India Vs. South Africa 1st Test Day 3

Interesting bullets:

• Sehwag deserves to be a strong contender for the player of the last decade. More on that later, in some other blog post.


• Dale Steyn is the best bowler in the world at the moment. Hands Down.


• Golden Words: Getting out caught behind the stumps is always less embarrassing than getting bowled - leaving the ball.


• The worst way to end the day for the ever so successful Sehwag is to send him to the face the press when all others in the team are too ashamed to face them.


• What is the worst quote of the year (already!)? "I was trying to smell the ball - that's why I bit it". Second worst: "The new ball was very helpful. It started to suddenly move around. The seam came off and then it swung like hell" from Dayle Steyn. Why on the earth would you say such thing when you have taken 8 wickets in a day? Can someone coach them Media Management? Not to reveal all the secrets?


• Not that the NEW-BALL episode is a controversy yet, but where are all the rules? And the rule makers? And the Ball Makers? Why do you need to change the ball every so often? Why is a replacement ball so different than the routine ball, that it can change the course of the match/series?


• Can India save this yet? Yes they can. Will they save this one? They might.


• Can India win this yet? They have, in the past. They still can. But they may not... Based on first 3 days, they don't deserve to!


• What do champion teams do when they are down and out? They gather all their reserve energies, dig deep and bounce back. Is India a Champion team? Will their 9 batsmen play out then (minimum) 9 to 10 hours? . . .

India South Africa 1st Test @ Nagpur Day 2

My comments:

• Who selects the playing 11 for India? Selection panel / team management (including captain Dhoni, Coach Kirsten and Vice captain Sehwag)?


• The bowlers did not bowl good enough to get 10 wickets. But did they disappoint? Were they BAD? Even on the 2nd day, at least 2 chances were dropped, one plumb LBW missed. Its all so pathetic. India's fielding has plummeted in the recent past. They deserve a kick from the board (and by they, I also mean the coaches)


• Has Sachin stopped bowling? Why?


• Kallis was too slow. Looks like he was shooting for a draw instead of going for the kill. 3 runs or so per over is so 1990's! I feel that it is this difference between South Africa and other good teams (sometimes India and Australia) that becomes a hurdle in their way of becoming champions. Lack of Knockout Punch


• Where has the Active Sports option in DTH gone? Tata Sky, are you listening?


• AB Devilliers looks like the next star for South Africa. After JP Duminy has failed after achieving the stardom. ABD showed great attitude today, I think he can become a future captain.

India South Africa 1st Test Match @ Nagpur - Day 1

A few observations

• Rohit Sharma likes football more than Cricket


• Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra can turn the ball, but cannot get wickets even on a turning pitch @ Home


• South Africa 2 down for 6 in 6 overs. And then no wicket the whole day! What a classic...


• India drop 1.5 half chances. Add these 2 wickets, pressure, good fielding and count in one more. 300 for 5 would have been a 50-50% score


• Don't worry about who is playing and who is not. If India are to save this match, they must score (At least) 500 in the first innings


• Why don't India play/groom an All Rounder like Abhishek Nayar? Would have been so useful to have a fifth (legitimate) bowler on such a hard day in the field
  
• Kallis is THE BEST


• Hashim Amla has turned out to be an under-rated out-performer


• All Indian bowlers lacked teeth except Zaks-Zaheer-Khan who was good at the start of the day.


• Empty stands on a weekend in a much-anticipated Test match? Disappointing...

India - South Africa Test Series

- World No 1 Vs. World No 2
- Best opening new ball pair vs. Best openers in the last few years
- Two very good, smart, successful and young captains against each other

What a mouth watering contest!

My prediction:
I think with Dravid out and with a struggling bowling unit (except Zaks) India will find it tough to beat South Africa. They will concentrate all energies against India after England, Arthur Gate and Board craziness. Their team looks fit and raring to go - with a good mix of youth and experience.

If India do manage to beat them, though, they will deserve the tag of Champions!

3 cheers to Cricket...

Cricket: What will happen to One Day Internationals

ICC World 20-20
Indian Premier League
Champions League
Domestic 20-20 competitions
County 40-40 championships
The iconic Ashes Test series between England and Australia

The media has already proclaimed itself as the jury and announced its verdict. That this format has almost expired. Obituaries have been written in columns in papers and on web pages. One of the best in the game - Sachin Tendulkar - has led a group that proposes radical changes to the format. The question is very interesting:

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE ODIs?


Let's consider why this debate has come in. Here are some reasons in my opinion:

1. A completely mis-managed World Cup in 2007 in the West Indies. High ticket prices, long format, too many teams, went on for too long.
2. Players not too enthusiastic about the ODIs. They either want to milk the cash cow (T20) or take up the biggest challenge of Test cricket.
3. Long drawn bilateral one day series. e.g. Australia in England - 7 matches in September 2009. Australia in India - 7 matches in October - November 2009. Its just too much of the same thing between 2 teams.
4. Complete lack of innovation and initiatives by ICC.

Here are my comments on the issue. And a few ideas on what ICC and boards should do to take the ODIs forward:

1. ODIs will not be wiped out so easily. Reason - It gives TV advertisers 7 hours of duration during which they can catch the eyeballs during every over-break.
2. Twenty-20 cricket will actually make Fifty-over cricket more interesting. Batsmen will be more aggressive in intent. All rounders and good fielders will make hay. All these will attract more crowds and viewership.
3. At the same time, ICC and boards should take the following measures to make sure that the interest is alive and kicking in all 3 formats of the game.
4. Abandon the Future Tours Programme so that it will free up more productive time for other formats and competitions.
5. Introduce stricter rules to make captains improve the over rates.
6. Innovate a bit here, a bit there. E.g. the two 5-over power plays in the ODIs are almost fixed. Bowlers take it during 11-15 overs & batsmen after 40.
7. Use a revolving 12th person in some way.
8. Balance the BAT vs. BALL by allowing more bouncers per over. Or going back to the back foot line no-ball rule.
9. If it is required, reduce it to 40 overs a side. And experiment with it. Measure the response. Float a few new ideas. Be open to the fact that Change is the only thing Permanent.

I don't think that things have come to such a stage where something radical needs to be done. But if the ICC sits back and does nothing (which it has been doing for so many decades), then the things might come to that stage sometime soon.

Till that time, enjoy 50-50.

Cheers,
- Ashutosh

India Tonight by Karan Thapar on CNBC TV-18

Hi All. I am back to watching this TV show from Monday through Thursday 10.30 pm. It continues to be my favourite TV show amongst all news channels currently on air. In my opinion, most of the other programming on them, including News and other Talk shows are a waste. They are either showing only Breaking news. Or have too many people talking, which dilutes the discussion.

In this show, Karan interviews 1 to (at the most) 4 people. And hence the intensity is there throughout. Sometimes, the host tries to overpower the invitees. But not as frequently and forcefully like on the other channels/shows.

This week, the show focused on the following topics:

1. Monday - One on one with India's present National Security Adviser M K Narayanan - regarding the controversy about the results of India's Pokhran Nuclear tests in 1999.

2. Tuesday - Regarding how and why is Pakistan handling the Mumbai terror attacks case - the way it is. And is it correct as far as India and relations are concerned? The show also had a fairly strong invitee from Pakistan who was able to defend some points.

3. Wednesday - How the Wakf Boards in many states in India are deliberately misusing the land allocated for development purposes.

4. Thursday - A panel discussion on (again the same topic as #1 above) - how to handle the controversy regarding the questions being raised about the results of India's Nuclear tests, carried out the by the Atal Behari Vajpayee government at Pokhran in 1999.

It feels so good to be back watching the show daily. Kudos to the host, the prgramming team and the channel for keeping up the good work.

Cheers.

"And if you have been, then thanks for watching. Good Bye & Good Night"

India Vs. Sri Lanka Final one day international

IMO, India should test all their bench strength in this match. Which means each of the following players must be given a chance:

- Laxmipathi Balaji
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Rohit Sharma
- Irfan Pathan.

Cheers,
- Ashutosh

Revisiting the horror of Kosi river floods in Bihar - August 2008

What happened?

- 18th August: Breach in the Kosi embarkment near India - Nepal border.
- The extent of flooding can be visualized by considering that the record 25,000 m3/sec. flow could cover 2,160 square kilometers a meter deep in 24 hours, or that it would sustain a flow of water moving one meter per second (86 km in 24 hours), one meter deep and twenty-five kilometers wide.
- The Indian army and non-government organizations operated the biggest flood rescue operation in India in more than 50 years

Who was / How may were affected?
- More than 1,000 (One Thousand) people believed to be dead. Official number is one hundred in Bihar. Many bodies seen floating in water.
- Around 3.5 million people affected (Houses were washed away)
- The floods destroy more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of farmlands.
- People were unable to change clothes for 20-25 days.
- Many relief camps are over flooded. Children are born in camps, many women were pregnant.
- Acute shortage of food, clothing and medicines at the camps.
- Hungry me ran for kilometers together to chase the helicopters that were dropping food packets.

Administrative Lapse

SOS fax messages were sent by the engineers at Kosi dam but they were not attended to by the relevant official as he was on leave. No other officer was deputed to act on the fax messages and they had piled upon the bureaucrat's desk. Nitish Mishra, Bihar's disaster management minister acknowledged this and said action would be taken once all this is over.

A good blog on the rescue and relief operations by an NGO.

Fashion Movie review - The coming of age of Madhur Bhandarkar - Director

More about my opinion on Madhur Bhandarkar's earlier films here. But in come Fashion, and all that has changed.

Fashion is a story of a few models in the tinsel town of Mumbai. It is about a young and aspiring model who becomes a super star. And while becoming so successful, allows the success to go to her head. She stops respecting others, valuing relationships and starts engaging in smoking, drugs, affairs and arrogance. Once these poisons start creeping in her head, she falls down from the riches to the rags in a matter of a few days.

Its a drug episode that makes her realize that she is blowing her life away. She goes back to her grass roots, wins back some of her old & lost relations and values. And then starts another journey to rise in the Fashion world. Here she is helped and supported by the very same friends who she had be-friended once she was on the top. But now, she regrets her acts in front of all of them, and they all accept her sincere apologies. While doing so, she helps an ex-competitor revive her own wavering life and that's how - she gains a whole lot of the forgotten confidence.

Overall, I loved the acting of Mugdha Godse, Kangana Ranaut, Samir Soni, Ashwin Mushran, Arjan Baweja, Priyanka Chopra. The characters are mapped excellently to the actors. The story is the other strength of the movie - even though, it has been stretched a bit at the end. I thought the background scores were average but could have been better. And the music is almost forgettable. The screenplay, editing and cinematography are quite amazing. The Fashion Shows - which account for almost 5-10% of the movie timing, are very well shot and a treat to watch. Kangana Ranaut is simply perfect in the supermodel role - her steps on the ramp being quite remarkable. And Mugdha Godse is the surprise package - she has acted wonderfully well on debut.

Most importantly, the movie is not an over the top like other Madhur Bhandarkar films. It has a believable story. And very important messages - that you cannot let success go to your head. And that if you have the will power, you can come back from the pits to rise to your older heights. And the values of friends and relatives.

I guess the movie will be a bigger hit than all the previous films of this director. And I hope that he makes more such movies in the future. Suddenly, there is one more director to watch out for - a welcome addition to my favourites-list :-) Way to go Madhur, your talent has acquired a newer dimension.

Cheers,
- Ashutosh

My opinion of Madhur Bhandarkar's films before Fashion

Chandni Bar, Page 3, Corporate and Traffic Signal. These are some of the most talked movies of the last decades. And for a reason. They are all directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. In all his films, the director has been taking up relatively new, bold and un-comfortable issues in our society. There is no doubt that this guy had creativity and talent. And the courage to speak on such rare topics. And he must be appreciated for that.

However, I (and many others) thought that there was a same-ness to all his movies so far. That some of the things that he portrayed were blown out of proportion. And sometimes, they were too sadist. Those movies somehow made an impression in my mind that this fellow is trying to project a wrong story by showing too many characters doing far too many wrongs. For example - after Page 3, one got a feeling that almost everybody involved in journalism/bollywood had some or the other dark side to him/her. And in Traffic Signal, it was portrayed as if every homeless at the signal was harrassed and every signal was manipulated by the system, At times, I would call him guilty of trying to showcase too many issues - homesexuality, polygamy, pedophiles, drugs and so on.

However the effect that this had on youth was immense. A lot of people that I used to speak to, had comments like: "Dude, you have got to see the movie Traffic Signal, he has shown the REAL story of the poor!". Somehow, this guy made almost the entire youth believe his stories although they were mostly over-exaggerated. It was almost as if he used all the odd topics only to create cheap publicity and add spice to the story. So that it could sell more. And so did he succeed in doing. This was the main reason why I did not like any of his movies so far.

But in come Fashion, and all that has changed. More in the next write-up.

Cheers,
- Ashutosh