The English Summer

Indian tour of England started with a lot of hype around it. Lot of cricket pundits tagged it as the battle of the year with the number one team in tests and the world champions in the 50 over format meeting the only team which it lost during the world cup campaign. Much beyond the battle of ranks, the contest promised a test of character. The lords test begin with even higher expectations with anticipation of Sachin’s tons of tons, The focus of the test series kept swinging between the game and the personal achievement. It’s been over a month since the series got started and we are back to where it all started, with the dismal performance by India, the only interest left in the final test match is to see the maestro gets to the landmark.

There have been dedicated shows on the reasons of the debacle by the Indian team, eminent cricketers have voiced their opinion on what went wrong and media has repeatedly listed down steps to revive Indian cricket. Quite honestly, with 3-0 bashing and fourth test match which is in progress showing a sign of 4-0 quietly asks for such deep investigations and noises. There have been lot written about the number one slot being taken away by England. While I certainly believe that the former issue is of much importance and concern the latter one can be rested for a while because if we focus on the performance, rankings can be taken care of.

To summarise India’s performance in the current series, it would be fair to say that we have been outplayed in all departments. The beginnings to the debacle begin at Lord’s when Zaheer had to pull out just after first session. The already week Indian bowling attack got exposed and since then we have been struggling to get twenty wickets on tracks where Englishmen had run through the team India. However, what pains is our strength on papers bowing out to the seaming conditions repeatedly, session after session. No batsman except Dravid looks like reaching the three figure mark. Even the likes of VVS seem to be struggling and that is not a good sign. Not a 300 plus score in 6 innings now is a wake up call not just for the players but also for the administrators. It is high time that the BCCI wakes up from the deep slumber of money churning through IPL and other events. I have high regards for the selection committee headed by Mr. Srikkanth and I am sure he is as worried as any body at the moment due to the performance of the team chosen by him. The question he needs to answer is that how many youngsters have been introduced to the longer form of the game in the recent past? Raina has been in and out of the test squad and so has been the case with Virat Kohli.

One of the key reasons been debated is the scheduling of matches and hence the lack of preparation time for the team. Though the international calendar is demanding and requires back to back series, the IPL window definitely looks a misfit. The mandate seems clear either play for your country only or don’t let events like IPL affect your performance. Come to think of it, playing IPL within a week of concluding the world cup asks has take its toll and sadly it has now. Lack of practice matches is another area of concern but with the inability of team India to come to terms even after three test matches, this argument doesn’t hold good at the moment though required exposure to the conditions must be there before the first test begins overseas

The issues are endless and so are the number of excuses and time is running out to settle either of them. We know we have a good team in place; all that we need is better management of the same. No team becomes good or bad overnight and we must not give in or give too easily. Test match series has been lost but the upcoming ODI series is to be looked forward to as Team India will be doning the tri colours as champions of that format when they take the field against Strauss’s men. England was the only team against which Team India lost in their World Cup campaign. The most important challenge for the men in blue will be to shrug off the recent bad past and show confidence in their abilities.

Game of cricket is a great leveller and who else other than Team India would know better. Year 2007 saw team India crashing out of the world cup and winning the inaugural T 20 championship six months later. A lot can change in a matter of few months….cut to 2011, A team that won the world cup six months ago is struggling right now…..Hope the bad run finishes with the test series and we get to see the champion team India that lifted the spirits of billions of people along with the world cup..

The game begins ….Now

It’s been ten days in to the biggest tournament of cricket and it still feels as there is some distance to go as far as the excitement and thrill we usually associate with the game and more so with the World Cup. Talking about my love for the game, which blossomed when the event took stage in India in 1996, I remember those days when everything smelled cricket. Children would run from their tuitions to catch the final 10 overs and; office goers bunked work places to glue to the idiot box or even better get to the stadiums! The iconic win of India against Pakistan in the quarter finals meant neighbours coming to your doorstep with sweet boxes and relatives calling over to congratulate. The sound of crackers and firefly’s would turn the whole environment as if Diwali has arrived a bit too early. Not just the celebrations, but the run up to such do or die matches would involve endless prayer to God. I actually drew the possible fielding combinations during the various stages of the game which to be honest, helped me sit through the mathematics class when some body passed a comment “Kal to Pakistan hi jeetega!”, I gave him an angry look and replied “kal 9^th March hai, mere birthday ke exact one month after wali date, dekh liyo India hi jeetega” My chilidish challenge was almost in danger when Ajay Jadeja played a crucial knock to bail India out and secure the position in the Semis.

Fifteen years later, the tournament is back in the sub continent with another neighbour joining as hosts. Cut to 2011, probably due to the long gasping schedule of the tournament or may be I am no longer a school student, or the sheer dominance of T20, the excitement and enthusiasm seem to bit short of the standards that I have witnessed or been a part of, However things look promising as the news flash on TV that thousands of fans got ‘lathi charged’ in Bangaluru to get the tickets for the India-England encounter which is the first quality match India will play in the tournament after beating Bangladesh. Now that sounds better as in India, we never feel the excitement until it begins to show in the streets!

Every four years, our patriotic heart overtakes the logical mind and India become favourites to win the cup. The images of Kapil Dev lifting the trophy in the Lord’s balcony with thousands of fan cheering in the ground are played endlessly and the final XI who brought the trophy become regular faces conducting debates about how good or bad are India’s chances. For past three editions, India never really looked like getting to repeat the feat even when the Ganguly led team reached the finals in 2003 only to realise that Australia’s dominance had just begin. Last four years have been perhaps the most encouraging for an Indian cricket fan and looking at the teams that have lined up for the tournament, the logical mind is finally seem to be agreeing with the heart. It is easy to ask the question about who is the most favourite to win the world cup however interesting bit in this edition is to ask the other way around i.e. If not India, who else seems to be the strongest contender and answer is much easier than we think!. Australia is no more the team it was during the last three editions and with the fresh defeat in the Ashes, the confidence of the team with out the services of the likes of warne, Mcgrath and gilly is definitely down. Outside the sub continent, one team which can pose a serious threat is South Africa. The proteas have played some outstanding cricket off late and have beaten India in the ODI series just before the World Cup However their in ability to play spin too well can might just be enough for them to not to reach to the final two. Without an iota of doubt that teams from sub continent have great chances of doing well and one team that can truly turn the tables is Sri Lanka which like India has grown from strength to strength and has produced some fine spinners and all rounders. The ‘Smiling Assassin’ a.k.a Muttiah Murlidharan in particular would be keen to be part of the winning team during his last world cup.

A challenge this edition of the World Cup will face is of survival of ODI’s amidst huge popularity of T20’s. The success of the shorter version has in a way dented a bit of reputation of the ODI’s and right from a cricket fan to a marketer seem to be glued more towards the three hour encounter. The recent case is of Volkswagen India announcing that they are going to put all their sponsorship money in IPL in stead of the World Cup indicating the popularity this format has achieved. If ODI’s have to survive, then World Cup should ideally set example with some thrilling and good quality encounters

How it charts out will finally be seen on the field during the next few weeks and as I mentioned earlier, this time the mind and heart both feel that the trophy should be in Dhoni’s hands on April 2 ‘ 2011 and Sachin would then be able to retire in peace whenever his heart and body allows him to.

Matches involving serious contenders have kicked off since yesterday with Australia beating New Zealand and Pakistan getting better of Sri Lanka however as far as India is concerned with the match against England coming up in few hours, the game begins…..Now!!

The New Alto K 10 Launch: A threat to Spark and Santro?

The New Alto K 10 Launch: A threat to Spark and Santro?


· Price: Considering the foremost priority in this segment’s consumer’s mind, The new Alto K 10 is by far the cheapest car with the high end version (Vxi) available at 3.16 lakhs (Ex show room , Delhi). At this price range, the new Alto K 10 poses some serious threat to most successful models of Chevrolet and Hyundai

· Mileage: The brand name Alto has become synonymous with the most fuel efficient car in India and going by the ARAI claim, The new Alto K 10 is out to make a kill!. It’s 20.2 km/ltr is way ahead of Spark and Santro.


· Weight: Though not on the top priority list of the buyers, it demands a special mention as the new engine has added just 50 kg to its existent model ensuring that it is at least 55 kg lighter than Spark and 69 kg lighter than Spark, The light weight is sure to add the zip and the fuel economy

· Engine: This is the talking point of the new Alto K 10, the engine has been upgraded from 800 cc to 998 cc K 10 series engine bringing it in the much crowded B segment market and it competes directly with Spark which has a 995 cc engine

· Power: Now this is a real surprise at the first look, 68 PS power is whooping 45% increase from its existing model’s power of 47 PS, What more, this new light weight zippy car produces more power than Spark and Santro (63 PS both)

· Others: Needless to say that with above advantages, this new car has the most trustworthy automotive brand in this country to back it up

Overall, the prospects of the new Maruti Suzuki Alto K 10 excelling and taking over the competition in terms of Spark and Santro are very high. The Chevrolet and Hyundai India boardrooms have now some serious thinking to do on how to tackle this small yet powerful and highly affordable entrant in the already crowded B segment market , So when everyone thought that the race to fit a new segment in the entry level is over, the veteran of the industry comes with a bang but will the move help grow the segment or will it cannibalise the sales its own models, only the time will tell till then it is a time to rejoice for the increasing middle class as their dream to have a car which has power and economy both is being realized, Way to go Maruti....Dhantenaan !!

Back to the basics!

You can plan to do it, you may almost do it but you can never actually do it and what I mean here is ‘destroying’ the ‘Wall’; The inclusion of Rahul Dravid in the ODI’s is a prime example of how life brings everyone at par ,as they say back to the basics; No one in the BCCI administration left a stone unturned in proving an innocent a victim and sending him off from an arena which truely belonged to him; It is surprising how unforgiving and thankless one can become at times, We loved him for his exclusive timing and gorgeous cover drives; We celebrated when he single handedly brought victory to India on countless occasions but unlike other ‘Heroes’ he always stood in silence, playing a sheet anchor role providing solidarity to the much needed partnership or playing a second fiddle when a ‘Superhero’ needed someone to rotate strike at the other end, he quietly clapped and congratulated batsman around for sending the ball all over the park

Then came in the young brigade who did fantastically well to deserve a spot in the final XI however selectors somewhere erred in their judgement when they almost replicated the T20 team for ODI’s, while the former version allows a lot of youngsters to go all out against the attack and where a score of 30+ is considered a top performance, the later version requires much more stability and perseverance and that is where a player of Dravid’s calibre is a dire need; The exclusion of Dravid after October 2007 did make a strong case as the young brigade had been doing exceptionally well and just 80 runs from 10 innings didn’t help Dravid’s cause
However soon after his exclusion, the foundation for his comeback was getting laid; Middle order couldn’t bear the pressure and despite of young talent present in the form of Raina and Sharma, the consistency was always an issue; In the recently concluded T20 world cup, the middle level surrendered meekly to bouncy deliveries from West Indies, a weakness which was further explored and exposed by England. Lack of stability in the middle order forced the captain Dhoni to deviate from his usual explosive style of batting and adopt the style which usually is not associated with him, Sehwag’s injury also worked as a catalyst for Dravid’s comeback however credit must be given to the selection committee headed by Srikkanth for taking a sincere decision which may well be put to use for short term though a lot will depend on Dravid’s performance in the upcoming tri series and champions trophy about his prospects to be a part of 2011 World Cup XI
Knowing Dravid, he would grab this opportunity with both hands and with Sachin back in to the team, Indian cricket lovers will once again get to see the legends back in to the action for we may never know when do we get to witness it again
Welcome back Rahul, and make sure for all the bowlers around the world, the writing is on the wall!