Can we level the series?

I have not written in ever since Team India emerged victorious over the lethal Aussies at the WACA, Perth. Partly because there was already so much written about the emphatic win and also I was enjoying the Australian Open alongside, which in itself has been an epic grand slam this year.

The media was flooded with news of the great win over the Aussies in their own backyard. ‘Happy Perth Day’, ‘Superth duper’, ‘WACA-OW’ etc were flashing across every channel, newspaper and website. The team let their game do all the talking especially after the controversial Sydney test. Many claim that it was easy for India to strike gold because the Aussies were a notch lower than their usual lethal self. But I beg to differ and say that the Indians played some good cricket which Australians could not match to on that given day.

The world witnessed yet another special innings from the veterans of the game for Team India. Sachin, Dravid and Laxman’s innings in the test match were the most crucial for the team. It provided the team with a challenging score enabling the bowlers exploit the natural Perth conditions. Ishant Sharma, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Sehwag and of course the captain Anil Kumble responded well enough for the team to open their account of wins in this series.

A lot has been spoken about this win extensively, but I just wonder if this overall team effort will be existent even at Adelaide. Agreed, that the team has secured a win at the same ground against the Aussies in the past, but it a new game all together now. With Australians on the back foot, they cannot be underestimated at this stage. A fighting reply will come from the champions. Though the Indians have yet again stopped the Australians from securing a world record of 17 consecutive test victories, we cannot count them out.

What the entire nation would want now would be for Team India to level the series 2-2. This would bring in a lot of confidence within the dressing room assisting them to enter the tri series with a positive frame of mind. One thing I cannot stop mentioning is about the team’s gesture throughout the series. The team has been very calm and composed, showing some classic temperament. Lead by skipper Anil Kumble, India has let their game do all the talking and you bet they have played in the right spirit of the game.

Can the magic be recreated at Adelaide? Only time can tell but the Indian’s do have an upper hand now. But let’s not count the Aussies out of this yet. Hope that the spirit of the game lives throughout and the best team emerges victorious.

An epic grand slam

If you thought the action was restricted only to cricket in Australia, your definitely thinking likewise. The on-going Australian open action at Melbourne is causing some romantic stories worldover. This year the level of sportsmanship has been remarkable and every player involved has given more than his or her 100%. The Australian Open 2008, the first biggest grand slam of a year almost sets a trend of wins for the rest of the year. But this time around we have witnessed some exceptional tennis from both the men and women players.

As far as i remember, it started with Philips Kohlschrieber vs Andy Roddick. The match where Roddick served his career best of 42 aces lost to the german who played some exceptional tennis. The master Roger Federer was not spared either. After a very long gruelling battle with Tipsarevic , the world number 1 player emerged victorious. But it could have easily been anyones game.

Whats more! how can one forget the extravagent match between Cyprus's very own Bagdhatis vs home favourite Hewitt. The match which went into a 5 setter right uptill almost 5am australian time, saw the home hero win. The only sight of the match which will never leave my mind is Bagdhatis exit off the court with tears in his eyes.

The dream run of frenchman Tsonga seems to continue as he makes his way to his first ever semi-finals. The surprise wild card player helped himself through the rounds with some great power and mental toughness. The unseeded player took away the 9th seed Andy Murray, 8th seed Gasquet, and 14th seed Mikhail Youzny.

With Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Tsonga and Federer in the top 4, one can expect a thrilling semi and final. With the way things have gone in the tournament, anything is possible. I would not be surprised even if Tsonga won the Australian Open 2008.

This season surely has taught me to Be Prepared for a Shocker on court. Amongst the women champtions, the defending champion Serena Williams lost to Jankovic in what could be a biggest upset for Serena. But the Williams family need not lose heart yet as Venus Williams holds her way in the grand slam with great style.

Another major setback during the championship was the early exit of Kuznetsova and Vaidisova. A lot more would have been expected out of the two top players in womens tennis. If you think you have had enough of heart attacks, brace yourself for this shocker. Justin Henin is out of Australian Open 2008. The world number 1 womes player has exited the championship after being defeated by Russian queen Maria Sharapova in 2 straight sets.

With the tournament nearing its end, the stakes are high and a lot is expected by the champions. Since any sporting game is unpredictable, the world can be in for a shocker in this major grand slam. As for Indian's performances, though the single titles yet seem far fetched, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupati are putting up a tough fight in the mixed doubles. They are through to the 3rd round and seem to have clicked well as a pair. Hope they bring in some glory and pride to India. Many of us would want the luck of Perth to travel to Melbourne along with Sania and Mahesh.

Australian Open 2008 has been rivetting so far with major upsets and some staggering surprises. A lot is yet to be offered by the tournament. Only time can tell who will be the deserving winner. Though it still looks clear for Roger and Maria, anything can be possible at this time around. The tougher of the opponents will survie this test of honour, skill and temperament.

Undocumented laws of touring Australia

I received a mail yesterday which included a probable list of undocumented rules set by the International Cricket Council (ICC), indirectly mocking the entire cricketing scenario in Australia today.

I hereby present a blog which is purely inspirational from the mail. Thought it would be a nice read for all those who do visit my blog often. For all those cricketing nations looking forward to tour Australia for an exciting and challenging series, here is a set of undocumented rules one must follow to ensure that the 'Spirit of the Game' is maintained.

The recent India's tour to Australia is amidst a cloud of controversies, whether on or off the cricketing field. Here are some rules which need to be followed by a visting team to ensure no controversies rise while playing against the world champions, Australia:

1) The most respected cricketer of this era, Ricky Ponting, should never be questioned about his integrity. The truely genuine cricketer should be considered as the 'fifth umpire', whose decisions, as per the new rules, over rides any other decision taken by other umpires on and off the field. Umpires officiating on-field have the right to seek assistance from Ricky Ponting even if he is not amidst the thick of things.

2) When team Australia is batting, in case of a catch, the players will have to stand ground till the Umpire's decision is declared and are not allowed to walk before the same (even if the catch has been caught at the fifth slip). Each player has to be declared 'out' a minimum of four times till he is officially sent back to the pavilion. In case the cricketer in question holds higher integrity, the number of let offs can be increased in consultation with the 'fifth umpire'.

3) When team Australia is bowling, if the ball flies to any player within a distance of 5 metres the opponent batsman is considered OUT irrespective of whether the catch has been taken cleanly or grassed. In any case of doubts the decision can be clarified with the 'fifth umpire' to ensure that all teams play in the right 'spirit of the game'.

4) All Australian players have the right to carry a verbal onslaught on their opponents on and off the field. However, the opponent team is not allowed to make any comments which could prove to be a threat to the 'spirit of the game'. Comments passed by the opponents will be considered 'Racist' only. Opponent team players will face compulsary ban on the grounds of racism irrespective of whether there exists a substantial proof or not.

5) The match referee's decision will be taken purely based on the Australian players testimony, in case of any hearing. Players views from the opponent team stands null and void.

6) No team touring Australia should think about victory. This is to ensure that the visiting team supports the 'spirit of the game'.

7) The most important rule: If any player gets Ricky Ponting 'The most respected cricketer of all times' 'OUT' more than twice in a series, he will be banned for the rest of the series. This is to ensure that the best player and captain in the books of cricket goes on to break all the records and creates history in the game of cricket.

Teams who visit Australia have to keep in mind the above undocumented laws of playing against the world champs in their home ground. Any team violating these set rules will be penalized on the grounds of exerting excess pressure on the ICC. My heart goes out to all those visting teams and I can just pray that they have a nice time 'Down Under'.

'Fifth umpire' killed the spirit of the game

India XI v/s Australia XIII, 11 players v/s 13 cheaters, Fierce Tigers v/s whinning Kangaroos, whatever you may call the bygone Sydney Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, one thing stands true. What we witnessed in the 2nd of the 4 test match series was team Australia universally benefitting in all forms of the game thanks to some wrong decisions taken by the officiating umpires.

Umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson have been in the firing line ever since their chain of wrong decisions commenced from Day 1 of the test match. When Hussey and Symonds nicked the ball on its way behind the stumps, Bucknor's index finger seemed to have got stuck in his pocket with great pleasure though. On the other hand, when the wall Dravid was declared out to a ball which brushed his pads and was no where close to the bat, Bucknor's index finger lost its shame and brought itself into light in a jiffy. Andrew Symonds seemed to have his fellow 'monkeys' on the field and in the third umpire's box as well supporting his back. His three let offs cost India the match on Day 1 itself.

When Michael Clarke stood his ground after being caught in the slips for a definite edge, what can one expect out of him while fielding in the same slips quardent. Mark Bensons's controversial decision of declaring Sourav Ganguly 'out' created a huge burst of fury within the Indian dressing room and back home. It was evident after numerous replays that Michael Clarke scooped the ball from the ground and was not in control of it as he rolled over. The so called 'self-proclaimed' clean catch taken by Clarke is no less than questionable and unacceptable in the books of cricket. Whats more !, what does Benson do when in doubt, he looks at the on field 'fifth umpire', Ricky 'Punter' Ponting for affirmation. Ponting's action seemed to have satisfied grandpa Benson who in turn raised his sorry finger upwards.

The thought that comes to my mind is how did the BCCI okay the appointment of Steve Bucknor in the match when the team has been through a patch of wrong decisions in his presence. Steve Bucknor though has over the years shown an almost Musharaff like love for the Indian team, whether it was that dreadful decision against Sachin Tendulkar one after another or his poor umpiring performance during the 2003 Australia series when the then captain Sourav Ganguly spoke about Bucknor's disgraceful performance in his assessment report.

What should have been expected out of the Board was to raise a red flag when his name came on the umpire roster for this on going series... similar to something the Sri Lankans did to Hair. I hear now that Steve Bucknor will not be officiating the next test match at Perth, but the horse has already been bolted and the series can either be a draw or the Australian team can emerge victorious.

After the poor umpiring standards, the last thing Team India wanted was yet another shocker - yes there can be things shocking that just poor umpiring. Harbhajan Singh has been banned for three tests on charges of racism for calling Symonds a 'monkey'. Australians seem to run to their mammas at the slightest provocation when they themselves unleash the worst kind of verbal comments on their opponents. But lets concentrate on the unfairness of the whole judgment, which I believe is the sort of verdict which would come up in a kangaroo court.

It is a well documented fact that the ICC match referees are known to be biased against 'non-white' teams. An Indian is always caught hold of in cases of verbal scuffle and the white man is allowed to let go unharmed. This unfairness seemed to have come into light in the decision of three test ban on Bhajji. Mike Procter (a South African ex cricketer who also represented South Africa during apartheid) accpeted in an interview that there was no evidence of any sort against Harbhajan, yet he came up with the following verdict : " I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds and also that he meant it to offend on the basis of Symond's 'race or ethnic origin,"...

What do you expect when five Australian Players support Symonds claiming they heard Harbhajan pass racist remarks, when the entire team has a definite interest to get rid of the man in form. It was well known to all that Bhajji was a target for the Australian team whether it was his uncanny ability to pick Ricky Ponting's wicket or his ability to face the Aussie' sledging.

It is not much of a surprise to me that the incident conviniently happened on a day when Aussies were struggling and were on the back foot. Now thanks to Mike Procter's decision the team has an enormous advantage against India and more so for Ponting himself. The rivalry between the two teams always existed but it has taken a downturn ever since the Australian team's tour to India in 2001, when the Indians defeated them convincingly and broke their record of consecutive test victories.

As of now the Board has suspended the tour... which seems to be the best decision for Team India. Lifting the ban on Bhajji would then mean that Aussies have had enough of fun on the field. I am proud of Anil Kumble and co. His one statement "Only one team was playing in the right spirit of the game." was enough to slap all criticism and the Aussie team.

As far as I am conerned the Indian team won the Sydney Test Match- look at the number of decisions the Aussies had to rig in to get the team to finally lose. The gesture of coming out of the dressing room and shaking hands in appreciation said it all about the sportsmanship within Team India.

The question that comes in my mind at this time is not if Australia will continue to be successful even after McGrath and Warne's retirements, but will Australia continue to be successful even after Steve Bucknor's retirement?. To conclude I would say that it seems more than enough a reason why cleaning sewage pipes and playing cricket in Australia can all be referred to as 'attending to things DOWN UNDER'.