Silly M(a)id-on

Did India win because they had 339 runs on the board or did they almost lose because they thought they had 339 runs on board?

I feel sorry for WI, they got 2 bad decisions that just might have cost them the game. Chasing 25 runs from 18 balls seems a whole lot easier if you have 4 wickets in hand as opposed to 2. More so if there is a certain Mr Bravo at the other end.

Anyway, I noticed Dhoni's emotionless face as the last WI wicket fell. What could that possibly mean?

Was he really pissed at his team?
Was he just plain relieved that India won?
Was he just too tired to care about cricket anymore?
Was he trying to show the media that he is still Captain Cool?
Was he...

Wait a sec...Am I turning into an Indian media journalist?
Yeah...I think I need to stop now...

Yessir...India is playing WI in a 4-match series...just 4...seems a bit pointless to me. Perhaps a couple of Tests would have provided this tour a little legitimacy. Too much to ask? OK..maybe just one more ODI? At least make it a best of 5 series? No luck there either.

Hmmm.

The purpose of this tour is perhaps same as that of a student going to attend extra classes in school just to get his attendance level upto the required mark.

Which is why I call it The Fake ODI Series.

Another thing to note is that the series has started on the 26th of June. Which means that if India had managed to reach the finals of the T20 WC, they would have had just 4 days to reach Jamaica, shake off the jet lag (ok, it's a bit easier to that when you are travelling westwards, but still!) and get used to the conditions before playing the first match. Well planned guys! Or did an astrologer tell you in advance that India will crash out before the finals?

So anyway, Dhoni says that this series is a chance to erase memories of 2007.

Umm...no?! The only way to erase that memory *shudder* is to win the WC in 2011! So don't gimme this little trophy as a consolation prize, okay?

Win this series, and I will tell all and sundry what a great team you are and how I just knew you would bounce back. Lose it, and I'll go "Meh! Don't really care about it anyways...."

Just play these 4 games and go back home and take a break guys!

A new post is up with my POV on whether it is ok for Brit-Asians to support an Asian team or should they be required to support England.

And if this isn't something that interests you, there is plenty of other stuff to debate on as listed by SP.

Go on and have your say :)

Dhoni effigy burnt in Ranchi after T20 loss

Should Dhoni Quit As Captain? (C'mon IBN...don't add fuel to the fire!)

Let's not be fairweather fans people! Our team needs us to support them. They will bounce back..

Perhaps deservingly.

India lost this match on all counts IMO...bowling, fielding and batting.

First up, bowling. A team at 100/3 at the end of 15 overs should not have been allowed to get to 153 in the first place. Let's see who gave how many runs in the last 5 overs -

16th over -Ishant - 13 runs
17th over - Jadeja - 8 runs
18th over - Bhajji - 10 runs including 5 wides
19th over - Zak - 12 runs
20th over - Bhajji - 10 runs including 5 wides again!

I had a very bad feeling about those free runs given away as wides, as I am sure did a lot of other people. It helped England cross the psychological 150 run mark and ultimately proved decisive in the narrow margin of victory they got.

Fielding now. Was it just me or did England seem to score 1s and 2s with a lot of ease? Again, there seemed no urgency in India's fielding. It looked like they were just going through the motions.

The batting. Oh, the batting. Perhaps there was a grand plan in sending Jadeja in at 4. That did not work out all that well. He was looking so lost out there. His mom should give him with lots of milk and almonds to build up his strength 'coz his shots seemed to go nowhere. He undid all his good bowling effort with that innings. And got a lot of abuse from me in the process. I have never wanted an Indian wicket to fall so badly. By the time Yuvi, and then Pathan came to the crease, perhaps there was just too much to do.

One thing England need to be commended on is their bowling effort. They picked up on Indian batsmen's weakness with the short ball and exploited it to their full advantage. They were the better team out there today and they won. It is indeed a shame that India did not work on this aspect after their last game.

One thing that kept coming back to me was how everyone seemed to agree that the reason why India won the cup in '07 was because they were fearless. They were extremely confident in themselves and backed each other up to win from improbable situations. That quality seemed missing in this tournament.

Life as an Indian cricket fan is never easy. For me it is more difficult 'coz my next favourite are the eternally choking South Africans. Sigh. It's not looking so good for me....

Oh, this is depressing!

India have themselves to blame for this. Aweful batting effort. Just aweful! Dhoni's gem(!) of an innings has already been called. But for some late gutsy hitting by YP, Yuvi and, well, Bhajji, the scorecard would have been a bigger eyesore.

One did get the feeling that 150 would be a competitive score. And when Simmons' wicket fell, I still thought we had a great chance of winning. But Bravo and Chanderpaul took it away in style! Credit where it is due, I would have enjoyed their batting if they weren't playing against India. The main problem areas for India remain bowling at death and fielding. If a couple of easy run out chances would not have been missed, WI could have been pushed a little bit more.

Anyhoo, it's Mission England next. Perhaps they will just fall apart and save us some trouble? They have played their part in this competition by qualifying for the Super8's. Don't they need some extra practice for the Ashes or something?

P.S. Was Chanderpaul's stance, when on strike, a little wierd or have I just not seen him bat for a while?

...to maximise your fantasy team's score.

1. Check which players Megha has selected for her team. Don't pick them.
2. If possible, check with Megha which players she chose initally, but changed her mind at the last moment. Definitely pick those.

As they say, Apna to bad luck hi kharab hai! :(

I am on Board....

Actually, I am on Bored...

Are you bored of this yet?

Go on then...get on Bored and check out the story of 2 guys who might as well have been brothers in their previous birth....

Yes Ma! I got published at BCC! today...I know I have done you proud..sniff...

Another "alcohol related incident" and Symonds is on his way back to Australia. With him not being selected for the Ashes as it is and now his contract being off the table, is it the last we have seen of him?

As per cricinfo, he is keen to tell his side of the story. That is something I am eagerly waiting for. His attitude problems aside, I suppose Australia has been left poorer without him in the side for his sheer talent.

It is a pity that he refuses to learn from his mistakes. Although, in all honesty, it is difficult for me to feel sad for him!

..by Bangladesh that they ain't gonna be walkovers. They put up a fight against Australia and gave Sri Lanka more than just a scare. Indian team will do well to pay heed.

I am not too bothered about the loss to NZ. What does bother me is the fitness of certain team members and match weariness. On the other hand, Ishant's bowling was a relief. RP Singh gives me a lot of confidence because of the awesome IPL he had and Ojha looked good in parts too. If only our openers strike gold soon...sigh...

Anyways...tommorow's match is important for reasons more than it being a warm up game. No two teams playing can capture the magic of an India-Pak match for me :). Hope I am able to catch some live non-Cricinfo action.