Sachin’s 100th Ton and Dravid’s Retirement

This month has been very eventful for Indian cricket in particular. For one Rahul Dravid has retired after being “The WALL ” of Indian batting border for 16 years and Sachin Tendulker arguably one of the best cricketer of all times has achieved once highly elusive milestone to any batsman in world cricket. That is 100 centuries in International cricket. It has been 23 years since Sachin Tendulker first started playing cricket in 1989 but the guy’s desire to score run has not waned. There is an entire generation who has grown up watching him play and he has been in one way responsible for the shift in playing style in Indian cricket. From a Team who were more than happy to just draw matches in Test matches, it went onto become No 1 Test side and then that world cup win of 2011, who could forget that.

The events are innumerable when he has scored heavily in world cups too but India didn’t win them.

In 1996 world cup he scored 523 runs. (most in the 1996 world cup)

In 2003 world cup he scored 673 runs. (most in the 2003 world cup)

In 2011 World cup he scored 482 runs (which finally India won)

There was a time, when people use to switch off televisions when Sachin use to get out because they thought that game was a lost cause, but now that cannot be said.There is a fighting spirit in the team which was none the less infused by saurav ganguly ( I bet bengalis would be loving for me saying that) but one would say that cemented by those of the likes of sachin Tendulker and Rahul Dravid. However, in the recent special ton‘s case the stats say that sachin took 38 innings to reach his 100th 100 whereas his average innings per hundred is 8. ( who said that Pressure isn’t a biaatch..that along with the expectations of entire nation).

Then there are those of the likes of Virender Sehwag who copied him to the core and came to Indian cricket team scoring heavily themselves.  With 2 triple tons (the 3rd threatening triple ton, he got out on 293) and 1 Double ton one day Internationals  (which followed sachin’s 200 earlier in one days against south Africa). It would be apt to say that sachin Tendulker inspired and guided India’s most destructive player in current scenario.

It would be safe to say that if and when sachin chooses to retire (even though many including me would like him to play more,make a Test triple ton,complete 200 Test mark, 100 ODI 50s and 50 ODI centuries.), he has created a force in his legacy which will be reckoned with an absolute DESTRUCTION.

Rahul Dravid’s Retirement

Rahul Dravid is someone on whom I tried to model my cricketing skills on and I failed miserably in that feat, rarely being able to make into school team for that matter leave aside desiring to play for Indian cricket team. His playing style just exuberates CLASS. His pull and hook shorts are matched by only sachin Tendulker in prowess.

I noticed him first against south Africa blasting Allan Donald all over the place and giving Donald a mouthful, who was giving entire India team a mouthful not to mention making their lives miserable at the crease.  Addition to that nobody can forget that catch that he took of Gary Kirsten when he was standing in the short leg position in which he collided with Gary and both were lying on the ground (but dravid with the catch to dismiss Gary Kirsten).In that entire tour it was Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulker who were scoring (actually sachin captained in that tour) . In one instance the entire team was out for 74 and Rahul Dravid was standing 27 not out.

Then his knock of 153 in OneDAY International against SriLanka in world cup 1999, where India scored something like 370 and Sourav Ganguly scored 183. India won that game convincingly and was qualified for the super eight competition. Same was the rescue method in coming from follow on ,he scored 180 along with Laxman who scored 281 took the test series against Australia, the series also witnessed a rise of another star Harbhajan Singh who took 32 wickets including a hat-trick in 3 test matches.

In 2003 world cup, He donned the gloves as there was no Mahendra Singh Dhoni to keep wickets and score smashingly. He did the job pretty well as India reached world cup finals, the whole tournament showed his self sacrificing nature. His knocks of 270 against Pakistan in the tour where sehwag scored his triple ton of 309.Lastly his knock of against Australia in Horbat (I think correct if I am wrong) where he scored 233 not out which led India to win a test match in Australia after a long time not to mention draw the series.

The list are endless, the grace with which he played and carried on his duties were remarkable. He is without doubt a perfect example of  conducting and playing cricket with honour, imposing the old English gentleman image. The game will certainly miss a true gentleman and I will miss a teacher (on the cricket field ).

Lastly sachin’s stats in 2003 world cup which I believe India should have won.

SR Tendulkar

India

11

11

0

673 Runs

61.18 avg

6 50s

1 100s

152

89.25 strike Rate

Yuvraj’s ailment

Like most of the Indians yesterday I was in for a news. Honestly the Indian cricket team has not been performing well and I have been trying my best to avoid writing about the humiliation they are going over there. 4-0 loss is bit too much after 4-0 loss via England. The news of Yuvraj not playing was no doubt an issue, as one thought that after the “remarkable” world cup, he must have got into “the Zone“. Where he could perform well even in Test Matches which is truly the final frontier for him to conquer in cricket field after MAN OF the TOURNAMENT he got in world cup (in 50 over one days and helping India win 20-20 over world cup too), which equates him to Mohinder Amarnath who got same reward for getting India the 60 over world cup of 1983.

Past few months have been full of speculations as to what is the illness and how serious it is. Now they say that it is a rare form of the disease called germ cell seminoma.

Now without doubt the doctor who gave wrong diagnosis is getting all the blame, but Yuvraj is doing whatever to protect people with “honest” mistakes. Any way when last to last year people had given up on him that he may not return to Indian side he came back and that too with a BANG. ( I for one always told my friends who said that he was out of the picture now… that some people just are born fighters.)

Now it seems that he has a bigger battle in his hand, which like all his fans I believe he would win easily just as he smashed poor little Stuart Broadout of the park for six sixes. This time when he returns he would be a TRUE CHAMPION (not that he isn’t already but earlier he was just in cricketing terms).One would be keeping track of his updates via his twitter account which one has been following since time immemorial.  Good luck to Yuvraj for recovering because whole of India will be waiting for another come back, this time too but with a BIGGER BANG.

The Sehwag Show !

The blogs must be buzz with the yesterday’s knock of sehwag infact the more appropriate word would be destruction by Sehwag of west Indies bowling attack.  Many now are saying that they knew Sehwag could get 200 in a one day after he made 250 plus in a test match in a single day  ( which is only been done better by the legendary Don Bradman).

I remember him saying that in New Zealand such task could be performed easily as the grounds are small over there  ( but many laughed at his statement then ). The 200* by sachin Tendulker showed that one can get a double century in a one day. The last century by Sehwag came against Bangladesh in which he smashed 175. After that knock things went quite in one day format atleast from him.

There was a  strange irony or the similarity in his and Tendulker’s knock in Gwalior ( sachin reached there in the last over) but the difference that he got it earlier. He got there in the 44th over and had made 219 off 149 balls by the time he was dismissed in the 47th. And in one of cricket’s stranger coincidences, both ODI double-centuries were scored in the same Indian state – Madhya Pradesh – at venues less than 500 kilometres apart.

In offices people were going crazy as sehwag approached his 200*. One can honestly say the “older” were more excited as they were running around to watch Television (where  ever it was located).

Lastly as one of my friend puts it so beautifully when we were watching Sehwag destroy the west Indies attack .

( a dialogue which was epitomized by sunny deol ) that :

jedun jatt bigad gaya na tan kaiyon ne le dubega.

(which translates into if a Jat gets wild then not even God can save you).

Now one would be waiting as to how Indian team does down under, though I think the kangaroos would have got an idea that this time Indians are coming for the kill.

INDIA – The world cup winners 2011

I still can’t bring my feeling in words but I shall try none the less , the euphoria has not stopped and even after sleeping for 8 hours my blood is shooting up like my body is on Fire….. The feeling of being a world champion nation is unique. I specifically chose not to write about the world cup matches, hoping that I would write about the tournament when India would have won the world cup. (call it my superstition or whatever but 2003 finals loss memory was still there)

For starters Indian team started with on set saying that they were playing for India and Sachin Tendulker to win the world cup. Congrats to sachin Tendulker for finally realizing his dream,having played in  6 world cups , the last world cup has finally given the man what he wanted all his life , to be a world cup winner. For those who say life is tough, this man is certainly a good example of fighting till the end. When the tournament started many wrote India off because of their poor performance plus their loss to south Africa made expectation go low. The turning point I would say started when India beat west Indies and Yuvraj scored the century which was virtually an important match for India to qualify for quarter finals.

upon the qualification of India to quarter-final round came the test of fire………………

India vs Australia ( The 4 time world cup winning team, 3 in a row for that matter 1999,2003,2007). The beating that India took at the hands of Australians especially Ricky Pointing (scoring 140 and Australia 359) was painful reminder for all Indians of the dream being broken yet again.  The loss was more as the match was virtually single sided.This time too Ponting tried his best scoring 104 but Yuvraj Singh had something else in mind. The last shot that went for a four and his celebration told the world that India has arrived and Australia’s era is OVER.

Then came India Vs Pakistan, mother of all matches clash of the fierce arch rivals… Media built it up so much that Rs 250 ticket went for Rs 5000 ,Rs 750 for Rs 10,000 , Rs 10,000 for Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 15,000 for More than Rs 1,00,000. It was just mind-blowing…… The PMs of both countries came together to talk after 2 years. The match had everything from dropped tendulker catches to Wahab Riaz‘s Five wicket halt against India. The batting however collapsed for Pakistan and Misbah-ul-Haq‘s slow innings under pressure brought ire from Pakistani fans but delighted India very much. India bowlers rose to the occasion to finish Pakistan off.. Picking 2 wickets each.

The last match was without doubt the fight among the equals and the match went till the very last, finishing in the penultimate over for the match…

When the SriLankan innings began there was one thing in every individual’s mind that get Dilshan and Tharanga out early. Sangarkara gave a good fight but it was man of the tournament who got ride of him at 48.  Mahela Jayawardene walks in and he plays a blinder. when the six was hit at the last ball of Sri Lanka innings by Perera, to be honest I just thought India might not be able to reach it, just for a moment.

When Sehwag went for a duck then sachin India were 31/2 and like all of India PANIC set in but kholi and gambhir played well especially gambhir scoring 97 before that rash shot to get out. After Kholi walks in Dhoni and at that time I knew it India will win the CUP. Dhoni for one has a tremendous record against SriLanka scoring 183*.

HIs handling of Murli was superb as Yuvraj has problem batting to murli always. When Gambir got out Yuvraj Singh walked in and I thought it is best time for Yuvi to show that he is perfect for man of the tournament with a good finish in this match.  When Dhoni struck Malinga for 2 fours in an over to cut victory margin of 6 runs then certainly everything seemed relaxed. Fans in the stadium were waiting for a superb finish and dhoni gave them just that. The six that he hit of last bowl was fantastic, hope the Indian govt makes post stamp of that shot.

On a more personal note in 1983 when India won ,I was not even born and my father was exactly the same age as I am now…. ( remarkable the way history repeats itself) Finally young Indian’s can claim the new cup as theirs and in debates can fight over which win was better 1983 or 2011……. ….

Kapil’s Devil Era VS Dhoni’s warriors era……

Lastly sachin Tendulker might be playing his last world cup who knows  and if it is his last then salute to the great cricketer of India who has carried the burden of expectation for last 21 years on his shoulder………..

INDIANS LOVE YOU, you are our PRIDE !

The best quote which I found doing rounds of facebook was

1979 – West Indies – Check
1987 – Australia – Check
1992 – Pakistan – Check
1996 – Sri Lanka – Check

We beat all the world cup winners till now to lift the cup. We played like champions and deserve to be champion of champions!!