The Great Indian Debacle

Or is it?? I must ask -- who honestly thought India was going to bring back the T20 World Cup for a second year in a row?! Sure, we were optimistic, we had high hopes, and some of us even found the time to pray that they would do so. It only takes one look at India's T20 record since the 2007 triumph to realize India's true place in the world of T20. They lost 3 of the 5 T20 internationals they played between the two World Cups, including 2 consecutive losses to New Zealand during their recent tour to the Kiwiland. In both those matches, it was India's star-studded batting line-up that fell apart, bar a face-saving innings in each match from Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh respectively. Moving on to the IPL, how many Indian players really stood out and consistently performed throughout the tournament?? It was the foreign contingent that stole the show in South Africa, and our desi boys tumbled into oblivion, with the Delhi duo of Sehwag and Gambhir leading the way.

The fall-out from the WC will go on for weeks and weeks to come, until and unless the Indian team redeems itself during its tour of the West Indies next month. Two years ago, we were heaping praises galore on MS Dhoni for his calm and innovative style of captaincy that helped us bring home the inaugural T20 WC. Now, the very same man, on the very same stage, is being crucified mercilessly for some suspect decisions, which, had they turned out successful, would have been hailed as inspired. Instead, they didn't work -- it's that simple. Yes, he took a gamble by promoting Ravindra Jadeja. It was like giving Joginder Sharma that last over against Pakistan in the final two years ago -- the difference being that move worked, this move didnt. Such decisions need to be made, and when they don't work, the captain has to take responsibility. As such, although MSD must shoulder a significant portion of the blame for India's loss, I wouldn't really play him out as the villain in the whole episode.

Nasser Hussain put it rightly: The Indians are out of this World Cup because they have been technically found out - they cannot handle short-pitched deliveries. Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma looked completely out of sorts with the ball nipping around and over their shoulder. The team failed to follow the golden rule of T20 - NO DOT BALLS, rotate the strike! Ravindra Jadeja, that was for u, in case u didnt get it! And finally, and not the least, the 10 wides that Harbhajan gave away was what I think made the difference ultimately - they were completely needless, and moreover, atrociously careless by a bowler of the class and quality of Harbhajan Singh.

Well, MSD could've looked at his own advertisements for guidance:
1. He could've used his Aircel Pocket Internet for Facebook and listened to the FB users!!
2. Or else he should've gone for PSPO - Promote Singh, Produce Onslaught! :D

Anyway, in a way, I'm glad the Indian team lost out on the T20 World Cup this time.....I want them to save the magic for 2011, the big WC, in our own country. Hopefully they can carry the momentum they have generated in the ODI arena through and be a little consistent, because I believe this is probably the best chance we shall have of winning the ODI World Cup, even more than 2003. Save the hype and hoopla for 2011 folks!!

Until the next (post i.e, not year!)..

Wazzzup...!

It's been a while since my last post (again!) so I thought I'd just stop by on my blog to say "Wazzzup people!". Nothing much, u say?? Same here guys....same here...! This is precisely why blogging is such a difficult art.....it's so frustrating to try and come up with something to write about again and again and again......I truly admire folks who post something on their blog virtually every day, sometimes every hour almost! I guess its a testament to the kind of life they lead....a life on the fast lane, an endless adventure, days filled with moments to capture and share with the world. Sometimes it makes me sit back and wonder where my life is leading me, and whether I'm on the right track. The transition from a student to a working professional seems to have made me reach new levels of laziness at home -- I just cannot remember when was the last time I stuck to a resolution I made, whether it was to start preparing for GMAT and CAT (I make a new resolution on this pretty much everyday!), or to take a course to boost my skill set, or even hitting the gym! There always seemed to be something to look forward to which made me continuously postpone my plans -- the Mahabaleshwar trip, the Goa trip, the endless movies and serials I've watched over the months, weekends hanging out with friends etc. Now, with no more major outings in the foreseeable future, and with the serials I follow wrapping up their latest season, I think it's about time I seriously get down to business and start my preparations!! Movies could be a problem, with a host of films set to hit the silver screen now that the producers' strike is over, but I'll work my way around it hopefully.

It's BAU (Business As Usual) at work....although it is indeed sad to see so many good friends leave the company in pursuit of a brighter career - Anupam (will miss all the games of TT we've played over the months, and of course all the "shots" we've shared!), Nipun (always brought out the fun element in our group and has been part of the best memories of batch 3 in the last 10 months, really sad to see you go bro!) and Liana (one of the hottest chicks in our office whose amazing wit and spontaneity will be sorely missed). I wish them all the very best in their respective careers, and a prosperous and fun-filled life ahead.

Hearty congratulations to Kavita on her wedding, and a big thank-you for having us over to share the joy! It really was a fantastic day yesterday, getting together with the guys from college and making the trip down to Satara. A lot of great moments and memories from the trip - Sanjay's "30th ko delivery hai" remark still has us roaring with laughter!! Dude, don't even attempt to take anyone's case, it will definitely backfire on you!! Seeing everyone again was indeed wonderful, and I hope we can get together every now and then and plan an outing (not just plan one, actually go for one!!). On another note, it is so weird seeing people getting married at such a young age, before they've had any time to settle into their career! I mean, if the timing of Deepika's marriage last year wasn't enough, just yesterday I came to know that one of my juniors in college got married during her Preparatory Leave for her exams, even before she had passed out of engineering! I guess that tradition of early marriages is here to stay in society for a long time.

I guess that's it for now....btw I wanted to mention that appearances on Orkut henceforth would be extremely rare....I'm full-on into Facebook now!! FB rules hands down! I urge everyone who is yet to join FB, to do so asap, and enjoy! The applications and games on FB are really awesome and blow away anything Orkut has to offer. No wonder Google is on the backfoot in the social-networking domain, and has resorted to the soon-to-launch Google Wave to win back their customers. Anyway, until the next..