Random Thoughts

Sport is about passion. And when its cricket and involves Indian fans, it is passion laced with madness. Our cricketers are our heroes. Thanks to the unbelievable turn around by Kapil Devils, way back, cricket continued to woo and inspire a lot of Indians. And when the world cup is won on the home turf with the command performance in 2011, as though it belonged to India, #Wewontgiveitback was expected to be coined for 2015. Realistically, though, when the likes of Sourav, Sachin, Rahul could not get it for India, the likes of Kohli, Raina, MSD would have to perform a miracle to get it. And miracle happened once, in 2011. Was it foolishness to expect it again? But, that is the way of the fan. We live with our cricketers ups and downs, with their tantrums of form and no-form. And they live with our admiration and despondence. The cycle goes on and on, the same fan who is throwing tantrums now, will hail their names when the next series begins. Well, at least most of them. And then, there...

Cricket has been such an integral part of my life for over fifteen years now. I have watched and cheered my team, I shouted in frustration at the spineless cricket that we sometimes played, I cried with the pain of defeat, I soared on the wings of victory, but, always was with my team. So, diplomacy aside, I bleed blue and I want my team to win, each and every time, however stacked are the odds against us :). The first test match between India and Australia was highly emotional for any cricket lover because of the days leading upto this match. Philip Hughes was a stranger to me, yet not a stranger. He was a cricketer of promise and his abrupt death stunned the whole cricketing community. I was no exception to it. Watching the first hour of the match was exceptionally hard for me, especially that of Warner bat. And when Clarke walked in, I had tears in my eyes, understanding the magnanimity of the task ahead of him. But, as sport often does, it heals the wounds as you play along. It bal...

Sachin retired, leaving an entire nation speechless with his emotional speech. While I watched the match on Saturday morning, I was having mixed feelings, but mostly there was a sense of helplessness. I am not a huge fan of Sachin. By the time I started watching cricket, Sachin was already a “little genius” and when cricket started to feel a bit more than just a sport for me, I have had my own heroes I grew to admire. I started watching cricket from the 1996 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Bangalore. I got to admit, I had little idea what cricket was at that  point, just that the entire nation was praying that we win the match and the world cup. I can still remember the packed living room with all my cousins screaming and cheering, while I sat amidst all the chaos wondering what in the world was going on. And I sat there, amidst the cheers, to watch Ajay Jadeja whip Waqar Younis and suddenly the entire street erupted with joy. I could feel the adrenaline in the room ...

Oh well, we won the Champions trophy and this time remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, like the world No. 1 ranked ODI side should be. Starting with the practice matches, to the way they progressed to the finals to winning it, is such a fantastic feeling. They started with a convincing victory against South Africa, succeeding it with a flawless and thumping victory against West Indies, smashed Pakistan in a mere formality of a match, thrashed the Srilankans in the semis and marched to the finals with an aplomb. The rain interrupted final did not befit the final, but to have fought in the middle to defend 128 in 20 overs and to have forced England to lose in a sorely one-sided match was something to watch!! It was unbelievable. It is like waking to a fantastic dream turned reality. For some time now, there seems to be no dearth of laudable performances from the Indian team that it is thrilling to follow such a fairy tale. Not that there were no black marks, just that, the t...

It is a joy to see the India vs Australia series this time around. Despite all the ‘buts’ in the equation, being an Indian fan, I love that we are leading 3-0. I want my team to dominate, in and out of the country. I wish we would not fight, but just trample on the opposition like a herd of elephants, create a destruction so volatile that the crater seems like a better alternative than to challenge India. I would really love that. Why? Don’t I enjoy a fight, you ask? I do! But I have seen the Indian teams being tamed by the opposition at will, that I have craved to see total dominance by the Indian team for quite some time. We have been cornered too many times and having seen it, I wished we would fight back, not in a composed elegant script, but in a ‘you are dead meat’ way. We did not have destructive cricketers until Sehwag came along. But then, like an exception, he performed in some exceptional cases brilliantly, while he failed in almost equivalent number of cases. While we had ...

- seals the series for India at the Eden! OK.. So that, is how it is done! With calculated, merciless dominance. Impressed, would be too little a word and astounded would make it a dream. I saw our team, take on a moderate score and tear it apart. To say that, there was not an instance, where there was a chance that Srilanka could win, speaks everything!!! 315 runs, by far - a decent score and phew!!! It was easy! Or, it was made to look easy by the brilliant performance of Gambhir and Kohli. I am pleasantly surprised at the class displayed by Kohli. Gambhir is an established senior, but, Kohli is still finding his bearings and it was so relieving to see a talented individual make himself count. Starting with a commendable opening bowling and finishing with such finesse, it just left me feeling fulfilled. Completely! Looking at them bat away with a calm, composed and collective way, oh man, it takes some doing to forget this match! And the bowling, was it not a refresher to see the...

Team India with the Jaypee Cup, Mumbai, India vs Srilanka, 2009 I am inspired. I am euphoric. I am brilliantly happy. India is the best in the world test cricket and that is no small achievement. The journey started under the realm of Sourav, cannot quite forget the team that started believing in themselves and moved forward. And now, under an unassuming captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the dream is fulfilled. “We need to maintain it.” I cannot even think of the number of years I have yearned to see our team beat the best of the best and stand top of the world. When I started watching cricket, 1996 World cup against Pakistan in Bangalore, where I learnt about cricket overnight, I have to say, I had lesser dreams of the team, but when I saw India in England in the 1999 tour, that is when I started believing in something more than just cricket. That is when cricket ceased being “just cricket” and became an inspiration to me. Every run scored and every wicket taken and every run saved, ...

For a change, seeing India being the favourites for the ICC world T20 championship kind of makes me queasy. For as long as I have watched cricket or I have at least followed the tides of Indian cricket, I do not remember them being tagged favourites. And the Indian cricket journey has been exactly like a tidal wave eager to rise and faster to fall, never reaching the shore, but showing great promise. Well, that cannot actually be an analogy coming from an Indian and certainly not a fan, but then, can’t help. The pessimism borne out of years of disappointment is hard to forget. The pandemonium of expectations, the miracle that seemed to have introduced the T20 to the world, the dream final, Sreesanth’s catch of Misbah, the almost slip and miss and the victory savoured, still remain fresh. I hope to see good cricket, being the pessimist that I am, but I root for India and with a prayer on my lips, hope to see them victorious. More importantly, I would like to see the way our team shall e...

For over a decade he inspired me. And the motivation came from within me. The moment I think of him, I know I need to fulfil a certain criteria before I can even say his name. And he is none other than “The Wall” of Indian Cricket, the unassuming Rahul Dravid. Rahul (Dravid) stands for everything I want in my role model. The moment he played his first ball in England, I knew he was here to make a difference and since then, he never let me down. He stood there and he tied me to him. Even now, with criticisms in his way, he just bends his head and does what he knows best, he plays the game. Every person has his strengths and weaknesses and I will not be foolish enough to say that Rahul (Dravid) is an exception to this. But he plays to his strengths and works on his weakness and if there is one cricketer who ever stood up for the side and accounted for every single presence on the field, it is Rahul Dravid. Sachin (Tendulkar), Sourav (Ganguly), Anil (Kumble) are undoubtedly the legends of...

Sitting in the living room and watching IPL with more than a few thoughts in my head. I am watching Rahul (Dravid) play and he just completed his fifty and boy! Did I see that, from him? Well, I sure did, a wave of his bat and the look in his eyes. Hmmm, interesting! Rahul (Dravid), to me is a splendid cricketer and my role model. And watching him play and seeing his fluent wrist action is worth every thing. I remember bunking school/college/engineering.. just to watch Indians play and if it is Rahul (Dravid), well, not an earthquake can shake me from not watching the match. I was crazy about Indian cricket and about him, in particular. Though as days progressed, the interest faded, thanks to the likes of (Javagal) Srinath, Anil (Kumble), Sourav (Ganguly)moving out and Sachin (Tendulkar), (Rahul) Dravid, well on their way, I distanced myself. And today, I watch IPL, with a half baked interest, because it is not team India and I seriously cannot make head or tail of this money-IPL busin...

Retired from test cricket.. I wrote a blog on him earlier last year when he retired from ODI and hoped he would leave a mark on test cricket. Anil Kumble, the master plotter, the jumbo, the patriot, the team man – has called it quits, after 18 years of unwavering determination and loyalty to the team and the game. What can I say? Stats – over a thousand international test wickets, a special ten wicket haul – only second in the history of cricket, a clinical assassin – everything speaks for itself, the greatness of his personality. Surely, the champion and the legend of the game will be missed and the loss is difficult to articulate, but fittingly, he hung up his cap at Ferohshah kotla, where he has been the fiercest of all the places he played, almost always changed the match’s direction. I can only say that I will miss him badly, but then, time moves on and he has not been his best over the past 10 test matches or so and though I would miss him, I can only say that the decision is ...

Honestly, I am too shocked for words! Wait, let me get my senses back. Dada is retiring after this Australian series. Man, I will miss him big time. Have been a little out of touch with cricket these days and when I came to know about it, I had to read the content from all the news papers I could gather and every single website that covers this news, to believe it. The royal Bengal tiger, true to his virtue, has been a man of solidarity, influence and strength. A man, who people hate and love at the same time, a typical Bengali. Sourav Ganguly, an awe inspiring persona, charismatic and regal, he will be a figure who shall be remembered in the Indian cricket as legendary. With his first tour that began as a threat to his career, he launched himself a career that is scintillating. Comebacks have been a part and parcel of his career, each remarkable than the one before. With a century in his debut test match in Lords, he sent the waves of promise and lived to it as his statistics prove. T...

Now shadows grow longer, and there's so much more yet to be told But we're not getting any younger, so let the part tell the whole Now the players all wear colours, the circus is in town And I no longer can go down there, down to that sacred ground He was more than just a batsman, he's something like a tide More than just one man, he was half the bloody side Fathers took their sons 'cos fortune used to hide In the palm of his hands; in the palm of his hands That’s Bradman’s song. Sir Don Bradman…. Was reading anecdotes about him and was reading a few memories from all corners of the world. Few gave me goose bumps and few made me feel human. Wonder why we can never produce a sport star like that. With records to prove his brilliance and no words necessary to describe them. We have many greats, be it cricket or be it other sports, but none have the consistency of this wonderful man and it makes me really sad, that a country the size of India and having a population ...

When asked how he would keep his feet on the ground after winning the title. "Maybe," he said, "I can retire from cricket." – Dhoni, Indian Skipper 2007. A rare and a special moment. India clinches the T20 world cup in a thriller. The new child of cricket, yet to take its place in the world cricket, could not have asked for a better propaganda, could not have dreamt of a final like this. India vs. Pakistan in the finals, 40-over match with victory playing peek-a-boo with both the teams, before saying “booooo……….” and extending its hands for a warm embrace to India. That is India vs. Pakistan for us. Amidst the tense moments, a few “aaaa…s” and a few “ooo…s” and a few heart-stopping moments, India has done it! Sweeping aside the hurt of ICC world championship, we WON a nail-biting thriller. We are the champions and we deserve every bit of it; the victory, the celebration, the stardom. Gambhir’s fearless batting allowed us to pose a respectable total. And R.P.Singh sh...

A torrent of emotions is running through me today. Woke up with the hope of seeing India rising again and with a hope that Indian Cricket does have a future, however tiny it may seem, after the retirement of the three legends of the current Indian cricket. As every Indian, I too felt despondent at the exit from the world cup, not so much for the exit but for the way the exit happened. With Dravid relinquishing the responsibility of skipper, felt even lost as I felt no one is willing to take this Indian team into their arms and cuddle and protect them from the demands of modern day cricket. To say that it is OK to lose as long as you give your best. With the wall crumbling, felt that the anchor is lost. And it felt good to see that all hope is not lost and the young India is shouting and beating its heart with a rare passion and saying Chak De India… calling to attention to all those who wrote off the team. I could not digest the shock of Dravid’s decision, however perfect it may be. T...

I love my team… Good or bad, better or worse, they are the people who represent India’s passion. May be its wrong to treat sport as anything but sport. But this is India, and its cricket, and hence I can get away with calling it anything. But “IT’S JUST A SPORT!!!” After the disappointing exit, and horrendous out burst from the fans… the hue and cry being as usual humiliating… I wonder why these people ever want to play for us… but I would like to spare a thought for my fellow country men, and reaffirm the thought that not all are frenzy fanatics of the game, there are a few with sane mind, warm heart, and a cool head who are willing to shoulder your anguish and disappointment… and still have the guts to smile and accept the defeat in the hands of a team that out-classed us on that day… and wish the best for you… Till another day, “Well played Lanka…” Now these are not the best of times for Indian cricketers, and certainly not the time to celebrate the exit of the legend of Indian Cri...

With just a week b4 India plays its first match in the world cup, just like many ICT ardent lovers, am looking forward for the game... Raring for some action.... waiting for some good cricket... Am I expecting India to win???? Well,.... I am a fan of cricket, and the team has been a huge inspiration to me over the years... but I believe that it is just a sport n not a nations pride or passion... I am ardent admirer of Dravid... who inspired me many-a-time in the tough times, ... Made me look into myself for that inner strength n motivation to reach my goals..., in fact, if I fail to put-in my 100% effort to reach my targets, I am so ashamed to say that I am an admirer of Dravid… n I would be lying if I say I am not expecting something from him n his team... I am expecting them to play their heart-out... they r wearing their heart on their sleeves, n playing for a nation of billion cricket lovers, probably the only nation where cricketers are GODs... though I cannot comprehend wh...