As a true Indian, I always wanted India to do well. There have been our moments(Hero cup '94, Titan cup '96, Sharjah '98, Natwest '02, T20 WC, CB series '08 and the test victories over-seas) but never did I find a player who was always willing to take up a challenge, stay calm throughout the course of it devoid of any emotions. For me, he has been an ideal skipper, never looses his cool nor puts any pressure on any of the young lads.

The issue that takes the center-stage at this moment is not whether Dhoni can deliver the goods and sustain this form(luck ?) for longer time and help us catch Aussies; matching their consistency, commitment and competency. That is a different issue altogether! The mere fact that he is doing things which have been alien to our inherent mentality is applaudable and needs to commended. People say " Cometh the hour, cometh the man" ! Dhoni is certainly one them.

We may feel that he has gone lucky with some of his decisions, say asking Jogi to frequently bowl the last (and often the decider) more than once and he coming out successfully till now etc. are debatable. However, one can only admire the heart with which he has taken so many brave and telling decisions(, for instance, seeking an young fielding side for CB series) only indicate he is
certainly a cut above the rest.

His batting has been under the scanner more than once, people felt he was a mere slogger and hence cannot do much in the longest form of the game, but on the contrary has already played more than a couple of telling innings in his short career. There are few other indications as well to this fact, indeed in recent times he seldom slogs in both the ODI's and T2o games. I would say he is certainly playing according to what the situation demands! The only time he has let me down is in the Sydney test whether he was given lbw Symonds not offering a shot! He, however has to sharpen his keeping skills, i can only see them improving in the long run. Let us all hope he makes us proud throughout all his career and has many more glorious years in the making.

Before, I sign off

[Five things about IPL that caught my attention]

1. IPL is turning out to be serial-killer. All the (daily/weekly) serials in various local channels should taking a hit :P

2.After reading this blog, you would have certainly realized that I would put my money on CSK's to win the inaugural IPL.(what say you?)

3.Bhajji-Sreesanth are my hit-pair at IPL,for, Bhajji apparently lost 2.67 coz of that slap, probably the costliest slap ever!, atleast in cricket surely .

4.The funniest moments of IPL so far: Laxman's fielding! Incident 1: Ball was in laxman's hands (fielding at cover) and batsmen attempt a second run! =)) (2). Laxman was so slow to bend down that the ball passed him to the boundary (3). Laxman again at covers and ball stops just outside 30 yard circle and batmen collect 2 as laxman stands ball-watching waiting for the sweeper leaving Afridi bewildered at laxman!

5.Heights of stupidity: Dravid and Vijay Mallaya putting test team at a T20 competition!

Now it's my turn to tag!


J.A.G.S, Daka, Sleeper, Maroo, Namrata, Rahul, skp, anks, Sultan, satty, Badri (i guess he is also following IPL :P).

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Fortress Stamford Bridge

81 Games Unbeaten in top flight football! 60 wins recorded! Its been 4 years and 3 months since Chelsea last lost a game at their home ground, Stamford Bridge. United just another name added to the list.

A 'pulsating' display of football was on offer this weekend as Man-Utd locked horns with Chelsea yesterday and it provided a game of tremendous quality from two of England's best sides, which is quiet unusual as generally when two good sides meet they generally cancel out each other in every department and hence more often than not resulting a boring draw.

The game, however, had its own share of controversies, but nevertheless, the football that was on offer was exhilarating.

Man Utd were intending to nick the title by defeating Chelsea in their own backyard. However, SAF did rest some of his 'key' players which ultimately resulted in crashing to another defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

The winning goal, which was a very controversial penalty, was cooly hit by the brilliant Michael Ballack who quite simply was the best player on the pitch. But one should not forget that the Old Trafford outfit had had its share of luck when the Blues were at Manchester(Mikel sent off and Saha getting a dubious penalty :-)).

I am sure many of you wouldn't have been able to either. This win, which many might argue was lucky for us and undeserved, is sure to give the players a lift ahead of the crucial 2nd leg semi-final tie against Liverpool. Its not yet clear whether Lampard will play or not, but if Ballack gives the kind of performance he gave today, then Chelsea should be through to their first ever UCL final.

Hope to see a thrilling mid-week of UCL semi's.

Esc :[wq]