Shera bades Goodbye.....Closing Ceremony of CWG 2010

The 19th Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi from 3rd to the 14th Oct'10, had a total of 6081 athletes representing 71 Nations competing in 272 various events. This was the largest ever international multi sport event till date to be staged in India.
In the end, our athletes at the CWG did us more than proud by securing the No 2 spot just behind Australia, as the Games came to a glittering end. The hosts had broken the 100 medals barrier, with a rich haul of 38 golds. There were many super stars for us. Gagan Narang, the golden boy in shooting, Deepika Kumari in archery, Sushil Kumar in wrestling, Somdev in tennis, Sarath-Saha in table tennis, Krishna Poonia in discus, Paramjit in boxing, Saina Nehwal in badminton.......& many more.

There was remarkable determination & desire to perform in the Indian contingent & the final rewards & medals total is a testimony to their efforts. The only black spot would the the failed dope test by Rani Yadav, though this did not change the medals tally.  

After the administration & the officials(read Kalmadi & his cohorts) had shamed us in front of the world, even before the games had started, the sports persons brought us glory, their sweat & toil on the turf, reaping rich dividends.
Our women athletes deserve a special mention for their grit & never give up attitude that would have surprised many & it was finally the winning gold by Saina Nehwal, coming from behind, that pipped us to the 2nd position.
The mens hockey team played well to reach the finals, beating Pakistan & England on the way, but were completely bulldozed by the Aussies, losing 8-0...one of the worst defeats. Similar disappointments were from Sania Mirza, Leander Paes - Mahesh Bhupati, on whom we all had pegged our medal hopes.

The closing ceremony had all the light & glitz as the stadium bathed in multiple colours all over. But it lacked the spark of the opening ceremony. The music was average at best, & I was quite surprised to hear Waka Waka being played here.....the theme song of World Cup football was certainly a surprising misfit.....Rehman's music was also quite disappointing.....
Long boring speeches by jokers like Kalmadi (he was booed throughout), were a complete sham....

Now that the games are over, there should be an enquiry commission immediately to bring people like Kalmadi to book & serve an example against corrupt officials.
Hopefully the deserving athletes will now get better facilities to practice, so that they can perform better in the future competitions.....

Commonwealth Games now head to Glasgow, Scotland, which will host the 20th edition of the Games in 2014........

No 1 without a doubt....India rules Test Cricket !!!

India retained its No 1 status in test cricket, as Dhoni's men outclassed Ponting's punters at Bangalore to win the much touted Indo - Aussies series 2-0 in a complete whitewash. The once mighty Aussies are now languishing at No 5 in the rankings. Something that's going to hurt them for a long time to come.

On the last day, when Ponting had set India a tricky target of 207, there were a few worried brows in the Indian dressing room. The pitch was behaving erratic & the ball was suddenly jumping up or keeping low. The tension built up further, when Sehwag got out cheaply & the Aussies had their tails up.
The next man walking in was Cheteshwar Pujara, the debutant, who had failed in the 1st innings, & it looked a recipe for disaster. In the commentary box, as well as in the stands, people gasped at seeing this young man in, instead of the experienced Wall, Rahul Dravid. But this young Turk, who has been scoring runs at will & aplomb in the domestic matches, looked defiant & confident. He launched into a counter attack, which left the mighty Aussies completely bewildered. With Murali Vijay first & then with Sachin, he stroked India back into the game & by the time he was out for a brilliant 72 runs, India were firmly back on track. Veterans Sachin & Rahul completed the run chase with ease & Ponting was left wondering what else he could've done. He still remains win less in India.

In Cheteshwar Pujara, India has found a solid bat, who can be an able replacement to Dravid, in the near future. Pujara, shows uncanny confidence & plays with a very straight bat. He has been scoring, rather plundering runs at will in the domestic circuit as well as playing for India A overseas. For him today the pressure was more of an opportunity, which he grasped with both hands.
Some credit should go to Ganguly, who sighted this talent & played him for KKR in the IPL. Though the shorter format did not give him much success, the former Indian skipper has been strongly recommending Pujara for the National side. He must be proud to see one more of his finds do justice to the National Cap. Ganguly has also predicted left arm pacer J Unadkat as the next big name in the Indian bowling attack, who also has been given exposure through KKR. Who knows, Ganguly may yet serve the country , as the Talent Hunt head, getting in young rookies, who would carry India with laurels ahead.

Meanwhile, Sachin has been virtually unstoppable this year. The Man of the Match & Series was a certainty for him as he regained the No 1 position the tests batting since 2002. Going beyond 14000 runs, scoring his 49 test century, aggregating  a stupendous 99.5 for this year till now, Sachin has been enjoying probably the best patch of his career, as records keep tumbling one after the other.

Ajab Test match ki Gajab Kahani.....Very Very Special !!!!

At a time, when in world cricket, test matches are fast losing their sheen & shine to pacy one dayers & T20s, the just concluded test match between the Aussies & India at Mohali, would most certainly bring crowds flocking back.
It has been one of the finest test matches in recent times, as fortunes swayed from one team to the other, & eventually ended in a fairy tale victory for the Indians.

Ricky Ponting, the Aussie skipper, has not won a single test match in India, since he has taken over the Captain's role & could most certainly put the blame on VVS Laxman....their nemesis in chief over a decade now.

Chasing a seemingly easy target of 216 runs, the much touted Indian batting line up had run into trouble at the end of the 4th day with scores of 55 for 4 at stumps. With Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid & Raina back in the dressing room, it was all left to Sachin to guide India home on the 5th day, hopefully in the company of Dhoni & probably Bhajji, as Laxman was nursing a bad back ache, which had kept him indisposed in the game till now. When Sachin fell after a restrained 38, & Dhoni and Bhajji failed as well, the score was reading a miserable 124 for 8....defeat looming large in India's face.....Ponting & company just about waiting to wrap things up......I dare say, there were very few takers for India, with Laxman at the other end of the crease. But "cometh the hour, cometh the man", & Laxman seemed determined as ever to rewrite a fairy tale....something which has now become like a habit for him, especially against the Aussies. He was firmly in the middle, with Raina as a runner, determined to pull away an incredible & seemingly impossible win from the marauding Australians. He probably was the only one who believed in this possibility.
In Ishant Sharma, he found an able company & they both scripted one of the most fascinating fight backs ever, stitching together an unbelievable partnership of 81 runs. While Laxman kept the scoreboard ticking with his customary & wristy touch of the willow, Ishant was actually defiant, facing 92 deliveries & scoring 31 runs as well !!!!! Stupendous performance, when you realise that his batting prowess in tests till now has been miserable to say the least. It was as if he was possessed by some supernatural powers...as anything the Aussie bowlers tried on him met with a straight & steady bat.
When Ishant finally got out LBW to Hilfenhaus,(replays show he was clearly not out!!!) India were still 11 runs away from an impossible victory, & in walked Pragyan Ojha, with all the 11 Aussie players breathing down his neck...... nails biting seemed to the most appropriate action for sitting in the stadium.....the tension was palpable.
With 6 runs needed, Ojha looked all at sea & was probably out to a Mitchell Johnson delivery, rapping him on his pads dead in front of the stumps, but umpire Billy Bowden's crooked finger did not come up & an overthrow resulted on a boundary & then 2 leg byes brought up the winning runs.
The Australians, looked completely shattered.......they had looked so secured to win this test & Dhoni's men had snatched the victory from their clutches.....Laxman standing tall & broad....73 unbeaten runs.....one more Very Very Special victory.....one more Laxman rekha saving India the blues !!!!
One more fairy tale crooning India's way....

However, there have been a lot of blips in this match. Umpiring has been atrocious.....especially, when you see that the two men in charge are among the best in business.
Fielding woes of India, especially behind the stumps has been alarming.
The much touted Indian batting, looks brittle & uneasy...especially against the chin music. It still banks heavily on the ageing shoulders of Sachin, Dravid, Laxman & Sehwag. India should thank their stars, that Bollinger was unfit in the last innings, & the Aussies sorely missed his away deliveries.

The man of the match award went to Zaheer, for his match haul of eight wickets. However, like millions across the globe, I was shocked to see Laxman denied of this accolade....he was the one who brought about an improbable victory...& that's what matters....
Its sad that someone like Laxman, who has probably won India more matches than the colourful & flashy stars, has never found the fancy of media or endorsements. He remains the silent crusader, who rises like a phoenix amongst the ruins & scripts the most unbelievable victories....fairly tales come alive...

VVS.....you will remain in our hearts, ever & always.....a Hero.....mostly unsung!!!!
Chak de India.....