Champions Tumble

Its disappointing that we lose. More disappointing that we lose and cant make it to the finals of a tournament I can get free tickets for. Life is tough at times!

However the media will be out with its knives and villans will be created readily. It would be funny if I was not so crazy about the sport. Questions will be asked about captaincy coach and players and the advts they do. We do everything but accept the downside with the upside that our team gives us. Life is tough at times!

I know I am boring - hence will leave this post to be picked up in a better way later. I have to rant about the umpires and the ICC. But thats for later.

Anonymous Defenders

Some 4 months after my post on Quota System (http://pushkarsblog.blogspot.com/2006/04/quota-system.html), somebody actually responded to it. Ofcourse this person being the anonymous nameless faceless thing he/she is, commented on one of the trivial points in the post - that of Gagan Khoda being a entry into the cricket team due to the zonal quota.

I quote the comment verbatim

"Gagan Khoda, a right-hand opening batsman from Rajasthan, enjoyed an outstanding junior career before making a century on debut in the Ranji Trophy in 1991-92. A score of 237 in the Ranji quarter-final in 1994-95 further established him as a promising youngster. He represented India in two one-day internationals and scored a wonderful 89 against Kenya. He scored 26 in the other match. He was probably the best of the new openers which India had tried out. He also played in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, without much impact.

Dear Pushkar he is the only player to have scored 300 Runs in Dileep trophy and not played test matches for india that too against South Zone consisting of Srinath Kumble Venkatesh Prasad attack.

hope you do your home work properly"

Now this comment left me in a difficult position. I hate to be in a place where I have a thousand retorts forming at the back of my head and then no one to direct them at - such are the challenges a anonymous faceless (lets get dramatic and call it wajood-less (WL) shall we?) comment presents. So I chose to answer it with another post in the hope that this WL character might come back to my blog and read.

So first things first - the first para is a straight lift from cricinfo - the players page which has a brief description about the player. Hmmm so Mr. Khoda distinguished himself with a well made 89 against Kenya. Yeah major resume point that. Highlight of my career - a brilliant 89 against the fearsome gruesome looking Kenyan attack (yeah black can be a scary colour under lights - damn i hope i dont get sued for racism for this) and then followed it up with a solid 26 against Bangladesh who have had their glorious moments against past world champions. Aah such heart warming accomplishments these! Ofcourse i screwed up in the Commonwealth games but then those matches werent official and hence i dint put in my best - So bloody what if i was representing the country huh?

Being somewhat of a cricket fan and being one who can use the internet a bit - i obviously went to the cricinfo page to turn in my homework late. Ah the price one pays for writing by gut as opposed to actual stats. So then I ran the stats guru for our man Khoda
Here is what turned up.


M I no Runs HS Average 100 50
First Class 114 194 7 7324 300* 39.16 16 37
List A 119 119 7 4487 166* 40.06 10 27

Call me crazy but really i remain to be impressed. This is domestic cricket we are talking about - Indian pitches that arent a bowlers paradise least of all a fast bowlers paradise and an opener generally faces the quicker guys. An average of 39.16 might not be bad but it hardly distinguishes anyone

On the other hand a lad named Amol Mujumdar who plays for Mumbai and never got a lookin for India carries the following averages

First Class 51.17
List A 41.57

Life isnt fair really is it ?

The point is that one really cant look at a players at a stand alone basis. Well Khoda might have been good but was he better than others who did not get that chance to play for India. I love the dramatic but really wearing the blue and the India Cap is an honour which shouldnt be distributed unless that person is the most deserving of the lot.
Getting 95% in an exam is good but if its a qualifying exam for 10 seats - it may not be good enough if 15 others have 98%.

So Khoda hit a triple hundred - awesome stuff. But does that mean a place in the side for him automatically? Do i hear people rooting to get Dizzy Gillespie as a permanent number 3 batsman because he hit a double - in a test match too no less!

Well the fact is that at that point there were players better than Khoda who dint get a look in. It doesnt make Khoda good or bad but the system disallowed better performers to be in the team.

So my dear Anonymous poster (yeah i am using your writing style here), please feel free to comment to the contrary but this time do have the balls to mention your name. I welcome a debate on cricket anytime of the year unless ofcourse I am watching a Sachin special.

Pleasant Surprises

It was 20th Oct and I was back home. Out in the market - this time not visiting retailers on HLL duty but doing the same on Mom duty, buying some chicken to be eaten for lunch.
Dad calls up and asks - I have 2 pavillion passes for the NZ-SL Champions trophy match - u wanna go?
Hmmm i say, would i sit at home and fart or would i rather go watch a day and night international match?
Tough decision but then what is life if it isnt even this challenging huh?

So predictably i said YES - all who thought otherwise and read this blog please put your hands up. Fine maybe i shouldnt be using the "read this blog" condition - not the best way to retain the already rare readers of my blog.

But anyway i rush out from my home just as the match is about to start with believe it or not NO company with me - my friends are either working or out of mumbai that day. Such is Life!
But nevertheless i manage to make it to the stadium (after collecting tickets) only to realise that these arent pavillion tickets. One should have been really disappointed with that but really one cant argue with free tickets that seat you right over the sightscreen opposite the pavillion.

So that was it - NZ were 60/3 in the 17th over or so and they crawled and they crawled and they crawled. The bright point was one Murali who bowled a splendid spell and regaled the crowd with wickets. How the crowd found wickets more intersting than runs is beyond me but then to each his own i guess. It was 118/9 and death for NZ till Patel and Vet played sensibly
Vettori finally blew some life into the stadium with an assault on Vaas - 19 runs in an over is always good to watch unless you are Vaas in this case.

The second inning was more entertaining with Jaya(s) and Tharanga playing well. The Jaya(s) include both of the Jayas. Also with Muthu joining in there was some company to see the match with.

The interesting part was when in the second inning not much was happening - so obviously it being an Indian stadium ppl were entertaining themselves by making some noise with the whistle. Here then was a lady dressed in attrocious red pants (no it wasnt spunky - not this one atleast) who thought the sound was maddening especially when nothing was happening. "whats the point in proving ur foolishness" i believe were her exact words. I wish i had a whistle to blow into her ears then but then such is life! If you want to clap politely for a 6 - you are better off at the Lords in 1970. Let Indian Grounds be the celebration of life that they are.

It was a slightly boring match. But a day-night international watched from over the sight screen on a free ticket is a day night international watched from over the sight screen on a free ticket.