Red hot in the warm-ups

India's finest wicketkeeper takes guard again

He came. He saw. He conquered. He disappeared. He has returned. Sadanand Viswanath.

M&M, not so sweet

Sri Lanka 600 for 6. With more centurions than the average Roman regiment.

India 223 for 10. Following on, 138 for 10. Ajantha was tremendis. And Murali's balls, well clear of Hair, crashed through Indian reputations and defences with predictable regularity.

Mendis finished with 8. Murali finished with 11. And India were well, just finished.

We come back again in a few days for another contest between the Paper Tigers and the Lankan Lions. It starts at Galle on July 31, 2008, and will in all likelihood hardly resemble a contest. (Just for the record, 'Galle' and 'maul' rhyme. Please note that I pointed it out first)

Till then, click here for a blast from the past.

Happy New Year?

2007 is history now. The memories of the first test loss to Australia aren't. In just under 4 days, India were 1 down. If not anything else that gave them an extra day before the start of the next on a crowded tour.

I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the next test. I wonder if anyone on the team is. Happy New Year?

Sledging and the language barrier

Zaheer Khan. RP Singh. Ishant Sharma. Irfan Pathan. Pankaj Singh. The Indian pace attack does look a little raw but that can be remedied with a positive attitude and due diligence. People win Grand Slams in their teens, so I really don't see age being a reason for an average performance.

That's one aspect of the duel on hand. The other is the war of words. (Andrew Symonds must be licking his lips and getting cream in his mouth.)

How are the men in blue going to win that shoot-out? Let's assume for the moment that they are ready and willing to take the verbal attack to the Aussie camp. How? The Aussies understand English and nothing else. And if you've heard our bowlers at the end of a mike, you will know that their line of attack is baffling to say the least.

So what's the solution now? There isn't enough time to 'Learn English in 30 days'. But we might just be able to squeeze in the 4 letter words before the first test.

Merry Christmas.

The Bengal tiger at the dinner table

He's the only reason my mother watches cricket.

He's my dad's only example when he talks about Indian cricketers who have displayed evidence of a backbone.

He is the drift of conversation in our living room when the finest innings by an Indian is discussed - standing on the balcony at Lords, bare top, shirt in the air, Flintoff 1 - Dada 2.

So if there's anyone celebrating Sourav Chandidas Ganguly's return to monarchy in the Indian batting line-up, it's my parents. No, they aren't Chatterjees, Bannerjees or Mukherjees, but they do share a fondness for fish with the tribe. And of course, a very strong affection for Dada.