tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76864359351677798762024-03-13T09:08:06.929+05:30SPORTS - THEATRE OF NEVER ENDING DRAMASSports was the first luxury mankind could afford when he was hunting in the jungle, wearing nothing, in the primitive times. In this age when war, hatred and terrorism rule, sports has its importance because it heals wounds better than Time. This blog is a tribute to all those sportspersons who entertained and enthralled us, those who rose from every personal tragedy to hold a bat or kick a ball, those who did the unbelievable and made our lives more beautiful and meaningful.Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-15446526114520066132015-04-18T17:02:00.000+05:302015-04-18T17:03:06.740+05:30Toure's Birthday is coming. Manchester United 4 - 2 Manchester City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iCasxHOM9Eg/VTJAmI4STeI/AAAAAAAAAOk/7JOxvMFRlZQ/s1600/278E3FDE8F7A42DC97FDE9ED222138BC.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iCasxHOM9Eg/VTJAmI4STeI/AAAAAAAAAOk/7JOxvMFRlZQ/s1600/278E3FDE8F7A42DC97FDE9ED222138BC.ashx.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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My Tata Sky has been down for the last 12 days, with the
Tech support telling me every time how important my problem is with them. They
actually managed to make me feel like the most important person in the whole
world, for, after all even my wife has never told me how important I am to her
for 12 consecutive days. To my horror, just an hour before the match I found
out that my subscription I created with Star Sports was not working for some
unknown issue. I had no hope at all when I sent an email to their tech support
asking to look into it, but voila, within 75 minutes not only that I got an
email reply and call, they resolved the issue as well. That is what you call customer support.</div>
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So all I missed from the game was the first 15 minutes in
which, as I found it later, City started like a run- away train with a goal
from Sergio Aguiro, only to be pegged back by a scrambled effort from Ashley
Young. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then onwards, United’s midfield
took control of the game and I am pretty sure that I am writing this sentence
only for the first time in the last 3 years. I thought I will never see the
days when United’s midfield over running a City team which contains Yaya
Toure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toure played like a man whose is
having sex with his ugly wife while thinking about his gorgeous fling. In all
probability he is already thinking of his upcoming birthday and wondering
whether the cake is a round or square. Based on his performance in the last
month, he will be lucky to get a cookie from the City hierarchy. </div>
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Marouane Fellaini scored a typical Marouane Fellaini goal
from an Ashley Young cross to give United a 2-1 lead a t half time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those are the two players who received much
flak in the last year for United’s form, but fair play to both of them for
having the balls to face it and overturn it. A word on LVG too get both of them
playing in the way they do now. Nobody, not even Ashley Young’s mom, would have
thought that he will keep the British transfer record signing Angel Di Maria
out of United’s starting eleven at some point this year, let along consistently
for the last 2 months. </div>
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When Rooney turned and found Mata free on the left flank,
the Spaniard ran towards Joe Hart, and for a moment I though he got too close
to him, but slipped the ball between his legs to the Stretford end goal. Even
at 3-1, the match was alive but City players did their best to hide it. Had
players’ body language been the only parameter, Manuel Pellegrini would have
been sacked midway through the second half. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is fair to assume that there is going to be
a clear out at the Etihad this summer and I will be surprised if Pellegrini is not part of
it.</div>
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In the previous Manchester derby Chris Smalling managed to
send himself off within 33 minutes with two clearly bookable offences, but this
time he was commanding in defense and scored the 4<sup>th</sup> from a a
freekick to put the result beyond doubt. With 5 minutes remaining after the
second goal from Sergio Aguiro to make the score 4-2, the lack of celebration
from City players told the story of the night, shone of hunger and fire, lack
of energy and fun. Not that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>any of those
70000 fans in red shirts inside Old Trafford was complaining. </div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-70341222807664425352014-12-01T20:21:00.000+05:302014-12-01T20:26:33.502+05:30#PutOutYourBats for Phil Hughes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uTxYvsNQTdM/VHx_t6iQs3I/AAAAAAAAAOE/ZW_nhJXTcaU/s1600/EmakHughes2811e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uTxYvsNQTdM/VHx_t6iQs3I/AAAAAAAAAOE/ZW_nhJXTcaU/s1600/EmakHughes2811e.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">52 years ago, Nari Contractor readied himself to face Charlie
Griffith, who was as fast and fearsome as any of the other West Indian quicks
during that time, for a tour match against Barbados. He was alleged to be
chucking as well. As Griffith was about to deliver the fourth ball of his
second over, somebody opened a window in the pavilion which was right behind
the bowler's arm. There was no sightscreen on those days and Contractor's
concentration went astray. He saw the ball only inches before it hit him, at
the back of his skull after he turned. He could stand after being hit but soon
he started to bleed from his ears and nose, never a good sign. In hospital he
remained unconscious for six days, requiring blood transfusion and a surgery.
He still carries a metal plate in his skull.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That blow curtailed his Test career, but more importantly he lived
to tell his tale. Phil Hughes was not that lucky.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have watched Hughes bat, but can't remember the matches exactly.
He had a rasping cut shot but the first thing I thought after watching him bat
was that he had an awkward technique. Somewhere an elbow prodded. Somewhere a
foot was in wrong position. But he could manage. His backfoot defense was
strong. His front foot movement was awkward at times. I remember thinking that
he would not survive against spinners in India. He was magnificent during his
twin knocks against South Africa. He was hoping to be in Gabba for the first
Test against India.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">None of these matters now. He is in a better world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Luck is the word, not technique or courage, neither character nor
calmness. Phil Hughes was freakishly unlucky. He would have played that pull
shot a million times in nets, and a thousand times in the middle when matches
or trophies or career were at stake. He did not get it wrong then. Or rather he
did not get so unlucky then. He played the shot a fraction early. The ball
arrived a little late. He turned and got hit, where there was no protection.
End of story. End of life. So unlucky.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am a dad myself. With my daughter I had my share of hospital
days, sitting in front of the ICU desperately praying and hoping that she would
make it. She did. She was lucky. I was lucky.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now it kills me to realize that perhaps the worst thing for a man
to do is to bury his young son. To bury his dreams, with the realization that
he has to live his remaining life without seeing his son. I can only pray that
God gives him enough strength to face this. I can only hope that Greg Hughes
doesn't regret the moment when he held a cricket bat in the hands of his young
son, while the coffin is lowered in to the grave.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have watched the video of Hughes being hit, multiple times. To
those who haven't, please don't. It is very sickening. Hughes appears fine for
a moment, after being hit. He tries to steady himself, by bending and lowering
his centre of gravity. He tries to lean on his bat handle to be stable. Then
suddenly the limbs give way and he falls face on. He never regained
consciousness.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Medical reports say that the impact compressed the vertebral
artery, causing it to split, leading to bleeding in brain. Hughes would not
have felt any pain at all, except that fraction of a second when he got hit. At
least that is what we all would like to hope for. We all wanted him to come
back but that did not happen. Now we all want to believe that he went without a
smidgeon of pain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Somewhere in Nottingham Chris Broad walked up to his son and gave
him a quiet hug. He now knows that his son had a lucky escape when he took the
"keep your eyes on the ball" advice a bit too seriously against an
Ishant Sharma bouncer. Stuart Broad came out of it with a bruised and swollen
nose, which now appears like a bargain. In the next Test match he walked out
with an extra grille on his helmet, which would have avoided the ball sneaking
in.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hughes was playing with an older model of the helmet. The newer
one has an additional covering on the side of the neck which would have saved
him. Or probably even that would not have. But the point is we need to make
safety a paramount feature in our sport. Even despite the best safety measures,
there is always the unknown, unavoidable, once-in-a-million accident. Formula
one circuits have medical facilities which are way better than what you find in
some of the third world countries, but Jules Bianchi is still in coma after his
accident at Suzuka. We can live with the fact that we failed despite the best
efforts, but can we forgive ourselves, knowing that by using a better, stronger
and available helmet, Hughes would have been alive now?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I like boxers. The effort they put. The care they take. The
practice they undergo. But I don’t like boxing. I don’t like boxing as a sport.
Trying to knock the brain out of the skull of your opponent can never be called
a sport.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have read numerous interviews of batsmen about getting hit on
the head by a bouncer. The one common thing they all say is that the impact
feels like your brain being rocked inside the skull, knocking them off. It
lasts only for a couple of seconds. For the lucky ones, that is. Hughes was not
lucky. The pain will now last for a lifetime, for all of us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whenever there is a debate on who is better between Gavaskar and
Tendulkar, my mind invariably sides up with the former.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing between their records
against the best teams of their era, West Indies and Australia respectively.
Gavaskar has 13 Test centuries against the fearsome quicks of West Indies, 7 of
them in the Caribbean itself, while Tendulkar has 11 against Australia, with
some sublime knocks in Perth and Sydney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But what really stands out in favour of Gavaskar is the fact that he
played without helmet during his entire career and never got hit on his head.
It is an unbelievable statistic. I had seen Tendulkar being pinned multiple
times by the likes of Cronje, McGrath, Anderson and Steyn. It will be blasphemous
to state that helmet made Tendulkar a greater batsman, because the genius that
he was, he would have found a way around it, had helmets not been there. But at
the same time the sense of protection it offers to the batsmen now can’t be
ignored. That, in a way, explains the lesser technique of modern day batsmen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> A stronger and better helmet may save modern day batsmen. But they
would do well to learn what Gavaskar did to play 125 Test matches without
getting hit once.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">*<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>* *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In his marvelous book “The meaning of Sport”, Simon Barnes calls
Sports a monstrous triviality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often we
relate sporting contests to war and a matter of pride, but in reality, it is
anything but that. Trivial it may be, it is us who hype up Sports to escape
from our everyday lives. We defeat our struggles and apprehensions when our
favourite team wins. When marriages fail, when jobs are lost, when health
checkup cards resemble a breakdown engine report, we find solace in sports.
Somehow an Anderson outswinger or Van Persie stunner elevates our lives above
ordinary. We celebrate them as our victories.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We don’t want one of us to lose life, trying to entertain us. It
is in the best interest of every sport to make it safer for those who have the
courage to put their careers on the line to entertain and enthrall us. Hughes
is a reminder to all of us that, nothing is certain in sport, as in life. He
lost his life trying to play the sport he loved. We can’t afford this incident
to stop a kid picking up a bat or kicking a ball, for however trivial it is,
Sport helps us to escape from our ordinary lives momentarily.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">* * *</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Nothing puts life in perspective like death. Hughes’ death reminds
all of us about the perils of Sport which is used to celebrate life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As the ever eloquent Simon Barnes put it in his tribute on Hughes,
“A loss. Not a waste”</span></div>
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-18726447109034421122014-11-02T21:47:00.000+05:302014-11-02T21:48:06.764+05:30Fellaini finally arrives. Manchester United 1 - 1 Chelsea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9cLmCXFBPIo/VFZYr-0g8RI/AAAAAAAAAN0/mYr4oSz8VGk/s1600/1459911_10152531437112746_2598778097485561136_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9cLmCXFBPIo/VFZYr-0g8RI/AAAAAAAAAN0/mYr4oSz8VGk/s1600/1459911_10152531437112746_2598778097485561136_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Just imagine that you badly wanted to have a fancy gadget,
booked it online by paying the full amount to get it on time for Christmas,
only for the courier guy to deliver it by next year Christmas. That is the same
feeling I got watching Marouane Fellaini having his best game in a United shirt,
albeit a good 1 year and 3 months after 27Million quid was paid to Everton’s
pockets. He did a commendable job, sticking on to Fabregas throughout the
match, as if a hooker on her prospective customer, and thus blocking the
service to Hazard and Oscar. This proved out to be a tactical masterstroke from
Van Gaal when every one of us was thinking about the way Fabregas ran riot
against Arsenal. It again shows how naïve Wenger can be at times with tactics.</div>
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I can bet my life on the fact that there wasn’t a single
United supported who wasn’t worried when Rafael was booked inside the first 15
minutes for a silly foul on. It was to everyone’s relief that he went on to
have one of his stable games on the right wing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>United looked strong going forward and shaded
the first half in terms of possession and attacking threat. Di Maria was a
constant thread on the right wing, after being moved there to accommodate
Januzaj on the left. Januzaj had his worst game in a United shirt against West
Brom, but here he came up with his best display of the season. The chances in
the first half were few and far between, but United’s best chance came through
Van Persie, only for Thibaut Courtois to come on top.</div>
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The deadlock was broken in the second half, when Didier
Drogba showed the entire world that he has lost none of his predatory instincts,
by heading home at the near post after losing Rafael. Whoever has asked Rafael
to mark Drogba has probably not seen Drogba’s goal in the UCL final against
Bayern. He is a monster against properly built centre backs, and Rafael’s 5’7
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United introduced James Wilson, the 18 year old striker, on
68<sup>th</sup> minute in place of Juan Mata, who had a comparatively quieter
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>United could not force the issue
and the final quality ball never arrived. Jose Mourinho went into his usual
mode of introducing defenders and defensive midfielders while protecting a 1
goal lead. Mikel, Schurlle and Zouma arrived in place of Oscar, Hazard and
Willian to slow the game down. Branislav Ivanovic got the second yellow on the
93<sup>rd</sup> minute and was promptly sent off for tripping Di Maria on the
left side of Stretford End. Di Maria delivered a sumptuous ball from the
resulting free kick and Fellaini forced an excellent save from Courtois, only
for the ball to fall in to the left side of Van Persie inside the 6 yard box.
When the net bulged at the Stretford end, not even the staunchest United
supporter could argue that it was a deserved point. Nobody in a red shirt could
have complained if Chelsea had won today. It is fair to say that United got out
of jail today. But in the current form of United’s back four, it seems almost
illegal to allow Sergio Aguero to run at our defense the next week. </div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-11912474756851795992014-10-06T23:26:00.001+05:302014-10-06T23:27:28.737+05:30First of many for Falcao. Manchester United 2 - 1 Everton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NOcPGQhOzpE/VDLXiAg7npI/AAAAAAAAANk/et80p_PQZSQ/s1600/10672295_10152482246927746_1881519023617732914_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NOcPGQhOzpE/VDLXiAg7npI/AAAAAAAAANk/et80p_PQZSQ/s1600/10672295_10152482246927746_1881519023617732914_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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On his second ever
match for Manchester United, Paddy McNair was given the unenviable task of
marking Romelu Lukaku for the entire match. At the end of the match, he had
Lukaku well inside his pocket but that was not the only reason that United
finished the match with 3 points in their pocket. For that we all have to thank
David De Gea who had to make two exceptional saves in the last 5 minutes of the
match. In the final minute of the first half, Luke Shaw made a challenge from
behind on Tony Hibbert inside the box, and a penalty was given correctly. Until
today no goalkeeper in the Premier League has saved a penalty from Leighton
Baines, giving him a tally of 14 successful converts from the spot. Today De
Gea guessed the direction correctly and promptly palmed away an admittedly weak
shot from Baines, which kept the spirits high going into half time.</div>
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There is something wrong in Louis Van Gaal’s half time talk,
or at least it appears so. United have played poorly in the second half for
every match they have played this season. Van Gaal should seriously consider
re-modulating whatever he is talking at the break! Everton came back with vigour
in the second half and got their reward on 55<sup>th</sup> minute, when Baines,
making up for his earlier penalty miss, delivered a pinpoint cross, after
working out a neat one-two from a freekick, to Naismith who headed the ball in.
Then there was a 5 minute period when it appeared that United will implode as
Everton put the numbers forward and pressed the United players when possession
was lost. </div>
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There was news that United could move for a permanent deal
for Radamel Falcao as early as this January Transfer window for a reported
price of 43M. 43 million quid is an awful lot of money, but Falcao showed today
why he is worth every penny of that. Though he was yet to score for United
coming into this match, his movement off the ball and his overall play have
been impressive. When a goal to restore the supremacy was badly needed, Angel
Di Maria tried to unleash a left foot shot towards the goal, only to end up
scuffing it. But when the ball found its way between the two centre backs,
there was Falcao to poke it past Tim Howard for his first Manchester United
goal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first it looked like he was
offside but when continued his celebrations after having a look at the
linesman, it was evident that United had got their advantage back. The replays
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The rest of the match, especially towards the end, was a
torture to watch for every United fan as Everton came very close twice to leveling
for the second time in the match. With 2 minutes and extra time remaining, Leon
Osman was played clear at the edge of the box and his shot flying towards the
left corner of the goal was palmed away by De Gea. His second save was an even
better one. A short free kick from outside the box ensured a melee in the
penalty area, and the ball was partially cleared, only to reach Bryan Oviedo,
the same man who scored the winner in the same fixture last season. The
collective groan heard around Old Trafford when De Gea flew to his left to turn
Oviedo’s shot over the bar was a mixture of both surprise and relief. At the
end of the match De Gea thanked the crowd which was singing his name around.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Reds go into the international break as a happy bunch,
having broken into the top four for the first time for a year. There is some
stat which says that United are above Liverpool for the first time in a year
too. It is only safe to assume that the person who came up with that had been
in a self imposed sleep for the last 24 years when Liverpool fans looked at the
table and found United above them always. United’s next fixture is a Monday
night match against West Brom 2 weeks away, before they face Chelsea home and
City away. The only positive out of this long break is that it allows some of
the injured players to recover fully by that time. Going by the current form,
United will include De Gea even if he shows up with only one leg on the morning
of the match, though.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-41109795158231671302014-10-04T22:02:00.003+05:302014-10-04T22:03:40.870+05:30Spared all of us from the chicken dance. Manchester United 2 - 1 West Ham United<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5YICzNcGko/VDAhGbCrz9I/AAAAAAAAANU/x1XEar9AJ2U/s1600/B27FE61661774ADEA6653C745A681EDA.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5YICzNcGko/VDAhGbCrz9I/AAAAAAAAANU/x1XEar9AJ2U/s1600/B27FE61661774ADEA6653C745A681EDA.ashx.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the 10<sup>th</sup>
year anniversary of signing for Manchester United, Wayne Rooney chose this
match to encapsulate his 10 years at the club. On the 5<sup>th</sup> minute of
the match, Rafael’s overlapping run found himself with time and space on the
right wing and he delivered a perfect pass for the oncoming Rooney to sweep the
ball to the far corner, a sweet classy finish in itself. Rooney was really
fired up for the match, for you could find him behind the strikers and you
could find him in central defense as well. Then with half an hour remaining in
the match and United leading 2-1, Rooney made a high kicking challenge on
Stewart Downing who was on the break. It was a crude and unnecessary challenge
as Downing was still in the United half and there were 4 covering defenders. At
first my reaction was it was professional challenge which warranted an yellow
card, but when I saw it again it appeared that Lee Mason was spot on to send him
off. As usual there are over the top reactions around to suggest that Rooney shouldn’t
be captaining United again. I don’t think that is going to be case here. First
of all, in the current squad, he is only one (probably De Gea too) who is guaranteed
a spot in the starting eleven, which makes him the only probable candidate for
captaincy. And he is not the only United captain who was sent off. I can
immediately remember Cantona, Keane and Vidic. I can’t remember any hue and cry
of this magnitude when it happened with those players. Ofcourse he let his team
down, ofcourse it was a bad challenge, but he has already said sorry and he
will have his punishment over the next 3 weeks. </div>
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Between Rooney’s first goal and his red card Robin Van
Persie got his customary goal through a neat finish from Falcao’s assist. When
the half time dawned De Gea came out for a punch which never happened, for a
West Ham corner, which then allowed Sakho to head in to an empty net. After
United were reduced to 10 men, the tension was unbearable on the ground. The
crowd went quiet, Hammers put numbers forward and United had everyone defending
except Van Persie. Considering United’s luck this season, there was inevitability
about West Ham finding an equalizer. With 4 minutes remaining Kevin Nolan poked
the ball into the United Net but the linesman’s flag spared all of us from the chicken
dance. The relief around the ground was there for everyone to see when the flag
went up. The moment of the match came when United’s debutant Paddy McNair
craned his neck and headed backwards to clear an incoming cross which looked
like it will end in the goal. He was solid throughout the match and had the
audacity to take the ball forward a couple of times. It was the worst kind of a
match any debutant defender would have wanted, to have a man down and had to
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The one concern from United’s point of view after the match
was Ander Herrera’s back injury which forced him to get substituted on 74<sup>th</sup>
minute. Further reports suggested that he has suffered a broken rib and he
would spend some considerable time on the sidelines. Fortunately, the latest
news is that the injury is not as bad as it was feared initially. He is
definitely out of this weekend’s clash with Everton, and further assessment
will be carried out only after the forthcoming international break. Get well
soon Ander! </div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-77182061398608527312014-09-21T22:14:00.001+05:302014-09-22T15:14:27.658+05:30Welcome to England, Van Gaal. Leicester City 5 - 3 Manchester United<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZLJrNOiAxE/VB8AWFXsrbI/AAAAAAAAANE/3AgdHVnpcLI/s1600/1888594_10152450876437746_2044514187614711186_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZLJrNOiAxE/VB8AWFXsrbI/AAAAAAAAANE/3AgdHVnpcLI/s1600/1888594_10152450876437746_2044514187614711186_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a defeat every bit naïve, comical and farcical even
by the low standards set under David Moyes last season. As far as I can
remember the record books, Manchester United never lost a league game under Sir
Alex Ferguson after having a 2 goal lead. That is a small matter to 1000 odd games
we are talking about. Today United let go 0-2 and 1-3 leads to eventually get beaten
by 5-3. There were some atrocious refereeing decisions, of which more later. </div>
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United started as the brighter side and raced to a 2-0 lead
with goals from Robin Van Persie and Angel Di Maria. The first from an
excellent curving delivery, which RVP headed in, from Radamal Falcao and the
second from an absolutely delightful chip from Angel Di Maria, after exchanging
passes with Rooney who started behind the 2 strikers. Leicester got one
immediately back, from a delivery which should have been called out. Ander
Herrera’s goal in the second half restored United’s 2 goal lead but what
happened after that was disastrous. </div>
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On 1994, exactly to this day, a red haired wiry youngster
made his debut for Manchester United against Port Vale and scored both the
goals in a 2-1 victory. Over the course of the next 18 years Pauls Scholes
became a living legend and one of the best in Europe, who controlled the
Manchester United midfield with conviction. It is debatable that, with Scholes
on the pitch, United would not have suffered the meltdown they had today, but I
am pretty sure that he wouldn’t have allowed the complete lack of recovery
which was on show today after Leicester took control. Once the 3<sup>rd</sup>
goal went in from Esteban Cambiasso, United players went into panic mode and
the foxes took in charge.</div>
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Tyler Blackett had started every Premier Leage game this
season, and he has been solid, to say the least. Today he made a bad decision for
a last ditch tackle towards the fag end of the match when Leicester was leading
and sent off for a professional foul with a penalty awarded too. While this was
a correct decision, Mark Clattenburg’s other 2 decisions which had a greater
impact on the game were abysmal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even with
Howard Webb on the scene, I have no doubt in my mind that Mark has been the
best referee in the League for the last 3 seasons. He has been decisive, authoritative
and correct on most of the occasions, coming to this season. That doesn’t mask
the fact that he had a completely off day today. First he failed to spot the
ball going out, which he should have done considering that he was closer to the
ball than the linesman, and the resulting delivery went in for the first goal. Then,
United leading 1-3 and threatening more, he failed to award a foul on Rafael
and then proceeded to award a penalty against him for a nonexistent foul. That,
in my opinion, changed the complexion of the match though the panic and
meltdown followed was entirely United’s fault. </div>
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Louis Van Gal looked every bit downcast after the match and
understandably so. Until now he did not have a welcome to England the way he
wished, and going by today’s performance it will be a long time before it
comes. </div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-87689292869388127692014-09-21T00:45:00.001+05:302014-09-21T00:45:49.695+05:30It is time to deliver. Manchester United 4 - 0 QPR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-guQEGYDPU7E/VB3R87WsP1I/AAAAAAAAAM0/izspmstn0us/s1600/297399D6883140BA841E11205F537B03.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-guQEGYDPU7E/VB3R87WsP1I/AAAAAAAAAM0/izspmstn0us/s1600/297399D6883140BA841E11205F537B03.ashx.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
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David De Gea is the player who can be called the most
improved in the last 2 years at Old Trafford. Of late, he is getting close to
the final package and the only glitch in his armour is his reluctance to come
forward in the box. Today, on 32<sup>nd</sup> minute, with United leading by a
single goal, he charged straight out of his box to tackle a long ball, to only
completely miss out, presenting Matt Phillips a clear sight of the open goal.
Fortunately Johny Evans was at the right place to divert his shot to safety,
which preserved the lead. Angel Di Maria scored on his home debut, curling a
free kick past Robert Green, the former City keeper who was present at their
goal when Micheal Owen toe poked that 96<sup>th</sup> minute winner. United
went into half time with a 3-0 lead, with the game as good as won against a
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and final goal of the match. By any standards, it was a stroll in the park for
United against a staggeringly poor QPR side. At times QPR’s resistance was next
to none, but those who saw the way their players celebrated with the City team
when they won the League on goal difference would not mind that. No united fan
in his right sense of mind would think of QPR as the toughest opponents to come
to Old Trafford this season, but there were noticeable differences in terms of
power, passion and precision compared to whatever United dished out last season.
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26 years ago Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of Manchester
United and promptly lost his first match against Oxford City 2-0. His first
victory came with a 1-0 win over, none other than, QPR. Louis Van Gaal will
enjoy that similarity but he was anything but bullish while assessing the
performance of the team. He rightly pointed out that improvements are still
required for this to provide this kind of performances week in and week out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Moyes was dismissed only 6 months ago,
but his actual death bell rang in the last summer, when Ed Woodward failed to
land quality signings for him, of which the reasons are various. This time, it
is fair to say that, he compensated for that. He first delivered his now famous
“watch this space” dialogue and then proceeded to spend 150 odd millions of
pounds on Daley Blind, Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo, Radamal Falcao and Ander
Herrera. History shows that, given the right resources, Van Gaal invariably
achieves results. Woodward has kept his promise and brought a fleet of world
class talent to Old Trafford. Over to you Louis Van Gaal, it is time to
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-18272246762788053422014-08-24T19:42:00.001+05:302014-08-24T19:42:22.406+05:30Test Series Review - England vs India 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpyEzSXRZ9A/U_nyYBBicRI/AAAAAAAAAMc/G260OayD24k/s1600/s4.reutersmedia.net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpyEzSXRZ9A/U_nyYBBicRI/AAAAAAAAAMc/G260OayD24k/s1600/s4.reutersmedia.net.jpg" height="342" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
England did not quite turn the tables in the Test series as
much as barged in to the room, raised that table by one of its legs, smashed it
on the floor and shoved the pieces into the collective mouth of this Indian
team. On that glorious evening at Lord’s, during the presentation ceremony
Michael Atherton grilled Alistair Cook with the kind of uncomfortable questions
which looked more like a father talking to his daughter’s boyfriend for the
first time. At that point, it was more a case of When rather than If Alistair
Cook would go. 28 days later he is a national hero, James Anderson is closing
in on the record for England’s leading wicker taker, Moeen Ali is England’s
best spinner and MS Dhoni still continues to lose overseas Test for fun. Here
is how they did it</div>
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<b>That old wine which keeps getting better and better</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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It was billed as a battle between England’s experienced
bowling unit and India’s emerging batting stars. James Anderson and Co took
some time to generate full steam, preferring to do the warm up in the first 2
Tests. While the Trent Bridge pitch nullified their skills, they were guilty of
some directionless bowling on the first day at Lord’s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All they needed was an ICC hearing to inspire
them and since then they made it a habit to scythe through the Indian batting
lineup. Since Lord’s, India’s first innings scores were 330, 152 and 148, an
indication that they never had the ground stand and fight on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard to recover from low first innings
scores unless you have Marshall, Holding, Akram, McGrath and Warne in your
team. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All India had was Ishant (stood
out for 2 Test due to Injury), Shami, Pankaj, Kumar and Jadeja. Shami and Kumar
started the series brightly but the inexperience of playing a 5-Test series
caught up with them eventually. As Cook pointed out, England managed to put a
lot of mileage in the legs of Indian bowlers in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Test, which
definitely showed in the last 2 Tests. Kumar appeared tired, Shami got dropped,
Pankaj toiled and Jadeja was being Jadeja.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And all this while, James Anderson swung, seamed and bounced that red
cherry.</div>
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<b>Bell was ringing, Root was strong and Ballance was good</b></div>
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Except at Lord’s, England enjoyed marginal upper hand every
time their middle order was brought to the crease, mainly because of India’s
batting failures. And every time Joe Root made sure that they never
relinquished that advantage. He was the link which connected the middle order
and the tail. He, along with Butler, strung together a series of partnerships,
which led to huge leads and India never looked like to recovering from them. Root
ended up being England’s leading run scorer for the series with 518 runs which
included 2 centuries and 3 fifties. Ballance was not far off, with 503 runs for
the series, providing stability and composure at the top of the order. He never
showed any after effects of that late night, half naked drinking binge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no looking back for England once
Bell found his groove too. They racked up huge first innings totals for the
last 2 Tests which was good enough for 20 combined Indian wickets.</div>
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<b>Dhoni got cooked</b></div>
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“Cook and Dhoni. Dhoni and Cook. Possible mates. Possible
nemeses”. That is what Sidharth Monga wrote about them in the series preview,
indicating that they could have been 2 sides of the same coin. Still trying to
figure out their best combinations, still trying to fight their own demons and still
trying to prove that they have got what it takes to captain at the Test level,
after 187 Tests between them. At the end of the series, if Cook was one side of
the coin, Dhoni appeared like something which belongs to the Barter system era.
Cook did not need to make any innovative calls or inspired selections, as
Indians pressed that self destruction button far too often. He, at best, was
assured and composed in his captaincy. Dhoni on the other hand, except the
Ishant Sharma move at Lord’s, was largely defensive, timid and uninspiring. Stuart
Binny was a staggeringly poor selection, though not because of any of his
faults, as he was never given a proper spell and batted below Jadeja in the
batting order. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The continuous selection
of Jadeja, in place of Ashwin did not work out at all, which, I believe, is
partly because of the field set for him, forcing him to bowl on the off stump.
Dhoni managed to grind out 4 fifties in the series, despite his technique and
bowler friendly conditions, but none of them were influential ones. As the
series went on, his keeping also disintegrated. But by that time the spirit was
drained and series was long gone. </div>
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<b>Moeenalitharan</b></div>
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I don’t know which one was funnier, Stuart Binny playing 3
Tests or Moeen Ali picking up 19 wickets for the series, with match winning figures
of 6/67. Indian batsmen, with a combination of recklessness and incapability,
made Moeen Ali look like Muralitharan at his peak. When Cook attended his final
presentation ceremony of the summer at The Oval, the effort to find out at
least one decent spinner for England was replaced by the debate of who is the
second best spinner in the country. I don’t think Moeen is going to be a long
term solution, but he is doing his short term job exceptionally well. </div>
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<b>“Catch me if you can” – A cricket ball to Indian fielders</b></div>
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I know that bread and butter is part of the traditional
English breakfast. But I am not sure whether keeping the left over butter on
your hands throughout the day has something to do with the tradition. Atleast,
that is what Indian fielders made us to think. India’s slip catching rate
hovered somewhere around 50% which says that they managed to drop as many as
they caught. It was so amateurish that it appeared downright funny at times,
which makes you think what is the role of the fielding coach if he can’t
correct something which happened in the first Test, even by 5<sup>th</sup>
Test. Ofcourse, it helped England that their fielders remained alert throughout
the day as their bowlers created chances after chances. But then that is the
kind of ability and temperament needed at slips. You may be crouching up and
down for the entire day, with nothing coming your way. And then in the final
over of the day you are supposed to catch the half chance which flew towards to
your wrong side from that blind spot of the bat. It is fair to say that, if not
in batting, India missed Sachin, Dravid and Laxman in this series in the slips.</div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-76852231394654648112014-08-16T20:59:00.001+05:302014-08-16T21:00:37.124+05:30New era starts with a defeat. Manchester United 1 - 2 Swansea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xAdA4dmZoOo/U-94qNCbhhI/AAAAAAAAAMM/T77iQvBDPKs/s1600/10612621_10152372376842746_6665102351896054262_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xAdA4dmZoOo/U-94qNCbhhI/AAAAAAAAAMM/T77iQvBDPKs/s1600/10612621_10152372376842746_6665102351896054262_n.jpg" height="353" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Louis Van Gaal started his Old Trafford reign with an
unwanted record, United losing the first home match of the season for the first
time in 42 years. If ever he needed an indication that this squad needs
addition, the 90 minutes at Old Trafford provided that. He had his share of
injury problems which forced him to give debut to Jesse Lingard and Tyler Blackett
for the first game of the season. While Blackett had a reasonably good game (though
he gave away the foul which led to the second goal ) at left back, Lingard had
to come off midway through the first half, coming worse off a challenge.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I would like think that it was illusion, but there appeared
to be lot off empty seats at Old Trafford, strange for the first game of the
season. United started the game at a lively pace and bossed possession at 65-35
by the end of first half, but there was a lack of clear cut chances. Ashley
Young appeared to have left his pre-season form back in the United States and
Fletcher was largely ineffective in the midfield. Herrera managed to strike an
understanding with Mata, who was playing behind Rooney, but Swansea kept their
shape and composure. Van Gaal’s first half time talk in a competitive game had
to be a morale raising one, as Kim Sung-Yeung gave Swansea lead on 28<sup>th</sup>
minute, driving to the left of De Gea after he was given too much time and space,
as he could literally walk into the position.</div>
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Adnan Januzaj who came on for Lingard, and Nani, a half time
substitute for Hernandez, showed much needed urgency at the start of the second
half. Januzaj had some incisive runs down the right flank, and one of them,
resulted in the corner which led to United’s first goal. Swansea failed to deal
with the first time ball which Jones could only head back awkwardly. By the
time it reached Wayne Rooney, he was past it but his overhead kick was precise and
found its way to the goal. Later Rooney’s freekick, from just outside the box,
struck the outside of the frame and flew wide after Fabianski had already given
up. Though he scored one and almost put in another, his passing was off the
mark, resulting in breaking up a lot of attacks in the final third. The wave of
attacks at the Stretford End did not arrive at all after Swansea regained their
lead and United had to settle for second best at the end. </div>
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There is a long way to go before we can judge Van Gaal.
Today showed that he is not afraid to make changes and ready to put faith on
youth, something United are known for. But there is no doubt that he needs
additions at CB and someone in the holding midfield role too. It may turn out
to be a blessing in disguise that United are not playing in the Champions
League this season. We would have been badly exposed in Europe with this squad
and that would have affected the League form and confidence as well. Now it is
all the more important that United get hold of some decent players before the
transfer window closes, and make strides domestically.</div>
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<br /></div>
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A word on Swansea too. Not many survive a player – manager role
in League, especially when it is done midway through the season. Gary Monk had
done a good job last season achieving survival, albeit with only 2 games left,
and he seems to have grown in the role of a full time manager. There will
surely be tougher days and tougher tests to face, but he looks like he has the
belief and ability to face them. His players put in some heavy challenges
today, high on intent though none of them can be termed as malicious. They seem
to be responding to his instructions and absorbed his calmness and composure in
their play as well.</div>
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It was the first Premier League game since its beginning
when Ryan Giggs is not a player! Let that sink in and hope that he will see
better days as an Assistant Manager. </div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-35936787210202422832014-07-24T11:10:00.001+05:302014-07-24T11:24:59.246+05:307th heaven for Ishant - 2nd Test, Lord's , England vs India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VaZfFhpNI-c/U9CcAD4OsDI/AAAAAAAAAL8/y-oqWupfUvI/s1600/James.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VaZfFhpNI-c/U9CcAD4OsDI/AAAAAAAAAL8/y-oqWupfUvI/s1600/James.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Day-1</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Ajinkya Rahane managed to get over the dangerous 20s
syndrome shown by Indian batsmen and found himself a place in the famous
honours board at the Lord’s. It was a top top knock considering, India were 145
for 6 towards the end of the 2<sup>nd</sup> session and in danger of losing
whatever reasonable ground they were able to make in the first session. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was heartening to know when he revealed
later that he watched Video’s of Mike Hussey’s batting to learn how to bat with
the tail. Taking a leaf out of Mr<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cricktet’s
book, Rahane did not try to farm the strike too often, instead trusting the
tail enders and allowing them to share the responsibility as well. The pitch
was so green that MS Dhoni and Co had a tough time finding it when they strode
out in the morning. That is the greenest I have ever seen at the Lord’s ,
though it was an altogether different matter that England could not fully
capitalize. They were way too short in the first session, had a good second
session and the tired legs showed in the last session. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James Anderson was the standout bowler. He
managed to attain reverse swing even on that spongy green top, and consistently
troubled the batsmen though, throughout the day he wore the expression of a man
who just had a 14 hour shift in a coal mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May be it is the impending hearing on his altercation with Ravindra
Jadeja, may<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be it is those backbreaking
number of overs he delivered in the last 3 years, or may be it is just that he
woke up at the wrong side of the bed! India finished the day with a score which
looked highly unlikely by the end of the second session, which makes them the
happier of the two sides when the day finished. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Day-2</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Thos who know Gary Ballance would be telling that he showed
much less energy on the cricket pitch in amassing a well crafted 100 than when
he danced half naked at midnight in a bar after the first Test! Whatever the
means, his innings helped to keep England afloat though he would be cursing at
the way he got out towards the end of the day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the first Test at Trentbridge, Ishant
Sharma showed why he is playing in his 56<sup>th</sup> Test match despite a
bowling average of 37.79. Today he showed how he ended up with such an average
after 56 Test matches. When the pitch and conditions demanded a fuller length,
he went back to his now notorious three quarter length and consistently beat
the bat, without ever inducing an edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dhoni was decisive most of the occasions today when it came to captaincy
decisions. It was a relief that he did not try to match Cook’s decision to put
6 men on the boundary when India’s number 10 and 11 were batting on the first
day evening!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Day-3</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
By the close of play, what appeared to be a snoozefest of an
innings from Murali Vijay carries more importance than actually seemed in the
beginning. Throughout the day the momentum shifted hands in a way which only
Test cricket can produce. India needed early wickets and got them which
suggested that they would get a small but handy lead. But it was England who
ended up with a 24 runs lead thanks to the last wicket heroics from Anderson
and Plunket. India wiped the arrears of without much trouble before Joe Root at
point pulled off a brilliant catch to send Dhawan back. India then appeared to
be getting back in the game with the second wicket partnership between Vijay
and Pujara but the Test came alive with 3 wickets in no time. Dhoni managed to
see off the day without further trouble but the game is still on a knife edge.
Vijay is still there and if India’s lower order can give him enough support, a
target of 250-270 is well on the cards. One bad session or even a bad phase of
10 overs is what either team needs to lose the match. So expect a cautious but
fascinating 4<sup>th</sup> day at the Lord’s tomorrow. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Day-4</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Ravindra Jadeja to win a Test match for India at the Lord’s
with his batting. If someone had told me that an year ago, I would have
promptly sent him to the remotest corner of earth to regain his sanity. Not
anymore though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody would have blamed
Alistair Cook for starting to think about his batting when India were 6 down
with a lead of only 180 odd runs in bowler friendly conditions. Enter Ravindra
Jadeja.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is probable that he did not
read the script or missed my point about cautious cricket on a defining day. The
new ball is only 2 overs away. His senior partner is nearing a century and
trying to pull India out of the mess. What does he do? He charges the bowler
and nearly holes out. But once the nerves settled and sanity returned, he
counter attacked with precision which forced the England bowlers to bowl short
while bowling full and straight was the logical option. And he brought the
sword too, which was on display when he reached 50. It was the Lord’s, holy
turf and all that, and he was fooling around in the middle. It is safe to
assume that he won’t getting X’mas cards from anyone from this England team. By
the time he departed the lead swelled over 300 and there was a general feeling
that the target has been achieved. And when England appeared to be making a
decent start he returned and won a marginal LBW decision against Sam Robson
with his first delivery. Ishant’s inspired spell and 2 wickets towards the end
of the day makes India slight favourites to win this. But after 3 years and 15
overseas Tests, they won’t be taking anything for granted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Day-5</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Couple of overs before lunch, Mahendra Singh Dhoni wore a
magician’s hat and pulled out an Ishant Sharma sized rabbit out it. And the
entire England team played the perfect audience to it clapping and encouraging,
egging on and asking for more. An hour later after lunch, the show was all
over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sight of an Indian bowler
bouncing out the opposition was exhilarating. But a greater concern for England
is to find that, of the 5 wickets which fell to short balls, 4 were down to
temperament not technique. It is downright surprising to think that an England
think tank with 80 odd support staff could not make any one in the team to
understand that the short ball tactic from Dhoni can’t go on forever and sooner
rather than later, he would be forced to take the new ball which would mean
going back to full length with Kumar and Shami. Somewhere during that spell it
went to their head and the battle became personal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a bigger picture, somewhere during the
their ascent to the No.1 Test team in the world, among those 160 odd page
cookbook and robotized training sessions, they lost the fun part of it. It
became everyday work and Monday blues would have caught up with them as well, watching
the thoughtless way they played. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years
down the lane, we will look back at this Test match and realize that it is one
of India’s great overseas wins. Lord’s is added to the list of Headingly,
Melbourne , Rawalpindi and Perth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on
a different note, I am not a firm believer of poetic justice or moral
victories. But there is tinge of karma in the joke that England have not won a
Test match since they urinated on the pitch. At the end you get what you give.</div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-45439836532598339272013-12-26T09:07:00.000+05:302013-12-26T19:46:02.618+05:30Test, the best!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNbD6FUPHE8/UrukMHAp-PI/AAAAAAAAALs/O3iKKZuwYH4/s1600/test-cricket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNbD6FUPHE8/UrukMHAp-PI/AAAAAAAAALs/O3iKKZuwYH4/s400/test-cricket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Outside it was 3 degree Celsius and windy too. At best it
was butt freezing cold. Inside I sat hunched in front of my laptop, sweating
profusely. My index finger started to pain tapping on that refresh button
frantically, every 10 seconds. And finally it was all over when Dale Steyn lifted
the final delivery into the stands with an expression which said “Fuck those
booing”. I have no idea why or how I managed to follow the entire Test match on
Cricinfo and look like someone who got hopelessly drunk after a college party
at the end of it. Then again, Test cricket does that to you.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Test cricket touches your senses like no other sport. It
stimulates and pacifies your soul at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does that by giving you infinite
possibilities on a passage of play, or even a single delivery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pitch, tea break, seam size, old ball, new
ball, first day, fifth day, lunch, wind, dust, slope, swing, stance, shiny side,
bounce, drinks break, moisture, rough outfield. No other sport has managed to
combine even half of those variables and put them together to form a spectacle
to captivate the audience, as much as Test cricket does. It can both pause and
pace, with equally spectacular efficiency. I have watched Adam Gilchrist
scoring a hundred in a session and also Rahul Dravid blocking his way to 12
from 96 balls. On both the occasions, it broke the backbone of the opposition. “It
takes all sorts” was one of Peter Roebuck’s books but you will not find a
better caption for something which talks about characters in cricket. Cricket’s
ability to accept a supreme athlete as good as Jonty Rhodes along with a
not-so-movable Inzamam Ul Haq with same nonchalance is what makes it an extra
ordinary sport.</div>
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Venues play a part too. The boxing day test match at MCG is
an yearly pilgrimage for many Australians. Eden Garden fills up for a Test
match like no other ground in India. Rum, Reggae and Parties are essentials
when cricket comes to Barbados. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord’s
is still holy turf. They add to the theater and drama, as much as the cricket
on show. In Eden Gardens, I have seen nothing happening for 60 overs and then a
slow and rhythmic clap starting at one corner of the stadium. In a matter of
seconds, it catches up with the entire crowd, egging the home team on. Then a
wicket falls, and another in the same over. The crowd roars, as if a sound of
approval. Suddenly a benign pitch start playing tricks, with batsman’s mind. In
a matter of session, the opposition gets bowled out. Those who schedule Test
matches at new stadiums, most of them suave engineering marvels, in upcoming
cities with the emphasis on making cricket more popular, will never understand
that feeling of watching Test cricket, accompanied with tradition and culture. </div>
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After 5 days of ebbs and flows, punches and counter punches,
batting marathons and fiery spells, the Johannasburg Test match ended in a
draw. Born and bred on Superbowls and knockouts, Americans will never
understand how a sport can be played over 5 days and still ends in stalemate. Perhaps
it was justice that neither team won. After the kind of cricket which was on
show, finding a loser from either of those teams would have been cruel. </div>
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There were many who accused the batsmen for trying to be
safe in the last 3 overs, than trying to win. But let us not forget that they
tried to win for 133 overs faced with a target of 458, while most teams would
have shut the shop after losing 4 wickets. That is the ramifications of having
a 2 match series, for South Africa just could not lose. There is an argument
that the great Australian team under Steve Waugh would have risked a loss while
still trying to win that and there is truth in that. But cricket as much
reveals character, culture, society and tradition as it enhances them. Unlike
Australia, South Africa is a country which is still trying to recover from
those apartheid years. Years when isolation and loss were the norms and those
scars take time to subside. Cricket always reflects the society it represents,
and as any recovering society will do, they chose safety first. Perhaps the
chokers tag played a part too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it
was cricket’s way of showing that it can be fair too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps cricket decided to save me from a
broken index finger and a sleepy day at work!</div>
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-58589036341601009302013-07-14T23:49:00.000+05:302013-07-15T06:13:23.295+05:30First Ashes Test, Trent Bridge 2013 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_BoM3toAHdg/UeLrLfJbjiI/AAAAAAAAALc/FPyga05tyZQ/s1600/161947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_BoM3toAHdg/UeLrLfJbjiI/AAAAAAAAALc/FPyga05tyZQ/s400/161947.jpg" width="341" /></a></div>
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Connoisseurs of Test cricket will have an almighty smirk on
their face tonight looking towards the IPL fanatics and its ilk. No artificially
created excitement, no manufactured adjectives and no forced super over would
have produced the drama we witnessed at Trent Bridge today. The day started
with England as clear favourites and they won at the end, but nobody could have
imagined what actually happened in between. As it happened throughout the Test
match, the momentum fluctuated wildly, before a lucky lunch break and judicial
use of DRS finally settled the matter for England.</div>
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For all I can remember for a long time, this is a an Ashes
series which England started as an outright favourite and there were even talks
of a 10-0 results over the two legs in favour of England. Personally I don’t think
the gap between these two teams is as big as it is made out to be, especially
with the appointment of Darren Lehman, someone who knows the dynamics of how
things work in the Australian Test team, prior to the series. As much as
England are delighted to win such a close match, when the dust settles and euphoria
subsides, they will look back and realize that only 14 runs separated the
sides. After four and a half days, 385 overs and 40 wickets, only 14 runs
separated the two teams, and that is not how an outright favourite wins by any
means.</div>
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By the end of second day, thanks to the debutant Ashton Agar’s
heroics, Australia had their noses in front. Looking for a big lead over
England’s first innings of 215, the Australian top and middle order collapsed,
only to be rescued by the mammoth last wicket stand of 164 between Hughes and
Agar, the latter missing a deserved century by 2 runs. And to think that they
had England on the ground with 218 for 6, a lead of only 153 runs, Australia
must be kicking themselves for letting them off the hook. Bell played his best
innings of an Ashes test, ably supported by Prior and Broad in particular, and by
the time Jimmy Anderson was caught by Hughes, the target 311 looked over the
horizon. </div>
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The fifth day started with England needing 4 wickets to win
and their fans in full flow. They never panicked until Brad Haddin’s calculated
attack on Finn and Pattinson’s brave handling of Swann brought the target down
to less than 50, after small but handy contributions from Agar and Siddle.
England knew that they needed only one wicket to win but that never seemed to
arrive. I was very surprised when England took the option of extending lunch by
half an hour in search of the last wicket, when everybody around the ground
could really see the momentum shifting towards Australia, slowly but
decisively. What they needed was to go back to the dressing room and think with
a clear mind rather than trying to finish it in a hurry. It just takes your
heart to beat a tad faster for your best laid plans to go awry. By the time
England realized it, it was almost too late and Stuart Broad had to fake a ‘stone
in my shoe’ act to remove and re lace it to avoid an extra over before lunch.
Aleem Dar had none of it and duly signalled for another over, and with that it
all came down to 1 wicket or 20 run at lunch. At this point, this was a welcome
distraction for England who got the opportunity to regroup. In hindsight, they
would not have extended the session for half an hour, and in all probability Australia
would have won the Test match without that lunch break. That is the real beauty
of Test cricket, with its ifs and buts. Over 5 days, with all the breaks, with
follow-ons, with new balls, it offers a theater of infinite possibilities. </div>
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The last few minutes of the match were played as if in slow
motion. Anderson’s off-cuttor was inside edged, albeit a tiny one, to Prior who
duly convinced his not-so-convinced caption to go for a review. From Haddin’s
reaction and the slight sound, it looked out but the third umpire took an
unbelievably long time, just to conform to the rule of being sure without a
doubt to overturn the field umpire’s call. And when Aleem Dar raised his left
index finger, the ground, where deep breaths were clearly audible until 5
minutes ago, erupted. Perhaps it is fitting that the last moment of the match
is decided by DRS, as it was a talking point throughout the match. As much as
it almost did its purpose, eliminating clear howlers, it also showed its
drawbacks in ‘broad’ daylight. Australia was furious when Stuart Broad edged to
second slip and stood his ground, but they were helpless as they had already
used their quota of 2 unsuccessful appeals. Imagine if England did not have an
option of review for the last wicket and Australia goes on to win it, it would
have been a gross injustice. It is high time ICC finds an alternative to the
limited number of times DRS can be used, else an ugly situation is bound to
occur sooner.</div>
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The words Edgbaston 2005 were used a million times in the
last hour of play. I will be happier if I can get to use them all through this
series. Here is hoping for a drama filled and action packed 4 more Tests.</div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-34776881570487326542013-06-09T22:29:00.000+05:302013-06-09T22:33:09.760+05:30Catch me if you can!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XkM8Aq06Cdw/UbSzjz6gIQI/AAAAAAAAALI/YhhA2uEkxgA/s1600/Rafael+Nadal+of+Spain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XkM8Aq06Cdw/UbSzjz6gIQI/AAAAAAAAALI/YhhA2uEkxgA/s640/Rafael+Nadal+of+Spain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt;">I should have tried my hands on some jackpots last week. My prediction in the last blog for the last four of
the French Open came exactly right, thanks to my stars being in their best
positions! Though I missed out on making a fortune, I decided not to miss the final and took my rightful place in front of the TV very early. On a Sunday evening, that is a very dangerous proposition considering how volatile my better half can be when she wants!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today morning Cricinfo had
the preview of the Champions trophy clash between Sri Lanka and New Zealand themed as Ferrer vs
Murray of cricket. Ferrer was NewZealand. They didn't call him an underachiever
but he, most appropriately, was termed as someone who has the ability to just remain
in the top bracket while never being able to truly challenge the top four when it
comes to trophies. In essence, they called him a honest trier. We all know that
ilk, we respect them, we admire them for always giving their 100% but they lack
something that true winners have. That extra ounce of talent, that inimitable
aura, that ability to bounce back when everything seems lost. If Ferrer is to
change that image tonight, he has to bring his A game to Roland Garros and hope
that Rafael Nadal had a late night drinking binge and then shows up with a twisted ankle. That is just to show what Rafa is capable of on clay than to show
that how hopeless Ferrer is when it comes to hoping!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>First Set:</b> Ferrer showed up in bright green Tee while Rafa
flaunted his Tarzan like biceps in a white shirt. Nobody quite knew how Ferrer managed to break Rafa's serve in the first Set. Rafa was
practically bulldozing from the baseline. There were numerous occasions when all
he had to do was wait for the right time to open up and unleash his trademark
forehand. Everything is going according to script. Nadal 6-3 Ferrer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Second Set:</b> As soon as the
first few drops of rain fell, I could see pink and green umbrellas coming up.
Paris, fashion capital? Really? But unlike last year, the drizzle soon subdued
and didn't last long enough to trouble Rafa's game. In the blink of an eye, he
raced to a 3-0 lead. Though Ferrer improved his game over the course of the
set, the damage had already been done. The good thing was Ferrer managed to
break Rafa in this set too and the bad thing was that Ferrer had already given
his opponent a 2 game break head-start. And, on clay, against Rafael Nadal,
that is a cardinal sin. By the end of the second set, it is clear that Rafa did
not have a late night drinking session and his ankles are doing just fine. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Nadal 6-3, 6-2 Ferrer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Third Set:</b> if you need any
proof that Ferrer is a quick learner, you just have this watch this set in
which he played some forehands which even Rafa would have been proud to execute.
With the Championship on the line he upped his game and gave Rafa a few
problems. He managed to get even with Rafa until the 8th game in which his
double fault gave Rafa the break and he safely served out the match & the
championship in the next game. On watching Ferrer being wrong footed on his
forehand, Rafa fell on his back covering his face, clearly overcome with emotion.
He became the first man on the planet ever to win the same Grandslam a record 8
times. It is fair to say that he likes this red dirt more than the African
elephants. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 Ferrer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>Epilogue: </i></b>Just after Ferrer lost to Nadal in straight sets, New Zealand somehow managed to drag themselves to the brink of defeat, chasing 139 against Sri Lanka but won by 1 wicket at the end. So it is not all that bad for honest triers around the World today.</span></div>
</div>
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-64914104161303122582013-05-30T22:12:00.000+05:302013-06-09T22:34:42.371+05:30The battle of dirt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SCcY1cF-4oI/UaeA6WHOjFI/AAAAAAAAAK4/m09Fl5QShKc/s1600/nadal-130527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SCcY1cF-4oI/UaeA6WHOjFI/AAAAAAAAAK4/m09Fl5QShKc/s400/nadal-130527.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is something about Roland Garros.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The red coloured dust. The almost suffocating but beautiful domination by Nadal. Those ugly and dusty socks after a single set.The way it defied and remained as an unsolved puzzle for Pete Sampras for his entire career. The never ending tapping of shoes with rackets. The bright Sun. The equal prize money. The constant supply of sliding shots. There is a lot to like about it but incidently those big servers and serve-and-volleyers tend to disagree! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">French Open is already on us. Four days into it, there are no serious casualitites, except the first round exit of Venus Williams, albeit seeded 30. I did not want to write a about the contenders even before the tournament started and then, as sports always does, being forced to watch one of them crashing out in the first round itself, making myself look like a perfect jack ass. Writing it now, I still run the risk of it but the chances are comparatively less. Intelligent, huh?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For me, these are the four players who will make it into the Men's semifinals, provided they don't face each other before the Semis, as I am not aware of which side of the draw they are in. Here we go</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Rafael Nadal:</b> Only a fool or a betting illiterate will bet against him winning a record 8th French Open title. He was in red hot form, winning 4 out of 6 tournaments on clay since his comeback from injury. An year ago, his knee finally gave up after years of "Vamossss" powered pounding. But, by the look of it, he has somehow got that in a piece and moving pretty well too, considering he almost feared for his career at that point. Only a terrible off day or some freak culmination of circumstances (like rain and the chair umpire refused to stop play until he played 6 games in the wet clay in last year's final) will prevent him going all the way. The bad news for all his opponents is that, after missing out the last 2 grand slams he seems hungrier and fitter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Novak Djokovic:</b> If anyone is going to match Rafa in spirit and endurance, it has got to be him. He gave Rafa a good fight last year, with help of rain, but at the end it was not enough to stop the spanish bulldozer. Though he did not have good 2012 as fruitful as the previous year, he is more rounded with his game now. He is an absolute powerhouse for his fragile physique and possess a forehand as good as any in the game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Jo-Wilfried Tsonga:</b> The man with a beautiful name and cheerful personality has the game to back it too. Being French definitely helps and expect the volume in Center court to act as an extra point every game if he reaches the Semis. Admittedly clay is not his best surface and his huge serve will not play as big a part as on hard courts, but he is still a threat nonetheless. His aggressive ground-strokes and effective net play will play an important part on the slower clay. The only thing which stands against him is his performance in the big matches when stakes are at the highest. Time to change that Jo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>David Ferrer:</b> Talk about a cheap Spanish imitation (not politically correct, but still) and here he is. Except for being Spanish and being friends, there is not much common between Ferrer and Rafa in terms of playing styles. One of the best returners in the current game, he is supposed to be a clay court specialist with his quick feet and viciously spinning backhands. He is yet to reach a Grand Slam final but that is more in his mind than in his game. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Note-1:</i> I don't have anything against Roger Federer but I simply don't see him getting to the Semis here. He has started the tournament in great fashion, though against lesser opponents, but you don't have to be Mirka Federer to know that clay is not his favourite surface. Any of the above four is capable to take him out and even those in the next tier, the Gasquets and Tipsarevics, will be giving him a good run for his money on clay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Note-2:</i> With the risk of justifying my wife's accusation that I watch women's tennis not for tennis, I have to admit that it is too tight (no pun) to pick a top four there. Admittedly Serena had a great last year but she has won French Open only once, back in 2002. Not a very comforting statistic. Any one from the top 10 seeds is capable of defeating any one. So I will probably dare to start watching the women's matches to make a prediction around the QF time to save me time, ridicule and some brownie points in front of wife.</span><br />
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-58212446223799445302013-05-23T22:39:00.003+05:302013-05-24T05:35:36.917+05:30IPL - The great Indian circus!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Watching the final day of the first Test match between England and New Zealand reminded me of the reasons why i fell in love with the greatest game Man has ever created on earth, Test cricket.There were no DLF maximums, no strategic timeout and no half naked cheer girls, but still I am sure, not a single sane minded person wanted to take his eye of the action. It was the plain white clothes, old school swing and the serene Lord's which made it attractive. And more than anything else there was a genuine battle going on, the essence of cricket or for that matter the essence of any sport. <br />
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it will be asking too much to expect the IPL organizers to take a cue from this but they will do well to do so. The only surprising thing from all the spot fixing stories which have come out this week is that everyone seems surprised with it. From the outset, it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. IPL, the best scripted drama ever, is made specifically for external elements to thrive over the real sport. First and foremost, the shortest format of the game, where a wrong short or a mis-field carries more weight compared to other formats, gives the best opportunity for bookies. That is what makes them to be able to allegedly offer as much as 60 Lakhs for a single over. To put things in perspective,a premier Test bowler doesn't make half of that money from a 3 Test series.<br />
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Then there is the artificially created excitement and drama, where the onus is to drag every game to a last over finish so that more advertisements can be stuffed in and more TRP rating can be gloated about. The financial spending cap, imposed over each team during the players' auction (which itself is as ugly to watch as the nether region of a transgender) is specifically for that purpose. While it creates a level playing field and better competition, it doesn't produce excellence. Excellence is when Dale Steyn bowls to Sachin Tendulkar on a Newlands green top for a 12 over spell, not when Chris Gayle smashes a god-knows-who third rate bowler out of the park. That is why more sixes are hits, more records are broken and more wickets are taken, just as the organizers wished. The financial equality among teams makes sure that, all teams are equally matched which in other words, converts to the match, almost always, being played into the last over.<br />
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As much as BCCI despises Lalit Modi presence now, it was his novel idea to involve Bollywood also in this great circus. He foresaw the potential of combining India's two most lethal entertainment powers, Cricket and Films, a marriage made in heaven. Each match in the IPL now becomes the perfect platform for them to market a new movie or endorse a new brand. During the first season of IPL, viewers were treated to more air time of SRK's face than KKR's games. Combined with the after match parties, where Bollywood and Cricket unceremoniously copulate, this 6 week circus has grown bigger than the game.<br />
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When IPL began 6 years ago, starting with its name, the ambition was to match the enormity and fan base of English Premier League (And CSK is now being called the Manchester United of IPL. I strongly think that it was one of the reasons behind Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement !!). But what they conveniently forgot was the fact that the fan base for the English League is built over intense competition and geographic rivalries over a period of 150 years and for them, following their team is a family tradition built on fierce loyalty. The men at Sky Sports who powered the Premier League era, starting from 1993, had the brains to milk it without compromising on the values of the game. For IPL to generate such an innate feeling of belonging among its supporters, it needs to clean up and start afresh. It has to project a reputation based on integrity and fair play. <br />
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IPL's original projected intention was to make a cricketing platform where the best in the world can compete, which will in turn help India to produce a capable talent pool. It, and much more, still can be achieved if wholesome changes in approach and mentality can be brought in. Until then, real cricket lovers will be prepared to wait for those beautiful sunny afternoons from far away Lord's and MCG.<br />
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-48596962533781278662013-05-17T22:52:00.000+05:302013-05-17T22:52:19.857+05:30How the title was won<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-daXfgtIaMgk/UZZmuqZCb2I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/-nmLQK-8gj4/s1600/Champions_2013_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-daXfgtIaMgk/UZZmuqZCb2I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/-nmLQK-8gj4/s320/Champions_2013_4.jpg" /></a><br />
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To be totally frank, the pain still lingers. In fact, I feel the same intense pain every time I think back on that night. There are 3 types of pain in this world. Pain, excruciating pain and the pain of watching Manchester United losing the League Title by the last kick of an 8 months long season, on goal difference. I am talking about the last one. Nothing in this world can make me forget that pain, and a mere mention of the name Sergio Aguero bring it back with all its intensity. But let me tell you, I don't want to forget it. That is what makes this title all the more sweeter, incredibly satisfying and amazingly spectacular. To think that One person's determination and collective dedication from 25 players can still defeat an investment of 1 billion by Sheikh Mansour is absolutely incredible and this is what makes Manchester United tick. The best part of this title win is that none of us have to sit through the launch of a book named "How to defend the Premier League Title" written by a Manchester City player.<br />
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League titles are never won on a solitary moment or game, instead it is almost always the culmination of an 8 months long slog. Even when City won it on goal difference last season, it was not because QPR showed them an open goal after knowing that their place is safe but because they were the best team in the country for the season. There would still be moments through the course of the season which give the gut feeling about the eventual destination of the crown. This is an attempt to capture those moments which stood out during the season and made sure that the predicted rise of the blue moon went up in smoke.<br />
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<b>Number 20:</b> Perhaps the most important moment in the title race happened even before it actually began. United got what no one else in the country had, the Robin Van Persie signature. It still gives me goosebumps to think that RVP rejected a 300k per week salary from City to come to United. RVP unknowingly made himself available for the strongest possible candidate for the Mastercard punch line "Money can't buy you everything". It was a statement of intent from United after the way League title was lost in the last season. Above all Sir Alex Ferguson decided that he doesn't want to see losing the title on goal difference in his life time. When RVP pulled that Number 20 jersey and announced "Let's do it" he meant every letter of that. While United got RVP, City were busy signing Maicon, Scot Sinclair, Jack Rodwell and Javi Garcia. Well, if the numbers were that important, pigs would be ruling the jungle over lions.<br />
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<b>The blue smoke:</b> What I remember most about that derby at Etihad is the amount of blue smoke around the stadium when RVP scored the winner deep into the injury time. It was as well that City supporters realized their crown is going up in smoke. The blue smoke, RVP's 'Eric Cantona' posture celebration and Rio Ferdinand with a blood soaked eye gave it an almost war like atmosphere at the end of it. And war it was. On that night in Manchester, a battle was won, a blow was delivered, the enemy was cornered but the war remained be conquered.<br />
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<b>That snowy night:</b> Before this match there were doubts that it would be postponed due to the extremely hostile climatic conditions, but eventually a 'go' signal was given. Watching it in TV, it looked like more of an expedition from Antarctic than a football match in London. Throughout that match, amidst the heavy snow fall, a 71 year old chap stood outside the dugout without a hat. At the end of it, Sir Alex Ferguson looked like he was just rescued from a snowfall avalanche in the Alps. Come the final whistle, a Clint Dempsey goal denied all 3 points for United, but Sir Alex Ferguson's desire to combat even the weather gods to land the 20th league title was there for everyone to see. (What still beats me is how Mike Phelan, with that glass like blad head and a pair of uncovered ears which are big enough to hold atleast a ton of snow, survived that night standing next to Sir Alex, without even a coat!)<br />
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<b>Boxing day classic:</b> It was a 7 goal thriller and United took lead in this match for the first time on the cusp injury time when Michael Carrick found time, space and imagination to deliver a perfect through ball for Hernandez to score. It was more relief than elation on everyone's face when Hernandez slid through the rain soaked pitch in celebration. United were particularly poor in this match, conceding 3 easy goals to a Newcastle side they annihilated 3-0 at St James Park. That we won even after playing piss poor for most of the match helped to build a growing feeling that finally the elements are on our side but I am sure improvements would have been demanded by Sir Alex, in no uncertain terms, particularly in defense at the end of the match.<br />
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<b>The killing machine:</b> And improvements duly arrived in time. In all probability it was a back handed compliment when Joe Hart spoke about the difficulty in keeping pace with United, calling them 'the Manchester United killing machine' because in reality it was anything but. But what was lacked in the name of beautiful football was made up with effort and efficiency. When RVP had a mid season dip, Rooney chipped in. Danny Welbeck put in some good shifts at right wing where Valencia was out of form for the whole of season. Giggs showed the reasons why he is still playing at the age of 39. De Gea made a transition from boy to man in goal. When everything failed, Hernandes found a hair's breadth of difference to beat the offside trap and score. And when the title was in sight, it inspired even Valencia to score for a change! A season which started by heavily depending on RVP to score goals ended with 20 different goal scorers. So much for a one man team.<br />
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<b>Goal of the season:</b> Such was the brilliance of the goal that it touched the Aston Villa half for the first time only inside their goal. From United's half, Rooney made a diagonal pass which was astonishingly met with the left foot of RVP. The run he made was a lesson in timing while the finish was exquisite. This was the icing on the cake on a night when United clinched their record breaking 20th league title.<br />
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<b>Fergie the grand dad:</b> There was a beautiful moment during the trophy presentation lap of honour at Old Trafford. In the middle of the ground Sir Alex was being mobbed by some of his grand children when he spotted the youngest child of the family. As any grand dad would do, he just leapt to get near her to hold and pamper her in his hand. The same way he has pampered all of us with moments, games and trophies enough to remember for a life time. It showed an entirely different side of the man we are so used to seeing every week on the touch line, and it probably provided the reason why he finally decided to call it a day. For the last 27 years he has dedicated every minute of his life and every ounce of his energy for this football club, with the support of his family. And finally it is the time to give it back to family and they deserve it. Later he would go on to reveal that he made his decision to quit after the death of his wife Cathy's sister, as she needs his presence and time, more than ever. At 71 years of age, he went out in his own terms, as a winner.<br />
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Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-23578970743225914822013-05-09T21:48:00.000+05:302013-05-09T21:49:09.776+05:30The MAN who UTD us!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wN7MCpDFNR0/UYvMBDIXbmI/AAAAAAAAAII/3e5ZEZ8DDdk/s1600/Sir-Alex-Thank.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wN7MCpDFNR0/UYvMBDIXbmI/AAAAAAAAAII/3e5ZEZ8DDdk/s320/Sir-Alex-Thank.jpg" /></a><br />
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How do you recollect the best moments of your life? You usually associate them with a particular period of your life, or some special person you came across, or even relate to some beautiful places where you had been. For me it is easy, for almost all of them have been provided by one man, Sir Alex Ferguson. If you define happiness as that sudden surge of elation, ecstasy, relief and above all that blissful feeling of 'don't care' about your surroundings, i have had many of those such moments since I started following Manchester United. <br />
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For people like us, born in the 80s he is all what we know when we talk about Manchester United. We were spoilt, for we never needed to be worried about the stability of our club while we were mocking Chelsea and City. Even when we occasionally berated some of his squad selection, we secretly hoped the "Sir Alex knows' saying to be true. We reveled in his genius when, 2 years ago, he put 8 defenders in his team against Arsenal in an FA cup tie and still won. The collective sigh of our relief were immense when he backed away from his planned retirement in 2002. From Cantona to Ronaldo, RVN to RVP, Andy Cole to Wayne Rooney, he has always been there.<br />
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When Sheringham and Solksjaer prodded those 2 goals past Bayern Munich in the last few seconds in Barcelona, he took all of us from the depths of despair to the promised land. When Macheda transferred the ball from his left foot to right, stopped momentarily, swiveled in a flash and shot past a diving Brad Friedel, we all danced with him, however comic his 'grandpa in party' dance steps were. Incidentally those little jig is something which remained in him from his initial days till now, remarkable for a man who changed his tactics, rivalries, formations and management style to bring success to Old Trafford. The fact that he was ready to change and accept the change on his way was the main reason behind the unbelievable success over the last 26 years. A mere glance towards Arsene Wenger and his almost childish commitment to his methods is the proof of that.<br />
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His legacy lies not only in the unmatched supply of trophies since 1986, but making Manchester United a global beast of a football club than just a football team. In the Australian outback or Arabian deserts, the African deepwoods or subcontinental streets, wherever you are, the name Manchester resonates with United. Irrespective of your colour, country, language, religion and ethnicity you can wear a Manchester United T-shirt and become part of a global family. When he took over in 1986, Manchester United was still big but not the money making, trophy winning, awe inspiring giant of today. His vision and courage made all this possible.<br />
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And more importantly, he made our lives better too. Even when we miserably failed in jobs, relations and life in general, we found success and solace in winning the premier league. When deadlines missed and hours in office stretched, we somehow found happiness in waiting to watch those 11 men in red play over the weekend. Staying in a far away street in India, we pride ourselves in having the bragging rights in the City of Manchester, when United win a derby. He made winners out of each one of us pathetic losers. Feeling bored, we login to twitter and find a person who we have never met to passionately talk about United for hours as if we were best mates for decades. He united all of us.<br />
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Thank you Sir Alex. Thanks for all those wonderfully blessed moments.Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-37086836177200668022012-12-31T21:50:00.000+05:302012-12-31T21:50:14.742+05:30Flashback 2012From 2012 these are the moments which stood out for me from what I have watched or read. Here is hoping for another wonderful year ahead filled with sporting drama. <br />
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<b>Best signing of the year:</b> Robin Van Persie. He just beats Michu because of the quality and importance of his goals.<br />
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<b>Most inspiring moment of the year:</b> Oscar Pistorius competing with able bodied men in the Olympics. <br />
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<b>Worst coach of the year:</b> Duncan Fletcher.<br />
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<b>Most dramatic sporting act of the year:</b> Manchester City winning the title with the last kick of the season via the swish of Serio Aguero's right boot. <br />
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<b>Most painful memory of the year:</b> The look on the face of Manchester United players after they came to know that City have scored in the injury time. <br />
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<b>Most humiliating performance of the year:</b> India losing 8-0 to England and Australia, during which they plummeted from No.1 to No.4 in Test rankings. <br />
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<b>Most poignant moment of the year:</b> Andy Murray giving a teary eyed speech after losing the Wimbledon final.<br />
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<b>Most beautiful moment of the year:</b> Andy Murray finally winning a Grand Slam at the US open, following an epic final.<br />
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<b>Most enthralling sporting occasion of the year:</b> London Olympics 2012.<br />
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<b>Most comic moment of the year:</b> John Terry lifting the European Cup in his full kit after sitting out of the entire match through suspension. <br />
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<b>Coach of the year:</b> Ivan Lendl<br />
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<b>Best article I have read:</b> "A sportswriter’s love letter.." by Rohit Brijnath. Here is the link for all of you.<br />
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http://nonstriker.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/a-sportswriters-love-letter/<br />
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<b>Team of the year:</b> Spanish football team. Battered everyone in sight.<br />
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<b>Stupidest act of the year:</b> Joh Terry sticking his right knee at the back of Alexis Sanches right in front of the linesman.<br />
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<b>Goal of the year:</b> Zlatan Ibrahamovic's overhead kick against England.<br />
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<b>Best statistic of the year</b>: QPR having more red cards than wins in 2012.<br />
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<b>Most dominating performance of the the year:</b> Rafael Nadal in French Open.<br />
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<b>Best rumour of the year:</b> Arsenal's talisman striker Robin Van Persie to join Manchester United. Oh wait..<br />
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<b>Player of the year:</b> Radamel Falcao. Even after considering what Messi has done, this kid has been nothing short of sensational. <br />
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<b>Most heroic performance of the year:</b> Fernando Alonso's title challenge in an evidently inferior car.<br />
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<b>Worst sacking of the year:</b> Steve Kean, because he should have been sacked a good 12 months ago. <br />
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<b>Worst signing of the year:</b> Fernando Torres. Yeah, I know the he was not signed last year, but some how he wins it hands down, just like the last 2 years!<br />
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<b>Best celebration of the year:</b> The Gangnam style by the entire West Indies team after their T20 WC triumph.<br />
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<b>Worst style statement of the year:</b> Djibrill Cisse's haircut.<br />
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<b>Retirement of the year:</b> Shahid Afridi. Though he may have made yet another comeback by the time you read it!<br />
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<b>Best quote of the year:</b> " I am quite bad at analysing technique. You have seen mine". MS Dhoni when asked to comment on Rohit Sharma's technique. <br />
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<b>Athlete of the year:</b> Usain Bolt. He somehow had the talent to live upto his own modest claims of being the best in the history, in the biggest of sporting stages.<br />
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<b>Disgrace of the year:</b> Lance Armstrong being found guilty of doping and stripped of his 7 Tour De France titles.<br />
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<b>Achievement of the year:</b> Sachin Tendulkar's 100th century. Sure, it did take its time to come but it is a monumental achievement, enormity of which we all will fully grasp only when we see the expression on the face of our grand children when we tell them about it.<br />
Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-46802130407649270032012-04-25T18:57:00.000+05:302012-04-25T18:57:16.754+05:30BRAVE AND BRAINLESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zX5rToA78yw/T5f7oGSF64I/AAAAAAAAAHw/OmUZtlxJT_4/s1600/37d2c41993c3fcbaa825f5093342-grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="243" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zX5rToA78yw/T5f7oGSF64I/AAAAAAAAAHw/OmUZtlxJT_4/s320/37d2c41993c3fcbaa825f5093342-grande.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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You are the captain of your side. You side is trying to win one of the most coveted competitions which you have never won. You are playing against one of the best sides in the history at their home ground. You have a 1-0 lead from the first leg and you just need to be sensible and determined to protect it. In this situation the chances of you kneeing your opponent at his back when the linesman is looking straight at you to hold the offside line is pretty much nonexistent, isn't it? But if your name happens to be John Terry none of the above things apply to you. But sensible is not one of the words you usually associate with John, do you? Branding what he did as stupidity will be risky because that leaves us to find new definitions for Mario Baloteli's everyday life! In fact it is good to do a research to find out whether these 2 people are related in anyway and considering John Terry's free time 'activities' it is safe to bet on a successful research. <br />
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If anything beat his on-field stupidity, it was the interview he gave after the match. A man who was stripped of the national captaincy twice, being investigated by police for racial insults and slept with his teammate's wife said that he is "not that type of a person". Really John? I seriously believe that he thinks we all have the same intellectual capacity as Wayne Bridge. The only silver lining is that Roberto De Matteo doesn't seem to be as dumb as Kenny Dalglish to lead his team out with all of them wearing 'For JT' T-shirts before the Champions League final in Munich. <br />
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Anyways, coming back to the match Chelsea got their tactics absolutely spot on and by tactics I mean parking the bus in front of goal. When you see Didier Drogba as a left back, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know what they are going to do (To be fair to Chelsea, this happened after John Terry had that brain freeze). They came with a Double Decker bus but what stood out was Barcelona's inability to break it or fall back on Plan B. Watching the second half, it seemed like an unwritten rule in Camp Nou that everything should go through Messi and a goal scored without his touch is an inferior goal. They have to understand that a ball which is fired like hell from the right wing by Danny Alves, bounces of the shoulder of Ivanovic and falls inside to inches of goal line is still a goal. There was absolutely no wing play yesterday. Didier Drogba may still be a beast of a left back but essentially he was playing out of position. There was no initiative from Barcelona to exploit it and time and again they played it through the middle trying to find an opening. As seconds ticked by Chelsea grew familiar with it so much so that their goal machine (yes you are right, I am kidding here) more-than-50-million-worth Fernando Torres found time and space to counter attack and kill the tie. But, that goal aside, if what Torres was doing on the pitch was worth 50 million, I am worth 10000 times of that to my company. At the end, their brave resistance paid of even with a brainless captain.<br />
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When AVB, took over Chelsea at the start of the season, gloating about his 3 year 'project' there was a growing feeling that it was time for the old guard at Chelsea to hang up their boots. But, if anything, what Roberto De Matteo has shown is a willingness to include them in the scheme of things, however short term it is. You don't just throw away that experience to the sidelines over a fortnight. It may still be the last season for the likes of Terry (I hope not, who else will inspire us to produce so many adult jokes on my twitter TL?), Lampard and Drogba and this remains their last short at the European glory. Bayern or Madrid, the final is going to be battle of epic proportions. Bayern will obviously want to win it in front of their home crowd and if it is Madird, Jose Mourinho needs no second initiation to remind Abrahamovic once again that it was wrong to sack him 4 years ago. When Manchester Untied crashed out of Europe in the first round itself, I never thought I would have so much fun this season. Well, John Terry definitely had a different idea! <br />Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-53546634965893353762012-04-22T11:14:00.000+05:302012-04-25T02:54:50.113+05:30El - Clasico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uor1tFgdQkA/T5ObGIeCVFI/AAAAAAAAAHk/CPsY7cGZHuI/s1600/el-classico-2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uor1tFgdQkA/T5ObGIeCVFI/AAAAAAAAAHk/CPsY7cGZHuI/s320/el-classico-2012.jpg" /></a></div><br />
El-Clasicos can't get bigger than this, with a possible exception of the potential Champions League Final at the Allianz Arena, come May 19. With the league title on the line, 4 points separating the bitter rivals, Messi and Ronaldo engaged in battles of their own, goals and red cards are almost certain, if past meetings are anything to go by. And eye pokes too if Jose Mourinho finds himself in one of those playful moods! <br />
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A win for Real Madrid and the League title will be almost certain to find its way back to Santiago Bernabeau after a 3 year gap. In fact, even a draw will suit them considering the 4 points cushion, but going to Camp Nou with a mindset and tactics for a draw is a cardinal sin. It is akin to going for a blind date with Jennifer Aniston in your worst outfit and slippers, hoping that you would nail her. It never happens that way. Jose Mourinho has never lost a league lead going into the last two months of a season but a loss against the Catalans and the Madrid players will start to feel the fear in the air. <br />
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I couldn't believe that Barcelona were 10 points behind Real Madrid less than 2 months ago because the quality of difference between the teams is not worth that many but as they say the league table never lies. Not that Barcelona were weaker than last season, far from it. But teams around are getting used to their style of play and they are coming with different tactics to derail their tika-taka, and Real Madrid were far more clinical while dealing with lower positioned teams. Still there are many who believe that, while going head to head, Barcelona are a better team than Madrid, proven by their outright and ultimately comfortable victory over Madrid earlier in the season. But the league is just not only beating your rivals twice in a year (Just ask Rafael Benitez, if you have any doubt) but beating those teams which come to your ground and put 11 defenders on the pitch. Another intriguing thing about this match is that both of these teams have got to deal with the small matter of overcoming a defeat in the first leg of the Champions league semifinal midweek. As things stand Barcelona needs to win this to stand any chance of winning the league and it is definitely Madrid's trophy to lose, considering the gap they have now. Bring it on squeaky bum time!<br />
<br />
<b>First Half:</b> <br />
You know that Barcelona are in trouble when they punt a long ball down the pitch in the 8th minute of the match. Madrid looked sharper and hungrier and were rewarded with a deserved goal, however scrappy that was. Mesut Ozil was the engine room at midfield who mastered Iniesta and Alves, which not many teams in Europe can claim to have done. For once Mourinho out-mastered Guardiola and showed the world that the title pressure can get to even the best in the business. I have never seen Messi chipping at the referee in any of the games I have watched but the fact he headed straight to referee instead of the tunnel at half time spoke for itself. If anything Barcelona have always shown an ability to come back against Madrid and an intriguing second half awaits. <br />
<br />
<b>Second half:</b> <br />
Ladies and Gentlemen, that is the Spanish League title done and dusted. Though there is still a mathematical chance for Barcelona to catch Real Madrid, I am ready to bet my entire saving (That is not much, for those who are thinking about to bet) on that not happening. A 7 point lead with 4 games to go with is wider than the Panama canal in footballing terms. The lasting memory from the second half is Ronaldo’s celebration at his winning goal. It politely suggested “Shut the fuck up you whining Catalans” to the 90000 thousand odd home supporters. As much as Madrid needed this victory, as much as Mourinho wanted to win in Camp Nou, I can’t help but to think that it was more important to Ronaldo as a player. Ever since he moved to Spain from Manchester United, he lived in the shadow of Messi losing individual battles, Clasicos, League titles and European titles. One more of those and an almost insurmountable mental block would have been built. I personally think that, in terms of ability both players are almost on par, but the way Barcelona play and form their tactics enhances Messi’s role and his visibility, along with the midfield masteros who provide defense splitting passes to him almost at will. It is almost impossible to think that the best team in the World failed to win their local league, but once again, the league table never lies.<br />
<br />
<b>In other news:</b><br />
On a night in which the Spanish title race is technically over, Borussia Dortmund emphatically claims their second successive German League win. I like the competitiveness in German league but its coverage in India is horrendously poor. Neo Sports telecast gives me a feeling that I am watching a game being played in the space! It beats me how they get the camera angle and distance wrong in every match they show. In EPL I get this uneasiness only when watching Spurs at White Hart Lane where the camera position is so high. Now, is there any more twists remaining in the EPL title race? Personally I like to watch United claiming the title at the Etihad beating city. That will help to heal some of the wounds of that 6-1 defeat at OT. Everton will be tough tonight, but these are the kind of games Champions need to win when that big prize appears so near. The match is still 7 hours away but I am already starting to feel the excitement kicking in.<br />Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-72573816963699883452012-03-11T14:18:00.003+05:302012-03-11T17:18:43.306+05:30FOR A MAN WHO NEVER STOPPED TRYING<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_uCawwqczg/T1xnnMInLHI/AAAAAAAAAHM/EHmX_3MyyNs/s1600/index.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_uCawwqczg/T1xnnMInLHI/AAAAAAAAAHM/EHmX_3MyyNs/s320/index.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718559549823593586" /></a><br />It was in 2003 and I had already failed in my first attempt to clear an exam in my graduation course. The next chance came on 16th of December that year, failing which I would get only one more chance to clear that paper. But there was something more important than the exam on that day. It was the 5th day of the 2nd Test match of India’s tour of Australia and India were standing on the brink of a historic Test match win. Rahul Dravid was at the crease unbeaten and we needed 233 runs. As much as I was unsure of clearing my exam, I was confident of Dravid’s powers to see us home. Inevitably I skipped the exam, made myself comfortable in front of TV a good 1 hour before the start of play. I would later have an almighty struggle to pass that exam but it was well worth it. On a gloriously sunny afternoon in Adelaide, to add to his first innings 233, Dravid stroked a masterful 72, finishing with a square cut boundary. Steve Waugh took the pain of retrieving the ball from the ropes and giving it to Dravid, for there was no one more deserving than him on the field to keep it. The point here is the assurance and the confidence he generated of an Indian win as long as he is at the crease, something which we are so used for 16 years but going to miss when the first wicket falls when India play the next Test match.<br /><br />Test cricket is a game which not only reveals one’s character but also enhances it, and if ever you need a cricketer to prove that theory Rahul Dravid is the perfect specimen. The values he had in his life always shone through his batting. Honest and hardworking, durable and dedicated, calm and courageous. Nice guys all around the world took extra pride in his success because he showed the world that they can finish first too! They say that genius is nothing but the ability to take infinite amount of pain and Dravid is embodiment of that. The care and pain he took to prepare for each series, each match and each delivery has been exemplary. In his chat with Cricinfo, Abhinav Mukund reveals one particular moment when he found that Dravid changed his shoelaces and tucked them deep after he got out as the ball flicked his shoelaces in the previous match. Attention to detail has always been his strength and ally.<br /><br />At the start of his career itself he has made his aversion to the opening slot clear, but whenever India find that they are a man down at the top, invariably Dravid steps up. He continued his wicket keeper role in one day cricket even when he was ridiculed for some of the mistakes he made behind the sticks, for he knew that it gave balance to the team. There were rumours from some quarters that he will be given a testimonial match - one last chance to shine, one last occasion to say good bye- but whoever has said that obviously doesn’t know the man. For him, it has always been team before the individual. He has built his career on pride and selflessness as much as on technique and temperament. From the moment he knew that it was time to hang up his boots, he would not want to drag himself to the field for the sake of a public adulation. It would have been so unlike Dravid.<br /><br />He bids adieu as one of India’s all time batting greats. His position in the pantheon of India’s batting greats may be behind Gavaskar and Tendulkar, but for me he remains India’s best sticky wicket batman, even better than the other two. The two half centuries he scored on a minefield of a pitch at the Sabina Park to win the Test match and the Series were nothing short of legendary. Dravid always stepped up when the conditions are tough and bowlers on top. I have seen him taking blow after blow on his body in the now famous Headingly Test match and flinch not even once. Most of our glorious Test wins under Sourav Ganguly were built on Dravid’s impregnable defense and superhuman efforts. When India started winning Test matches abroad, you would always find an invaluable Dravid knock in the scoresheet. From Rawalpindi to Headingly, from Adelaide Oval to Sabina Park he remained the best Test batsman during that era. Six months down the lane, when India play the next Test match and whoever walks out after the first wicket, we are going miss the assurance he always radiated. But the good news is that skipping exams for cricket may become less frequent!Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-62001323839402788942012-02-17T07:41:00.003+05:302012-02-17T09:47:47.109+05:30A NIGHT IN AMSTERDAM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AxDv_6BtoM/Tz24a7KnRmI/AAAAAAAAAHA/aERTb49o2KY/s1600/Match_Ajax_A.ashx.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AxDv_6BtoM/Tz24a7KnRmI/AAAAAAAAAHA/aERTb49o2KY/s320/Match_Ajax_A.ashx.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709922675273975394" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ajax Amsterdam vs Manchester United, Europa League, Round of 32, 16-02-2012</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">45 minutes to KO:</span> The Europa league music is not as good as that of Champions league but no choice here. Still can't believe that MUFC crashed out of THAT group to land in Europa league. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">35 minutes to KO:</span> if anything is worse than having to watch Europa league, it is listening to those idiotic comments from the so called pundits on Ten Action. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">30 minutes to KO:</span> The team news is out. The trio of Jones, Nani and Cleverly return from injury and walk straight in to the starting eleven. Paul Scholes is on the bench though. Surely SAF is saving him for..err..we don't have a weekend game this time, do we? Struggling to identify anyone from the Ajax starting eleven, except, of course, Christian Eriksen who was a summer target for MUFC. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">20 minutes to KO:</span> Haha.. Ten Action is busy showing the feud between City and Tevez. I seriously hope that he comes back to the City team and derail their title charge. So much for that ' Welcome to Manchester' banner. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">18 minutes to KO:</span> Oh yeah, Ashley young comes back too. Lots of pace down the flanks with Nani and Young. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5 minutes to KO:</span> First view of the Amsterdam Arena. It is big. It is intimidating too. Fans are very vocal and MUFC players are coming out of the tunnel in their blue and black away kit. Good to see Cleverly back. The kid has got real talent. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">KO:</span> It may be a packed stadium but nothing comes anywhere near the Old Trafford atmosphere. By the way Ajax enjoying the lion share of initial possession and to top it all, Nani sends a corner kick out of play straight. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">12':</span> It is not a 4-4-2 combination as initially thought. Rather it is more of a 4-4-1-1 with Rooney in the middle. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">20':</span> like the look of the team though it still lacks the final ball. Once Vidic comes back and we get hold of a world class forcing midfielder, this lot can very well emulate the class of 92. Both the sides with some slick passing moves but a clear chance is yet to be seen. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">29':</span> Nani's decision making still needs some improvement. He blasts one over the bar when 3 were waiting in the box. He surely gets an earful from Rooney and SAF shakes his head on the sidelines. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">32':</span> Build some muscles and make your presence felt in the box. That is what De Gea needs to do to become the World's best. Every other aspect of his goal keeping is fabulous as shown by his acrobatic save from a long ranger which was heading in to the top corner. But that save from Juan Mata free kick at Stamford Bridge still remains as the save of the season. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HT:</span> Scoreline remains the same but my twitter timeline is going crazy as if MUFC have a 5 goal lead at half time. That is the best thing about being an MUFC fan. Zambia or Zagreb, Mumbai or Massachusetts, Atlanta or Antarctica, you will find an MUFC fan at any corner of the world and trust all of them to be awake and watching when MUFC play, whichever time zone they are in. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">50':</span> MUFC come out of the blocks with pace and purpose. One day I want to know what SAF talks during half time. Or does he really talk anything at half time? Or just distribute a case of Redbull to everyone in the team? :D<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">58':</span> The crowd has gone relatively quiet as MUFC start to enjoy consistent possession. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">59':</span> That is the prized away goal. Ashley Young gives MUFC a 1 goal lead through a drilled shot from inside the box. And with that Paul Scholes replaces Tom Cleverly, a case of master slotting in for the student. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">69':</span> The 3000 odd away supporters making the Amsterdam Arena feel like Old Trafford. Not for nothing that we are called the best fans in the world. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">75':</span> Antonio 'the motor' Valencia replaces Ashley young at the right wing as the game moves at a furious pace. Ajax has no option but to attack and MUFC relying on the counter attack to inflict more damage. Real box to box stuff. De Gea has been outstanding tonight. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">86':</span> MUFC have one foot on the next round with Hernandez slotting in from a Rooney through ball. At 2-0 up and second leg at Old Trafford, the tie is as good as over. Surely?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">FT:</span> it is all over in Amsterdam. A perfect European away night for MUFC. Clean sheet, 2 goals scored and no injuries. Bye Bye Amsterdam. Old Trafford awaits. It is already Friday here and time to crash in bed. A day of red eyes and sleepy hours to look forward at work!Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-66185243300342460742011-08-03T22:48:00.002+05:302011-08-03T22:56:25.638+05:30A TEST IN TWEETS!This is an attempt to capture the 2nd Test match between India and England at Trent Bridge. It contains all types - fascinating, forthright, funny, harsh, matter of the fact, amusing, meaningless - of tweets I came across during the Test match<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day - 1</span><br /><br />Cricketer_Dan Daniel Brigham <br />So how long til us in the media start putting pressure on Cook to score some runs? I give it one more failure<br /><br />Sajesh Sajesh <br />There is a cricket match. My manager is working from home. These two events may or may not be related.<br /><br />BoredCricket BCC! <br />by goku_utd<br />Good to see that Bhajji has picked up where he left at Lord's<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Lalit Modi lives in the MRF blimp. #truefacts<br /><br />the_topspin Lawrence Booth <br />Strauss throws it away - again. And England are in a spot of bother at 85-4...<br /><br />bhogleharsha Harsha Bhogle <br />with sreesanth and praveen kumar the tradition of swing bowling is alive. it is movement not pace that troubles quality batsman<br /><br />cricketaakash Aakash Chopra <br />Playing the swinging ball demands a lot of guesswork...regardless of d number of years you've practiced the craft...you still need to guess!<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Bell might have made more runs than most today, but he'll be blocking his future kids from ever lookin at this this on youtube.<br /><br />sehwagology Sunny <br />by goku_utd<br />yuvi is just taking his afternoon nap. siesta time baby. #engvind<br /><br />sehwagology Sunny <br />by goku_utd<br />somebody tell dhoni, its okay if they go for shots. don't give singles you moron. #engvind<br /><br />goku_utd Dipankar <br />Good thing about Broad knock, our batsmen will have no excuses now. #engvind<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Fun fact time: Had Dravid batted first drop, he would have faced a ball quicker that he did opening the batting.<br /><br />cricketaakash Aakash Chopra <br />Hint of uneven bounce on day 1 combined with prodigious movement off the surface...only two possible results, provided it doesn't rain!<br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />India's brief for tomorrow: bat through the 3 sessions. May not be as easy as it sounds given the conditions etc, but a super opportunity<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day - 2 </span><br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />Sreesanth's bowling was so good yesterday that its almost as if the Ian Bell episode didn't happen. Until we're reminded by #Bobilli. Fail.<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />BBC saying that Laxman must have a great bat, no, he's just fucking awesome. Laxman could time a drive with a used condom.<br /><br />ESPNcricinfo ESPN Cricinfo <br />England 0 for 2 with the reviews. Asad Rauf maybe a candidate for man of the match.<br /><br />Gulasahi Steve Dawson <br />Wow. VVS Laxman is a beast. Dude just took an Anderson delivery in the 'nads. Carried on like he'd just played it back down the pitch<br /><br />the_topspin Lawrence Booth <br />Bumble making good point re Swann: we were told he was fine, just as we were told by Strauss that Tremlett would be fine for this game...<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Trott is on because Strauss likes watching Dravid late cut.<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Man of the series is now between the English and Indian Physio.<br /><br />the_topspin Lawrence Booth <br />Yuvraj does his best to go the way of Raina, but KP spills it. He juggled the Mukund catch too yesterday...<br /><br />ZaltzCricket Andy Zaltzman <br />by ESPNcricinfo<br />Raina and Yuvraj have played the short ball today with all the confidence of a zebra impersonator doing a gig in a lion enclosure.<br /><br />the_topspin Lawrence Booth <br />Swann kicks off the bails. Though not quite as elegantly as Michael Holding 30 years ago in New Zealand...<br /><br />piersmorgan Piers Morgan <br />Rahul Dravid has become the cricketing version of the Berlin Wall. Need to knock the damn thing down.<br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />Plaha being Plaha failed to grease his bat with vaseline.<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Ian Bell is a bit over-qualified to be a nightwatchman.<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />This Dravid press conference is turning into an epic. He'll need a change of gloves soon.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day - 3 </span><br /><br />sport_oliver Oliver Brett <br />by TestMatchSofa<br />Would like to thank the @TestMatchSofa team for making yesterday so enjoyable. Hope I didn't make too much of an arse of myself<br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />Yuvraj before Plaha? Ultimate insult.<br /><br />knittins Nitin Sundar <br />by venkatananth<br />Thought this day couldn't get worse? Think again - @LalitKModi has resurfaced with his spam tweets.<br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />Dudes, if you'll are waiting for that second new ball, might as well forfeit the Test match.<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Sreesanth bows to the crowd who have been abusing him, better than a send off.<br /><br />stephenfry Stephen Fry <br />by Gulasahi<br />Dhoni transformed from dastardly villain to sporting hero in seconds. Hurrah for him and for test cricket. What human activity comes close?<br /><br />gauravkapur gaurav kapur <br />Bell done Dhoni !<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Forget whether that was out or not, you should get wickets for balls like that.<br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />Give me Aleem Dar for the next Test please. Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf. I hope we wouldn't be discussing the DRS then. Enough.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day - 4</span><br /><br />venkatananth Venkat Ananth <br />Dear @bhogleharsha, India are usually a bowler short with Harbhajan on the field and not when he's off it.<br /><br />warne888 Shane Warne <br />Ball swinging lots today as it's very humid here at Trent Bridge... Very good bowling day...<br /><br />the_topspin Lawrence Booth <br />India look a defeated side this morning: 73 runs in the first 11 overs...<br /><br />AltCricket Alternative Cricket <br />by venkatananth<br />MIchael Holding has a point. You'd be embarrassed if you had to explain to someone that India are the no. 1 side in the world.<br /><br />Cricketer_Dan Daniel Brigham <br />With every boundary England score another young Indian cricket fan sees T20 as the better option<br /><br />andymcg_cricket Andrew McGlashan <br />by ESPNcricinfo<br />478 to win for India. If they bat the rest of the match they'll get them #engvind<br /><br />the_topspin Lawrence Booth <br />Broad in this series is averaging 60 with the bat and 10 with the ball<br /><br />ESPNcricinfo ESPN Cricinfo <br />It is suddenly the 90s all over again. Tendulkar playing some gorgeous shots, but the score is 37/4. #EngvInd<br /><br />Nadir_Hassan Nadir Hassan <br />by venkatananth<br />This England side is scary. Two genuine all-rounders in Bresnan, Broad. Five excellent fast bowlers, best spinner, solid batting.<br /><br />cricketwballs cricket with balls <br />Indians won't be leaving yet, Praveen and Bhajji batting together, how much fun will that be.<br /><br />SpiceBoxofEarth Dileep Premachandran <br />by venkatananth<br />English fans should be down on their knees thanking the Lord for what happened to Stanford. Else, they'd be up the same shit creek.Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-88914004334458405282011-07-29T22:21:00.001+05:302011-07-29T22:23:43.649+05:30THE 2000th TEST MATCH<span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 1: It is our habit. We won't start a series with a strong first day</span><br /><br />By the time umpires called off first day's play, I started to get a feeling that MS Dhoni's decision to bowl first after winning the toss wasn't such an adventurous decision as everyone made us to believe. Rather it was a safe decision. Considering how sloppy and how much devoid of match practice we were in the field, it was a good thing that we were bowling. Bowling badly won't lose u a Test match. We would have been 8 down in those conditions if we were batting and that, almost certainly, would have what MSD thought. It turned out to England's day at the end with the loss of only 2 wickets but there is no reason that India will be unhappy with the situation. The only real concern was Zaheer Khan who went out of the field with what looked like a hamstring injury. It is not a pretty sight to watch your strike bowler pull up on the first day of the first Test match of a series where the No1 slot is at stake. India can still come back into this contest with early wickets tomorrow but their thinking process now will be different with the loss of Zaheer. Thinking positive is what makes a difference in close contests. Tomorrow will show if the No1 Test team has what it takes to fight what seems to be a collective gathering of Murphy's laws.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 2 : India are still in WestIndies</span><br /><br />Just as in the last time India toured Kevin Pieterson started with a big score. The only difference was that he was in the form of his life them but was batting himself to form today. While KP and England pulped India to desperation, PK swung himself to the Lord's honours board, a proud achievement for someone who is said to be a misfit at Test level. India's bowling effort gave a feeling that they think they are still bowling against the mediocre WestIndies batsmen. England made a bold declaration at the end which will help to make sure that there will be a result in this Test. I can't see India winning this Test from here onwards with 3 days left, but then if winning was the only thing I was worried about, I wouldn't have been watching this game for the last 20 years. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 3: if they have KP, we have PK</span><br /><br />The story of Rahul Dravid's life. At the end of the day some of my friends r talking about Praveen Kumar's 13 ball 16 as the innings which saved the follow on than the painstakingly compiled technically magnificent 103 from Dravid. England are firmly in driving seat by the end of the day. It would need an extra ordinary batting effort from the Indians to save this match, something which they are familiar with in the last 5 years. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 4 and Day 5: Bashed, battered and bruised</span><br /><br />Day 4 and 5 of the Test followed the same pattern. Whenever India found either their collective strength or individual brilliance to make a peep hole opening, England, as is their wont, shut the door hard. Again and again. On day 4, Ishant Sharma's inspired spell opened the possibility of an even an Indian win, but Matt Prior and Stuard broad then scored enough runs as if they were playing in their backyard. On the last day, when several partnerships started to offer more resistance, England somehow found the right man for the right occasion to break them. As MSD said at the end of the match, whatever could go wrong, went wrong. India may take solace from the fact that they managed to drag the match to the final session despite the loss of their strike bowler on the first morning but deep inside their mind they know that, had England been more efficient with their catching and some contentious LBW decisions gone their way, the match would have been over by 4th day.Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686435935167779876.post-79019636171603735922011-05-22T15:00:00.003+05:302011-05-22T15:04:20.876+05:30Are you listening Merseyside..?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gEiShzwZ2cc/TdjYjJqPD0I/AAAAAAAAAG0/iZShHQ3rQ-M/s1600/19LeagueTitles.ashx.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gEiShzwZ2cc/TdjYjJqPD0I/AAAAAAAAAG0/iZShHQ3rQ-M/s320/19LeagueTitles.ashx.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609471434290040642" /></a><br />This is my first post in almost a year. The fact is that I was too tensed to write anything and jinx United’s chanced of winning the 19th title! Yeah, you read it right. There is a connection between a want-to-be-software-engineer (even after 6 years, that is!) in Bangalore and a millions-earning Wayne Rooney scoring goals in Manchester! Call this fan’s fanatical crap, and you can’t be far from truth! I wrote a post at the start of the season and Rooney almost quit Old Trafford!<br /><br />Now with the title in bag, the Scousers beyond horizon in the points table, Stamford Bridge in absolute chaos, Eastlands learning that it is more difficult to handle success than failure, what better time to start writing again. It is a prelude to tonight’s title party, when the number 19 starts reverberating around the hallowed turf of Old Trafford. <br /><br />It wasn’t an easy title to win by any means. The start of the season saw Chelsea pulling ahead of the pack, carrying the same form which saw them winning the title in the previous season while United were struggling to put a series of results, throwing leads at Fulham and Everton. As many as 4 teams were fighting for the title, although Manchester City were always going to be outsiders with a defensive manager at the helm. Chelsea were banging goals (and John Terry still banging team mates’ wives) when the biggest news of the season broke out, that Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United because he thought United were lacking ambition to win trophies. Being in software industry, I have seen many tricks to get a pay hike, but this was beyond me too. Lack of ambition in a team which is winning titles for fun with the best manager in the world? You must have had a big hard hangover Wayne! Fans were understandably livid, the manager appeared down-cast and the club image in tatters. Then, even before I could collect all the dirty jokes about Rooney and publish in Facebook, he did a U-turn and signed a 5-year deal. Very good crisis management from Wayne Rooney.<br /><br />From there onwards, United’s season took off. Slowly but steadily they got their aura back, despite a poor away record. They did just what is needed to win matches. No flamboyance, no bulldozing, just efficient heads-down-and-get-3-points attitude. Meantime Chelsea went into a winter slumber, Rooney’s moment of genius killed City’s fading title hopes and Arsenal’s bubble was always expected to implode when the ‘squeaky bum time’ arrives. There were moments when United looked down and out, at Blackpool and West Ham. But something is their DNA just won’t allow them to accept defeat when that appears the obvious outcome. Berbatov and Rooney got them out of trouble almost always, but they also had a lethal weapon in Hernandez. The little Mexican’s first season in England was nothing short of sensational. He popped up with important goals, whenever called upon. Fergie, the magician, has un-earthed one more gem, out of thin air.<br /><br />“We will be just fine” was Fergie's response when the team dropped points at Newcasle, which showed his immense faith in the team and he believed that only an almighty muck up will prevent his side lift the trophy for a record 19th time. Chelsea’s late season form meant that it all came down to their showdown at Old Trafford. Fergie’s fledglings chose that game to produce their most assured performance of the season and Chelsea were blown away in the first half itself in magnificent fashion so much so that, even after three days, John Terry was unable to fathom what hit them. Fergie’s salute to the Stretford End at the end of the game showed that the title is coming back home and what it means for the head honcho. <br /><br />It will be a carnival atmosphere tonight at Old Trafford and I just can’t wait to see Vidic lifting the coveted trophy. “To knock Liverpool of their fucking perch” announced a younger and fierier Ferguson 25 years ago and finally they have been well and truly knocked off. What better song than “Are you listening Merseyside..?” to sing tonight. It is going to be a truly memorable occasion. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Epilogue:</span> Anyone who believes that winning the 19th title will make Sir Alex Ferguson’s to think about retirement is an idiot and doesn’t know how success is viewed at this club. At Manchester United success is a passing moment which is enjoyed for the shortest of time. The moment the trophy is put in the cabinet, the journey of excellence towards the next destination begins. There is a beautiful story in the book ‘Manchester United: The Biography’ by Jim White. The next morning after United won the Champions League, defeating Chelsea, in 2008 , Danny Welback, a 17 year member of United youth team slept through the alarm and missed the team bus, exhausted by the morning exertions. He had to scramble his way into a cab to meet up with the rest of the team at the airport. Just as they touched down in England, Welback was summoned to Sir Alex Ferguson’s office in Carrington to explain. At Manchester United, it never stops. Ever.Harinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13700536404170856167noreply@blogger.com0