Deja who?

After watching Dhoni put his match winning fifty together yesterday, I had this unmistakeable sense of deja vu.

And then it came to me.

Javed Miandad.

Holier than thou

Bastard can be forgiven.

Monkey cannot.

This can only happen in Australia.

Putting the monkey on the other shoulder

Bhajji went from a 3.3 offense to 2.8, and from a 3 test ban to losing 50% of his match fee.

Symonds went from being equally involved in the words exchanged to being let off scot free. That's the same offense for which Bhajji was fined.

Who, tell me, is the respected judge in this court? I'd like to press a charge of racial discrimination.

Jumbo vs the Li'l Master

On January 21, 2007

Sachin T
145 test matches
235 innings
11616 runs
Sachin's latest stats

Anil K
124 test matches
223 innngs
603 wickets
Anil's latest stats

Now I'd like to apply the popularly accepted conversion of wickets to runs.
5 wickets = 100 runs
So Anil Kumble's 603 puts him a tad over 12000 runs, which is a few tads more than Sachin Tendulkar in a few less matches.

I've just cast my vote on who I think is India's greatest cricketer. What do you think?

When in doubt, let's ask Ricky

Much has been said in the last few days about racism in cricket. Fingers have been pointed and decisions handed out. Opinions are everywhere. Culprits of the past have magically transformed into upholders of everything sacred, as they sermonise from the safety of the commentary box.

However, brushed under the carpet amidst the charge of racism is an equally important issue. Dishonesty, or to put it crudely, cheating. Both Ponting and Clarke claimed catches when the ball had clearly been grounded in the process of taking the catch. Isn't that bringing the game to disrepute? Isn't that putting to shame the cricketing fraternity and the Australian nation? Dishonesty is as deplorable as racism. While the charge against Harbhajan remains unsubstantiated, the evidence of poor sportsmanship is clearly visible in several replays. Ponting was guilty and so was the 'pup' who is expected to follow in his footsteps as the captain of the Baggy Greens.

I wonder what the ICC plans to do about it. It's simply not fair to ask an umpire to be accountable for a wrong decision, when players go scot-free for deliberately misleading them.

And if wrong appealing wasn't bad enough, the players in question also turn up at the press conference and deny any knowledge of what happened, profess fair play and lay the onus on the umpires. Ponting even went as far as asking a journalist, "Are you questioning my integrity?".

I wonder what Ricky thought the whole matter was about.

Ponting's actions have brought not just the game, but also the Australian nation, to serious disrepute. India has only lost a test match. Australia has lost face.

Icky Ponting

It's amply clear from these 2 videos that Ponting's claim that the Aussies play 'fair and hard' is a load of nonsense. It also places conclusive evidence on the table of Ponting's high standards of honesty. He ought to be recommended for sainthood.

Saint Ponting. How does that sound?

I like Icky Ponting better.

More examples of how the Aussies play 'fair and hard'

The Aussies seem to think they play fair and hard. Match referees seem to agree. What do you think?

Slater vs Dravid


McGrath vs Sarwan


Symonds vs Pathan


Greig puts McGrath on the spot


The Australian media point of view


And finally a funny look at it all

Able replacements for Warne and McGrath

The Australian team may have lost Warne and McGrath to retirement but they've discovered new talent from entirely unexpected quarters. Bucknor and Benson.

Shame shame, puppy shame

TV replays threw up a lot of doubts. But Michael 'pup' Clarke had none. Then Ponting raised the finger. Benson nodded. And Ganguly returned reluctantly.

Earlier it was Ponting. A ball comes off Dhoni's pad. Ponting dives to catch it. Appeals. Replays show the ball touching the grass as he landed. Ponting appeals again. This time on behalf of his integrity.

Seems quite apt that Clarke is slated to be Ponting's successor at the helm of the team from Down Under.

Men of the Match?

I simply fail to understand why Andrew Symonds was declared the man-of-the-match in the second test at Sydney. He contribution to Australia's victory was marginal when compared to some others on the field.

In my humble opinion the 2 men whose performances turned the game on its head are Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson. Surely they deserve the prize.

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?

The Rawalpindi Express takes a detour. Now to run around trees.

Looks like 'CHUCK DE' might still happen. The Express from Rawalpindi famous for throwing tantrums among other things round and red, has apparently signed up a Bollywood flick. Ho, ho, ho. It's called Mein aur Meri Himmat and will be directed by Sanghamita Chaudhri. Let's give her a big hand, and a bravery award.

You have to read this.

Sreesanth. Cold shouldered?

We know that Sreesanth won't be running in Down Under when the first test commences on Boxing Day (Dec 26). But he's all set to bowl for his home state in a Ranji Trophy game which starts a day earlier.

Doesn't look like a shoulder injury does it?

Click here for more on this smelly rat.

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.