Ooops...Now I know what it is to have a foot in mouth.
Like most of so called pundits, even I had predicted it to be a close series when India went down under in the season of 2011-12. I felt India had sent the best team available & they were ready for the challenge. But how wrong I was.
Aussies not only thrashed India but they also put huge doubts in the minds of Dravids, Laxmans, Sehwags, Gambhirs & the Master Blaster himself. It was a huge drubbing Team India had received & coming it after whitewash by England, makes it all the more glaring & disappointing. Unbelievable results for Team India which was riding high on World Cup triumph & then beaten thoroughly first by England & then by Australia.
For me the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar in the First Innings of MCG was the crucial point & probably the series turning event. Had Master see through the day & came afresh next day who knows he could have got to that elusive 100th 100 & things could have been so different. But these are too many ifs & buts. The fact is India is beaten by a far superior team, 4-0.
With all due respect to pace battery of Australia, I still feel they are not as good as they made out to be with the kind of result they got. I feel they were hardly tested by Indian batting order & were hardly made to work hard for the wickets. They have shown tremendous discipline & consistency as per the plan. If I have to summarize the Aussie attack in one word, it should "Relentless".
Indian batsmen are left with huge doubts in their mind & complete lack of application during the series. It was abject surrender to the pressure created by relentless Aussie pace battery.
I hope the change in format might bring change in luck for Team India. I hope they play as the World Champion in the triangular series. I hope they are not bogged down by the Test series result but its easier said than done. I am hopeful because we have seen with this team they have the best bounce-back-ability amongst the team India has put on the park. I hope many fans of Team India would love to see their team put a good fight down under.
It remains to be see though.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
India-Australia 2011
In spite of being the greatest year , 2011, for Indian Cricket the India Australia series still holds its own charm.
It has received typical of a hype for clash of these two giants. It has been billed as a final chance for marquee Indian trio of Sachin, Dravid & Laxman to test the ultimate success in Test cricket. I believe it would be as sweet as one which Team India achieved on 2 April 2011, the WORLD CUP.
I believe the series would live up to the hype which has been created. It would really exciting to watch the Indian batters & Aussie bowlers. In the last decade & half this has always been the case. Every series is expected more or less on the same lines. The opposition bowling unit vs Indian batting unit. But I believe the Indian batsmen can only set the game up. It is up to the bowlers to win the match. The history says that to win test match in Australia you need combined efforts of bowling & batting unit. Very rarely a single brilliant performance has won a test match in Australia.
Even though Aussies are missing big names, they have loads of new comers, relatively newish spin bowler, aging seniors struggling for form & place in the team, it is never ever wise to write them off. Aussies anywhere are a team to beat & beating them in their own backyard is even more tougher. It has always been an uphill task, although recently England have given them bashing in the recent ashes, it's unlikely that they will be humiliated like that any time soon. In spite of their recent struggles, they are always a mighty tough unit & should not be belittled in any sense whatsoever.
Given all the facts, I firmly believe, this would be the ultimate chance for Team India to set the record straight. By now Aussie media, former players, experts would have declared the fate of the series & would have played mind games with opposition. But nothing of that sort has happened this time around. They are really busy sorting their own issues & not concentrating on playing mind games with opposition. Very unlike Aussies :)
Indian batsmen obviously will have plans to get a sound start & then capitalize on it. Build the runs & then pile up the pressure on Aussies. While bowling try sticking to line length & keep doing the basics right.
But....what the heck.............I will still enjoy getting up early in the morning. Switching the TV on with blurry eyes & then once you get the sight of Aussie grounds, just ENJOY.
Looking forward to this mighty good series..........Really
It has received typical of a hype for clash of these two giants. It has been billed as a final chance for marquee Indian trio of Sachin, Dravid & Laxman to test the ultimate success in Test cricket. I believe it would be as sweet as one which Team India achieved on 2 April 2011, the WORLD CUP.
I believe the series would live up to the hype which has been created. It would really exciting to watch the Indian batters & Aussie bowlers. In the last decade & half this has always been the case. Every series is expected more or less on the same lines. The opposition bowling unit vs Indian batting unit. But I believe the Indian batsmen can only set the game up. It is up to the bowlers to win the match. The history says that to win test match in Australia you need combined efforts of bowling & batting unit. Very rarely a single brilliant performance has won a test match in Australia.
Even though Aussies are missing big names, they have loads of new comers, relatively newish spin bowler, aging seniors struggling for form & place in the team, it is never ever wise to write them off. Aussies anywhere are a team to beat & beating them in their own backyard is even more tougher. It has always been an uphill task, although recently England have given them bashing in the recent ashes, it's unlikely that they will be humiliated like that any time soon. In spite of their recent struggles, they are always a mighty tough unit & should not be belittled in any sense whatsoever.
Given all the facts, I firmly believe, this would be the ultimate chance for Team India to set the record straight. By now Aussie media, former players, experts would have declared the fate of the series & would have played mind games with opposition. But nothing of that sort has happened this time around. They are really busy sorting their own issues & not concentrating on playing mind games with opposition. Very unlike Aussies :)
Indian batsmen obviously will have plans to get a sound start & then capitalize on it. Build the runs & then pile up the pressure on Aussies. While bowling try sticking to line length & keep doing the basics right.
But....what the heck.............I will still enjoy getting up early in the morning. Switching the TV on with blurry eyes & then once you get the sight of Aussie grounds, just ENJOY.
Looking forward to this mighty good series..........Really
Monday, March 14, 2011
Ind SA Match in Nagpur
12 March 2011
Today, I went to see the India-SA Match in Nagpur. The titan clash lived upto all the hype which was created before game. Only sad part was to see India loosing the humdinger.
Today, I went to see the India-SA Match in Nagpur. The titan clash lived upto all the hype which was created before game. Only sad part was to see India loosing the humdinger.
We all started preparing for watching this match well in advance. Train tickets were booked by Vipul, almost 2 months in advance. The guesthouse arrangement was made by Vaibahv. Last moment, I did arrangement of car in Nagpur, so all in all it was all-set. Me,Vaibhav, Vipul, Ajay, Vikas, Deven we all were very much excited to watch the action live.
I was bit extra excited to watch Team India in action in Nagpur. It was definitely an experience to cherish. I certainly enjoyed the Indian innings with Sachin & Sehwag going all out attack. Proteas were totally rattled by their attack. But let me not go into the match details, plenty of it has been written already & plenty to come may be…. :)
My two cherished moments of the day
- Singing National anthem with 45000 people was a great feeling. I got goose bumps.It was an amazing experience. Very difficult to put it in words.
- The moment Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored his 48th ODI Ton. When we all stood to give this great man applause, I had tears in my eyes. Isko hi bolate rahenge khushi ke aansoo….
Jeeyo mere bhagwan…jeeyo…Thanks again for lovely memories.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thank you Mpahsis.
24 Sept 2010
Today it was my last day at Mphasis. When I look back over last 3 years and a bit, I wonder as it was only few days ago.
I must confess that I felt sad while leaving the company. It really hit me while I was saying bye to all by BA group friends. It was tough.
It was indeed a great experience throughout and I met so many wonderful people during this time. Many of them went on to become good friends. Got a chance to travel to Australia, US , got a chance to work for some prestigious clients. Learnt good amount of things......what else I could have asked for. I got to interact with lot of brilliant people of varied background. It helped me a lot in moulding my thought process. It really helped me in becoming a better human being.
To start from the end, it was a wonderful send off given to me. Went to one of the plushest hotel around, had great food with great company. We cracked lot of jokes & laughed a lot. It was really very special for me that all of these wonderful folks came for the dinner. It was absolutely terrific. Its still sinking in.
Also I must mention my birthday cake was a very very pleasant surprise. All cakes & chocolates were neatly arranged & I was just called for snacks. Then I see whole of the GANG waiting for me. I must say I was absolutely stunned. So thanks guys for making a memorable birthday for me. When I joined back from onsite, I was bit skeptical about the whole group. But it was just matter of days before I got gelled with them so well.
The US trip prior to that was one of the finest phase in my professional life. It is definitely right up there at the top. Met some lovely people, made some good friends. I could not have asked for anything more from that.
Even the Aussie trip prior to US trip was great. Adelaide was more special as we were bunch of guys working on a project. It was great fun together & had gala time.
Thanks to all of those who made my tenure in Mphasis a memorable one.Throughout this tenure, I have really enjoyed my role. Got good rewards. Made good friends.
In all fairness I would say " I got more than I deserved".
Today it was my last day at Mphasis. When I look back over last 3 years and a bit, I wonder as it was only few days ago.
I must confess that I felt sad while leaving the company. It really hit me while I was saying bye to all by BA group friends. It was tough.
It was indeed a great experience throughout and I met so many wonderful people during this time. Many of them went on to become good friends. Got a chance to travel to Australia, US , got a chance to work for some prestigious clients. Learnt good amount of things......what else I could have asked for. I got to interact with lot of brilliant people of varied background. It helped me a lot in moulding my thought process. It really helped me in becoming a better human being.
To start from the end, it was a wonderful send off given to me. Went to one of the plushest hotel around, had great food with great company. We cracked lot of jokes & laughed a lot. It was really very special for me that all of these wonderful folks came for the dinner. It was absolutely terrific. Its still sinking in.
Also I must mention my birthday cake was a very very pleasant surprise. All cakes & chocolates were neatly arranged & I was just called for snacks. Then I see whole of the GANG waiting for me. I must say I was absolutely stunned. So thanks guys for making a memorable birthday for me. When I joined back from onsite, I was bit skeptical about the whole group. But it was just matter of days before I got gelled with them so well.
The US trip prior to that was one of the finest phase in my professional life. It is definitely right up there at the top. Met some lovely people, made some good friends. I could not have asked for anything more from that.
Even the Aussie trip prior to US trip was great. Adelaide was more special as we were bunch of guys working on a project. It was great fun together & had gala time.
Thanks to all of those who made my tenure in Mphasis a memorable one.Throughout this tenure, I have really enjoyed my role. Got good rewards. Made good friends.
In all fairness I would say " I got more than I deserved".
Saturday, June 5, 2010
My First "Parent Meeting"
June 5, 2010
Wow....I must say it was a very very unique experience to attend first parent teacher interaction meeting at Rutuja's school.
The school authorities gave all the right signals to start with. They assured all the parents that kids are in absolutely safe hands. They explained the curriculum and went on to explain how they will be going about it. It was very satisfying experience listening to those talks. A small session of meditation also helped a great deal in settling the goose bumps of many parents.
The teachers , whole lot of them around 15-20 also sang couple of songs & danced on those songs. This was just to demonstrate what the school activities would be like. Teachers also asked us, the parents to join them in singing & dancing. It was a good fun.
Then the floor was thrown open for the queries and questions from parents. The parents were a mixed lot. Some of them have come alone like me, some of them with their kid, some of them were both mom n dad, some of them with their grandparents.
Only commonality between all of us was we all were very nervous, very anxious, very enthusiastic. Many of us were first time parents who would be sending their kids to school. So it was a very common feeling for most of us. Understandably every body wanted to ensure that their wards will get the best of facilities along with best of environment.
Questions ranged from absolutely useless to very intelligent. But all of them were very informative. I left the session 15 minutes ahead of the closure to finish school dress shopping & fees for bus transport.
I did not realize the start of another new innings. Now I am a father of a school going child. Wow that sounds really nice :-)
I returned home with a very satisfied feeling that I have made a good decision to get Rutuja into this school. I hope that feeling will last till my sweetie pie finishes her schooling.
Wow....I must say it was a very very unique experience to attend first parent teacher interaction meeting at Rutuja's school.
The school authorities gave all the right signals to start with. They assured all the parents that kids are in absolutely safe hands. They explained the curriculum and went on to explain how they will be going about it. It was very satisfying experience listening to those talks. A small session of meditation also helped a great deal in settling the goose bumps of many parents.
The teachers , whole lot of them around 15-20 also sang couple of songs & danced on those songs. This was just to demonstrate what the school activities would be like. Teachers also asked us, the parents to join them in singing & dancing. It was a good fun.
Then the floor was thrown open for the queries and questions from parents. The parents were a mixed lot. Some of them have come alone like me, some of them with their kid, some of them were both mom n dad, some of them with their grandparents.
Only commonality between all of us was we all were very nervous, very anxious, very enthusiastic. Many of us were first time parents who would be sending their kids to school. So it was a very common feeling for most of us. Understandably every body wanted to ensure that their wards will get the best of facilities along with best of environment.
Questions ranged from absolutely useless to very intelligent. But all of them were very informative. I left the session 15 minutes ahead of the closure to finish school dress shopping & fees for bus transport.
I did not realize the start of another new innings. Now I am a father of a school going child. Wow that sounds really nice :-)
I returned home with a very satisfied feeling that I have made a good decision to get Rutuja into this school. I hope that feeling will last till my sweetie pie finishes her schooling.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Adios...
19 April 2010
Today I will be leaving for Mumbai India after 18 months of stay in USA. It has been a wonderful journey for last 18 months or so. I still feel that it's not long ago that that I had left from home. I never knew that life would be so nice especially in this foreign land. But God has been very kind to me that I got so many good friends and so many nice things happened to me in this stay.
I never imagined that I would be away from Mumbai for this long. The longest was 3 months of stay in Japan but that too was long for me. It's been really rich experience both in terms of professional as well as personal front.
In nutshell met huge number of nice people & was so lucky to have so many of them as my friends. It was really fantastic experiecne.
If I had to summarize whole trip in one word, that would be "AWESOME"
Thank you all.
Today I will be leaving for Mumbai India after 18 months of stay in USA. It has been a wonderful journey for last 18 months or so. I still feel that it's not long ago that that I had left from home. I never knew that life would be so nice especially in this foreign land. But God has been very kind to me that I got so many good friends and so many nice things happened to me in this stay.
I never imagined that I would be away from Mumbai for this long. The longest was 3 months of stay in Japan but that too was long for me. It's been really rich experience both in terms of professional as well as personal front.
In nutshell met huge number of nice people & was so lucky to have so many of them as my friends. It was really fantastic experiecne.
If I had to summarize whole trip in one word, that would be "AWESOME"
Thank you all.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
First double hundred in ODI ........Sachin paaji tussi great ho
Today 24 Feb 2010 is a really special day in ODI history.
In almost 40 years of ODI there was never an occasion when batsman reached this coveted landmark.
But today Sachin Tendulkar, perhaps the most fitting of them all went on to achieve another milestone. He became first batsman to score a double hundred in ODI innings. Scoring of 25 Fours in this innings was also another of the record.
Thank you Sachin ........you give us tremendous joy when you score runs in cricket. We always want you to do well & you always give it back to us.
Thanks for dedicating this innings to Indians who have followed your career for last 20 years.
In almost 40 years of ODI there was never an occasion when batsman reached this coveted landmark.
But today Sachin Tendulkar, perhaps the most fitting of them all went on to achieve another milestone. He became first batsman to score a double hundred in ODI innings. Scoring of 25 Fours in this innings was also another of the record.
Thank you Sachin ........you give us tremendous joy when you score runs in cricket. We always want you to do well & you always give it back to us.
Thanks for dedicating this innings to Indians who have followed your career for last 20 years.
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