A Classic Rendezvous

The Swiss Master meets the Little Master of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin was impressed with the humility of Fedex. Federer's Facebook status read " Today was a special day, played a good match and had a chance to catch up with the great indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar".  We know that Sachin Tendulkar is fan of Rf, but Roger being so knowledgeable about cricket and Sachin is quite outstanding.

We know that both are exceptional athletes with unscalable achievements in their respective fields, but their mutual respect shows how great they are.

Let us hope that the " Young Turks" of Indian Cricket learn from these humble superstars rather than dwelling in their premature stardom.

My World Cup moments.

Kapil Dev’s incredible catch

The final of 1983 can be likened to a confrontation between David and Goliath. Indians were worthy underdogs. Odds were stacked up against the Indians. India’s paltry first innings score further amplified the odds. Under the circumstances, Kapil’s incredible catch to dismiss Sir Vivian Richards, who could have single handedly put the Indian attack to the sword.

Steven Waugh being dropped by Gibbs.

Gibbs was so eager to celebrate the catch that he dropped it. Gibbs premature celebration doomed the Proteas. Waugh said to Gibbs, Mate, you just dropped the World Cup. Steve was right. Gibbs has been bestowed with the ignominy of dropping the 1999 world cup.

 Aamir Sohail given marching orders by Venkatesh Prasad.

Prasad is a perennially underrated bowler. Aamir sohail, after scoring a boundary point his bat towards the boundary indicating  his superiority over the bowler. The next ball the bowler came back with vengeance and rattled the timber work with a slower one.

Proteas exit from 1992 World Cup

The Proteas made their debut at the 1992 World Cup, having been recently reinstated to the international cricket after more than two decades isolation.

It was the first time the cricketing world has been able to witness the talents of Allan Donald, Andrew Hudson, Brian McMillan and Dave Richardson.

But, with England standing between them and a place in the final, they were denied by a bizarre ruling that saw Sotuh Africa set an impossible revised target, given their allocated overs.

Ajay Jadeja’s cameo

My history teacher promised us that we all would get chocolates if India wins its quarterfinal match against Pakistan. Thanks to Ajay.

Sachin upper cutting Shoaib Akhtar for a Six

Sachin Tendulkar, well, I can’t say anything which is unsaid about him. Sachin is arguably the best batsman of the modern era. Sachin’s batting is based on the purest principles perfect balance, economy of movement.

India may win the World Cup or not, but it should win its match against their arch rivals and they still maintain an unbeaten record against them. Thanks to Sachin for playing a blitzkrieg and deflate the Pakistanis the record stayed for the day. During the innings, he upper cut Shoiab for a Six over point. That shot is indeed legendary as the man who played it himself.

Mobile Number Portability leading to Moral Hazard?

                                                                        


The long awaited Mobile number portability has been launched on Jan 20. The purpose of this facility is very apparent. It is for the users to change providers change providers without changing the number. It is for customers with genuine problems. What is the deal for those loyal customers with no complaints with their existing service providers? They use their negotiating skills to earn freebies, I guess this culminates into  a Moral hazard on the part of users.

One of my friends has been using Reliance for 2 years. He had one genuine complaint with regards to the connectivity and with that he managed to negotiate a 6 month rental free plan. In fact I negotiated a 10% discount on the bill amount for the next 6 months. So, loyal users send PORT (your mobile number) to 1900 to carve out any deals.

It was thought that MNP would lead to a lot of churn. In order to avoid that the mobile service providers would strive to improve their deficiencies. On the contrary, surveys show that the churn as a result of MNP has been negligible. The biggest gainer in terms of net additions so far has been Idea. Idea Cellular has managed to woo around 12,000 customers. But these numbers are so meagre to warrant any drastic actions. So quality of services rendered by the service providers would remain the same for now.

Proteas' Test for Team India!

Indians looked to be invincibles in the placid, docile sub continental featherbeds. Our batsmen weren't really tested. As a result of these we were able to consolidate our No 1 position in the Test Rankings.

Apparently, Proteas would be itching to produce a green top to intimidate the Indians to submission. But that ploy could be counterproductive because we too have a potent pace attack that can make their batsmen run for their money. In Fact, this has been our weak link for us in the previous decade. We can say that we have sorted out this problem to some extent.

So we look like a balanced side with the ageless war horses leading the way. Our Opening slot is over reliant on the rampaging Phenomenon called Sehwag. Sehwag's partner Gambhir was very rusty in the previous series. Nevertheless, in the ODI series he showed signs of recovery. Rahul scored back to back centuries against the Kiwis but he is a far cry from what we know. Sachin is solid but he is a bit shaky about the prospects of Scoring his 50th Test Century. Laxman delivers when the batteries are down and when team sends an SOS call. It is very premature to pass any comments on Raina and Pujara. In fact, that is one of the problems which need to be addressed. Our bench strength has not been tested yet on lively pitches. On the forth coming tour of South Africa some of them will be truly tested. They would be peppered with Perfume Balls. Let us see how they fare in the ensuing confrontation.

Critics have rightly pointed that India is No 1 Test team without winning a series at South Africa and the Down Under. Even at the Down Under, we nearly won the in the 2003-04, but Proteas have overpowered, overplayed and out thought us in all our previous encounters in their soil. This time around we should reverse the trend in order to justify our position as the No 1 team. It is Now or Never kind of a situation for us. Our team is reasonably well balanced with the oldies looking very solid. I'm afraid whether we can get a team as solid as this one.


So guys gear up for challenge and justify that your position as the number one team is well deserved!

The Gmail Killer

New battle lines are being drawn between Google and Facebook. Facebook is all set launch an e-mail service. The reported service is called 'Project Titan', unofficially referred internally as it Gmail Killer. Of course, Gmail won't be the only one to be affected. Others who would be affected AOL, Yahoo with 303 million users and Microsoft with 384 million users. Facebook, would in all likelihood, leapfrog all these players with its 500 million users.

Facebook can leverage upon the massive user base to its advantage. Moreover, it can study the activities, buying patterns,gaming patterns of its users which can be monetized through advertising.

I have been a fan of Google and its products, let us see how good the mailing service from Facebook turns out to be. Whatever might be the case, the humble user stands to gain in the bargain. Competition generally brings about the best from the competing players. The end-user has a better range of products. The improved competitive atmosphere is likely to compensate on the privacy of the users.

If both the players can do away with possibility of intruding into the privacy, then the humble end user can expect a nice deal.

Futility of All-time world-XI's!

ESPN has recently published an All time world XI. For starters, you guys can take a look.

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/482936.html

Needless to say, this has evoked a spontaneous and endless debate about the presence or absence certain players in the XI. Indians would be elated to find the person occupying No 4 position, Sachin Tendulkar.In fact, he is the only player from the current lot.

Gavaskar's fans would be furious about his absence, so the would be the fans of Lara, Kapil Dev, Murali and Ponting. The endless debate would culminate into a vicious circle. So it would keep on repeating itself.

My argument is that the whole idea of framing All Time World XI is flawed. You can't compare people of different era. This statement may sound like a Cliché, but it does hold true. Gavaskar played against the fierce-some pace quartet without WEARING A HELMET or Protective gear.

Old-timer played in uncovered pitches, Nowadays the pitches are covered, rolled. There was also a even contest between bat and ball. Now, the runs are scored flat feather beds as a result the batting averages of the current lot is inflated.

So let us enjoy the game in its corresponding context..

Endhiran Goof!

The costliest Indian movie has lived up to its expectations. So far it has been a thundering success throughout country. Needless, to say it is having a dream run in south India. All the technical parameters have been carefully dealt with. Apart from the commercial success, the movie has received rave reviews from critics too.

The superstar has stormed the bastions of the khan territory, this would be surprising even for a hardcore superstar fan. In this deluge of applause, people tend to forget the acting skills of the superstar. The performance is powerful, subtle and jaw dropping at times.


Ok, have you guys noticed that the above pictures. Even a technically supreme picture seems to have certain goofs. During the song sequence Kadhal Anukal song, the light reflectors and the crew are visible through the reflections that come from Rajini's sun glasses. But seriously, that doesn't really matter. Does it?

Glorious infamy of Conwealth Games!

We can't help but notice the infamous corruption which preceded the games. Many would argue that the rich haul of medals have overshadowed the ignominy. Majority would argue that this is the way work is being done in our country for ages.

I feel that the culprits should be brought to be brought to book and shouldn't be left scot-free.

The enough misery stamps before a star bankrupt.

Oh paul, u did it again!

The soccer world cup has a curse for all the favourites. All the favourites barring spain have bitten dust. The most heart breaking debacle has been that of brazil who's flamboyant, attacking football has been nullified by Sniejdar and company. Next in line were argentina, who were petrified by ruthless Germans. On a lighter vein, we have gotten away from the possibility of Maradona fulfilling his PROMISE. Although i would have preferred the fulfillment of larissa's promise. Unfortunately, that was not to be, as paraguay has crashed out. The virtually unknown model has sky rocketed to lime light. Her popularity has been exploited to promote various brands. Another noteworthy feature of this world cup is the predictions of paul. I'm sure this eight legged freak will make established book makers run for their money. So far all his predictions have come true. Thanks paul i've made some easy money. Waiting for ur final prediction.

Are the oldies required in the present setup?

If one looks at the scenario superficially, then the oldies would nowhere be near in their scheme of things. But I feel presence of Rahul, Sachin and Ashish rendered solidity to our line up. Moreover, they can pass on their valuable experience to their successors. If we consider Sachin and Rahul, they has come to the fag end of their career. They have nothing to prove in their illustrious career. In my opinion, the most important reason is for the youngsters to understand that no one can take their place for granted. The youngsters, like Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth, had become so casual and reckless, that they took their place for granted. No doubts about their potential to replace their worthy predecessors, but they were falling short in their attitude and their willingness to learn from their mistakes.
Therefore, the sudden reinforcement of our oldies should give them tremors in their belly and wake them up from their deep slumber.
I accept that their presence is going to be pretty short, but I’m sure that even their short presence should be worthwhile experience for all the stakeholders!

Tendulkar becomes a Deity, that he is.

It is hardly surprising for an average Indian to see Tendulkar in this avatar. In India, as they say, Cricket is a religion and Sachin is the God. But it could the other way round for any other Cricket fan.
The daily express in the London has posted that the supporters in Delhi commissioned artists to create icons of Tendulkar as the monkey god " Hanuman".
The works show him holding a bat instead of the more traditional mace.

JAI HANUMAN JI KI

The 360 degrees player......

Can u people notice it. Yes, tats right. Virender sehwag has add the pull shot into his arsenal of shots. In the past, opposition bowlers shared the opinion of not giving the room for him to drive. Sehwag was target in the rib cage and he was cramped for space. Now that can't happen anymore.

Now with this adjustment, he game has become more complete. Now it the bowler turn to devise a contingency plan to counter this hurricane sehwag.

எப்படி போட்டாலும் அடிக்கறான் .......

Is the present Indian Cricket team the strongest ever!

Is the present Indian team the greatest ever?. It is very tricky question. As a die hard cricket fan, it is very tempting to say yes. But we need to realistically analyze their performance before coming to a reasonable conclusion. The recent performances have been very encouraging. Indians are on a roll, they have trounced almost every team that it has confronted with. Since the Asia cup final, we have comprehensively beaten Sri Lanka twice on their own turf. We have beaten Australia at home (2-0), England (both home and away), West Indies. The list is a bit lengthy.

If we look at the one day squad, it is perfectly balanced. We've never had such a wide range of stroke players who can clear the ropes at will. Sehwag, Yuvraj, Raina and Pathan fall in this category. On the flip side, we have players who can drop anchor and render solidity to batting. Sachin, Gambhir and Dhoni fall under this category. Sachin adds value to batting, even his presence can make youngsters charged up.

If we look at the bowling, we never had so much variety. A left arm swing bowler, a right arm express fast bowler, a couple of finger spinners and a couple of part timers. In my opinion, our bowling could be our weak link. We lack a perfect third seamer who is a match winner.

The real icing on the cake is having M.S.Dhoni as our captain . Unlike, other nondescript captains, he is charismatic and led the team from front. Moreover, he is cool headed and down to earth inspite of all the successes. We can clearly say that the team is safe hands.

Our test team is very solid but that is bound to undergo a period of transition after the departure of the heavy weights. As far the as the recent performances are concerned, everything is rosy. I guess, it is very premature to draw any conclusions. Our boys need to sustain the high performance for a long period of time.

Is it the beginning of the end of the Australian dominance in cricket ?

Sports have been a fascination for us since ages. Great athletes have also been great entertainers. Sportsperson are able to do difficult things quite easily, which would have been unimaginable for people like you and me. Novak Djokovic returning a Roger Federer serves without any fuss. Usain Bolt doing a 100 metres dash in 9.79 sec with a yawning gap. Bret lee bowling a delivery at 95 miles per hour and astonishing we find Rahul Dravid cover driving it for a boundary. So what separates the good from the great? What separates the great from the legend?

These are the questions which have tormented all connoisseurs of sports. The answer is that most of these sportspersons are naturally gifted. Every Tom, Dick and Harry can’t become Tiger Woods. If one can cover a Bret lee ball boundary which most us can’t even see it coming. So we have to accept the fact that these guys are naturally gifted. Another feature which differentiates the sportsperson is practice. They toil for hours to get the perfection. The feature of sportspersons can be their passion. They have an inherent drive, hunger which keeps them going. The important thing is that they are able to sustain that hunger and drive through out their career. We can understand from the fact Sachin Tendulkar is able to sustain the intensity for around 20 years.

It is understandable to find individuals dominating their sport for quite some time. But it is just incredible to find a team maintaining their dominance over a long period of time. We have seen the Brazilians dominate the game of football, West Indies dominate cricket for around two decades. Next is the Australian cricket team. Australian dominance can be dated back to early nineties under the captaincy of Allan Border. Border can be given credit for forming a solid team. Of course, the team under border can’t be called as invincible. But definitely it was a solid team. It went on to win the 1987 World cup. The Australian team gained a proper direction under the captaincy of Mark Taylor. It came close to winning the 1996 world cup. The Australian team became really ruthless under the captaincy of Steven Waugh. Steve was handy batsman. He advocated the concept of mental disintegration under which the bowlers and fielders were given a free rein to torment the batsmen with words. Obviously his team consisted of a bunch of talented, professional and great players. Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz were simply outstanding in bowling. These guys would probe into a batsmen’s weakness by relentlessly hitting the right areas.

Opening was in the hands of Mathew Hayden, Justin Langer. Both would invariably give a solid start to the proceedings. Ricky Ponting comes at number three who is considered on of the best batsmen in the world. Steven Waugh, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist yielded a solid middle order. During this period Australian dominance was almost taken for granted. Not many sides were able to challenge their supremacy. However Waugh’s team was not able to win a series in India which he famously termed it as the last frontier.

The next leader was Ricky Ponting. Ricky was able to maintain the supremacy to some extent. He was able to capture the last frontier. However the team started signs of weakness after the departure of great players like Glenn McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, and Langer. Their replacements were not able to emulate their worthy predecessors. Many weaknesses were brutally exposed. India sensing an opportunity handed them a 320 run defeat. It was Australia’s biggest defeat in around 18 years. The defeat was so comprehensive that the Indian dominated them in all departments of the game. It was also so humiliating that everyone is running for cover.

I’m sure the other teams are going to take inspiration from this point of inflection and bring the Australian hegemony to an end.