World Cup glory beckons!!!

And the world cup season is nearing its business end. it is only fitting that the world's current top teams are set to battle it out for the glory. Between New Zealand and South Africa, they have been in 9 semi-finals and haven't won a game yet. Whereas both India and Australia have tasted success at highest levels more than any other teams ever have and find themselves in familiar territory with crunch games. so it all comes down to the cliché- "who can hold the nerves and play well that day". 

Interesting contests can’t be overseen here. 2 typically attacking captains and probably the most dangerous batsmen in world cricket - Mccullum and de villiers would steam it out to make it to their first final in cwc. Insane swing of boult vs breath-taking stroke play of de villiers. The fury of Steyn vs the audacity of Mccullum. The canny spin of Vettori vs the might of millers and duminys. It’s really gonna be worth the prices for the audiences. 

And then, there are 2 composed captains who have their own subtle way of bringing in a calmness into their teams, fight it out to see who comes out on top. yet again. MSD vs Clarke. Rohit & dhawan against Starc & co. Shami vs Warner. Verbal duels and heated battles on field. Can't get any better these 2 semis. Recent records certainly weigh in favour of the Aussies but India's new found energy and rhythm could hurt Clarke's men. Heart says India. But would definitely want to see either of NZ or SA lift the trophy for its time they did with the talents they possess and I certainly love both de villliers and Baz. Hopefully nature doesn't throw its bad spell against SA again. Lets keep our fingers crossed and wait for a week’s time to know who its gonna be!!

- DC

The curious case of Rohit Sharma

Five seasons of IPL had gone by and the "under achievers" tag had been stuck to a team with a collection of superstars that would often fail on big nights. But came the sixth season, and the team saw itself change to a champion side that absorbed pressure and overcame it. Mumbai Indians has finally won an IPL title and are no longer under achievers. Everyone knows how events would normally turn up in an IPL final. An opposition such as CSK would apply pressure, and invariably the oponents would cave in. Not the case this year. (Neither was it last year.) For the second time in two years, CSK failed to clear the final hurdle. For MI, credit largely needs to be given to their new found leader, Rohit Sharma.

This leaves an interesting case on hand. When Gautam Gambhir captained KKR to their first IPL trophy in 2012, there were suggestions he was a possible replacement for MSD. Sehwag was in the race too, being the then deputy. But their recent woes in form have possibly left them both out of contention. It seems so unlikely that they would even be seen in Indian colours again. Raina has done well as a stand-in, in whatever opportunities he has got.  Kohli with all his aggression and intensity has shown that he is ready to take things over from MSD. Yet, temperament (or the lack of ) has left him in dire straits off late. For a time unheard, there was a steady rise of Rohit Sharma, deputy to captain for the MI in IPL for last 2 years. Failure of Ponting led to Rohit taking over and it has been a fairly tale since then. 

It is hard to believe that Rohit Sharma made his international debut as many as six years ago. Still not a regular in the Indian XI. But we may assume that some realisation has dawned on him. Perhaps missing out on the 2011 World Cup squad had stirred him into a better fitness regime. What followed was match winning performances against Westindies. But again as you would always expect from Rohit Sharma, a period of rut followed in Australia and Srilanka. Every failure weighed him down further and further. For all the elegance, he may bat like a dream, but a few failures and the shoulders will drop even more, and the give away expression will reappear. 

This IPL, he was in charge of a side comprising some of the best men to ever play international cricket and has succeeded as leader. He showed glimpses of MSD with his changes on field. Admittedly, he had an army of legends for a think-tank. While that means he would have never been short of ideas and suggestions, it could also have been detrimental, if he were hesitant to take his own decisions. Rohit is understood to have listened to everyone, and then gone by his gut feeling. And while doing all that, he also had his best IPL season with the bat.

As special as a player might be, he can only excel when he accepts and starts believing how good he actually is. And so he did. "I like to keep things simple and trust my instinct," he has said. "We have so many guys who have led their teams in international cricket and they're always there for me with advice and support. I get inputs from all of them but the final decisions are left to me." He definitely took vital calls on the field. No matter what you discuss in meetings it is up to the captain to come up with substantial moves on field and he did that to good effect. Holding your own among such institutions, and having a trophy to show for it, has to be a significant confidence booster for a young man. But can he translate that confidence into success as a batsman in the international stage is there to be seen. For now, (even if it is early) we may still believe that we have an able successor for MSD.

- DC

Courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo

10 reasons why I like the Chennai Super Kings (by hbkniranjan)

There is a lot of bullshitting about the Chennai Super Kings over how they make it to the playoffs every season. N Srinivasan scripts all of CSK’s wins from his bathroom, politics, blah blah blah. While there is no denying that the IPL is full of controversy, why is that CSK always paraded as the team to hate just because they are so good? Now, I am from the same state but that’s not the reason why I like the CSK.

CSK: Giants of the IPL

  

1. CSK is the only team to embrace the concept of a domestic league in the right way. There is a very CHENNAI flavor in every aspect of CSK. The ‘Whistle Podu’ theme belongs to Chennai. Isn’t there one flavor that you can connect to a Mumbai or a Kolkatta or a Jaipur?

2. CSK is the only team to have embraced the concept of a club properly. Faf Du Plessis was an unknown when CSK signed him 2 years ago. Now he’s our leading scorer. That’s what successful EPL teams to. That’s what we do.

  

3. The dressing room of CSK is widely known as the happiest of all in IPL teams. The pranks, the way newcomers are made comfortable is a mark of great teams.

  

4. When CSK plays and a batsman hits a four, they don’t have to show Shah Rukh Khan clapping, when a six is hit, they don’t have to show the Shetty sisters hugging or when a batsman gets out they don’t have to show Priety Zinta cussing and discussing strategy with the coach. It’s strictly the players and the fans and that’s how it should be. The lesser the distractions, the better the team.

  

5. After the incident involving Shah Rukh Khan at the Wankhede Stadium, Juhi Chawla was quoted as saying “If today Shah Rukh Khan were to get upset and quit the IPL I wonder if there’d be any people watching the matches… in Wankhede or any stadium.” Seriously, if Wankhede comes to watch Shah Rukh Khan rather than Sachin’s batting, then God save cricket.

  

6. Despite the dash of IPL, Chennai still and will remain the most knowledgeable of all crowds in India. That’s a mark of fans who will remain loyal to CSK all life. If you think about it you will understand what I am saying. Remember, Sachin was booed once in Mumbai. That will never happen to any cricketer in Chennai (Except Virat Kohli when he plays for RCB)

  

7. As a team, CSK is not dependent on one player like how RCB have in Gayle and Kolkatta in Gambir. Every time we find some player finishing it in tight situations. Morkel, Bravo, Dhoni, it’s a finishing line up to dream.

  

8. One of the most important factors is how well the local lads and generally the Indian players have played for us. Vijay, Badri, Anirudha, Ashwin and Balaji have all won games for us. Name one team that has so many local lads in their team and doing well. Add to that Raina and Dhoni. So the over dependence on overseas players is negated in CSK.

  

9. Harsha Bhogle tweeted this after the last season win he said “Eventually the best team, the best organized, the best selected and the best led won the IPL and that is how it should be”. Need anything more to say.

10. Actually, there is one more thing to say… “We are the Bloody Champs”! Distracters talk about N Srinivasan’s role in the team and his influence as the BCCI’s big fish. Let me clarify. His India Cements Company is involved with cricket for 60 years now. They are responsible for bringing up players like Rahul Dravid. So here’s the thing… N Srinivasan is the president of the most powerful cricket board in the world. Would you credit every Indian Win as his script?

MSD, the magicain at work!!!

Here's the one who negotiates the 22 yards like 64 squares. 

Cricket means a lot to Indian fans. While we normally go berserk in celebrating hard earned victories, the celebrations turn manifold when it comes against an Aussie side or Pakistan for whatever reason it may be. Yet it is, but a wonder when we get to see MS Dhoni react to wins, be it in an international game or an IPL game. A subtle smile and a mild sense of relief is all what we get to witness from our captain cool. 

But I'm sure none of us would have missed on noticing that extra enthusiasm in his celebration after India wrapped up the second test against the Aussies a couple of months back at Hyderabad (of course we had once witnessed an outburst from the captain when he led CSK to an improbable win against Kings XI in IPL 2010 which was an exception). What normally would be a smile followed by the uprooting of a stump for his souvenir collection turned out to be quite fan like. The reason - it was extra special. He pumped his fist in celebration and exchanged hi-fives, he showed it meant a lot to him too and it certainly did. With that victory, he became the most successful India Test captain. Some may have found it hard to believe (as a hardcore fan of Dada, I did), but he surpassed Sourav Ganguly's record of 21 test wins. 

Over the course of his career, "the Captain Cool" image seems to have run out. Not that he has lost his cool now but then a transformation to being a committed leader has taken fore. A visibly pro-active, attacking and more involved leader who seems to be reinventing himself at every turn with both captaincy and the bat. The circumstances off late have forced Dhoni to discover a more urgent, inspiring manner in which to lead this young Indian cricket team. Under any situation, he doesn't disclose too much which would let opposition know about what's going on in his mind. I just doubt if his own teammates have any idea of what he's thinking. He has probably got the best cricketing brains around which we so often hear from most cricket experts. Captaining, batting at death, standing up to pace bowlers; he does it all and yet excels in his own way and lets all his critics in awe. 

Over the last couple of years or so, Dhoni has wielded his willow tremendously under pressure to win matches for not just India but also for his side in the Indian Premier League. It is so astonishing to witness his ability to score winning runs in dying moments of the matches, when all chips are down. As a one off it is remarkable enough, but the fact is that Dhoni keeps doing this time and again - in ODIs, in IPL matches, even in world cup finals, and the stage doesn't get any bigger than that. You watch him and marvel at his skill and bravado and unrelenting consistency. There is this total certainty in his body language, which is intensely reassuring to his team-mates and utterly demoralizing to his opponents.

While chasing down big totals, he often chooses to leave it a little late (getting things too close for comfort) or we may think so but the fact remains that he makes his final assault then and leads his side to victory with his typical calmness. (Giving a glimpse of hope of a win for the opponents and then snatching it right away seems a bit cruel though). Many critics have stressed on finishing things off early but that doesn't deter MSD from what he does best. Wait and strike a late assault. And if you think he does it to only bowlers of little reputation; you are mistaken. He has done it to the best in business. The Malingas, Steyns, Andersons, Ajmals... have all got their share from him.

There is an inevitability in what he is going to do. All his opponents exactly know what his intentions are. And yet they seem inert, and he is unstoppable, almost invincible, fueled as he is by the power of positive thought and calmness which is bound to cast the opposition in utter stress. He is a magician wagging his wand not only on his fielders but also on the minds of his haters. He turns them all into liking him over the course and he does it with a touch of elegance which is not a feature of his batting. You can but admire him for what he is and what he does in the cricketing field. 

For time to come, lets hope his magic continues to take Indian cricket to great heights.

- DC