Whats with this sudden spin attack from Pakistan ?

Pakistan is playing a 5 match ODI series with the Aussies in Dubai. And when everyone (including me) was thinking that the Aussies who are in better form than the Pakistani team, would win it easily. But the Pak team who have hardly played any cricket in last 6-8 months, came out all guns blazing, and drew first blood by winning the first match. And guess what, it was not the pace attack of Shoaib Akhtar, but a deadly spin attack, mainly from Shahid Afridi which did the Oz in. And if anyone has watched how these oz players played the spinners, you would think they are the minnows. Even Bangladesh or an Ireland would have negotiated spin better than the OZ team who are playing without the experienced Ponting and Mike Hussey.

So whats with this sudden spin attack from Pakistan ? Agreed, the track in Abu Dhabi was spinning, and the spinners made good use of it, but a target of 168 was too low to defend and the Paki batsmen chased it comfortably. With this win, suddenly the Pak team have gained the much needed momentum, and great deal of confidence for the rest of the series. And if the Ozs keep on playing like the way they did, they would lose it on next 2-3 games. They looked like under 19s in the game that day. No use of the feet, nothing.

Though the Ozs have won the next game, the series is still on. If you look at Afridis statistics, and by stats i mean the bowling stats for a change, they are staggering. 10-0-38-6, in the first match and 10-0-38-2 in the second match. You would say the Aussies , mainly "big-mouth" Symonds, played him well. But he has been good. Also Michael Clarke has to get back into form as soon as possible. In the second match, he was completely in disarray.

With this sudden surge of the Paki team, with its spin attack, i wonder what might have happened in that team all of a sudden. Or is it just the un-skillfull Aussie team, especially against the spin. Bring on the Indians, and you might see the difference. With Sehwag, Gambhir as the openers, and never looking to get out, i wonder if they would ever bring on Afridi. ;)

Watching a cricket match live : frustrating as it can be

Though the Indian team is winning a lot these days, watching a match live in India is getting frustrating.

The number of ads being shown in between overs has increased manifolds in last few years. There are numerous occasions where one could not see the replay of a wicket , and also the first ball of a over. Not to mention, the field changes being done in between overs, we miss them all.

In spite of the numerous complaints made during last series of England in India, last year, it seems nothing has been done by the BCCI. It is really getting frustrating to watch match live now a days.

Is a court litigation required for getting everything done in India ? Or will the BCCI do something regarding this ?

Should we do a protest outside BCCI's office against this ? Or its just a small issue to fight for ? We have certainly a lot of other real issues like terrorism, poverty, non-governance, naxalites, etc to fight against. But "pub culture" is also a non issue which has been blown out of proportion and women being assaulted. So why not.

Nadal wins another battle with Federer

Yet another time Nadal has beaten Federer in the finals of a grand slam. And this time its the Australian open, the first grand slam of the year. With this Nadal wins the his first grand slam on hard court, and his 6th overall [4 in rolland garros, 1 wimbledon]. Had Federer managed to win this one, he would have equaled Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slams, a record which has eluded the swiss for a while now. Last year, in July, it was Wimbledon when Federer eyed to equal the record, and it was Nadal again who came in between, and won his first title on grass. By beating Federer in Wimbledon, Nadal had already replaced Roger Federer from the top rank. And this win has done nothing but announced that he is here to stay at the top, at least for a while.

Coming back to today's match, it was a contest between two great players, of contrasting styles. I am sure both of them, Nadal and Federer have already been listed among the all time greats who ever played the game. But it was Nadal's power and his improved serve that won the day for him. Federer was clearly seen wary, and under pressure. Nadal brole the first game of the match which Federer served, which was evidence to the fact that Federer was under pressure. But he came back strongly and showed great play off his forehand. But it was Nadal who made fewer mistakes and finally won in the fifth set, only second time in the history of australian open that a final has gone till fifth set.

I was watching the match, hoping that the swiss will win, but it was not to be. Although Nadal was a bit tired after his win in the semis over compatriot Verdasco (two days back, a game which lasted more than 5 hours), he played superbly. No doubt he is at the top of his abilities, both physical and mental. Without which you cannot beat a champion like Federer.

I think Federer has lot to do in the coming grand slams.

Tunday ke kabab

A visit to Lucknow is incomplete without having kababs at this place called "Tunday Kababi".



Specialities : Almost everything you order here is tasty, and is a speciality. Do not forget to try the finger licking Mutton Kababs. Roomali roti goes well with it. Also the delicacies come at a very reasonable price.



Also , you should try the ubiquitous tandoori-chicken.



To reach this place, just ask for Tunday kababi, at Aminabad. If you are coming from Hazratganz, take a cycle-rickshaw to Aminabad, and its for sure that the rickshaw-walla will know this place.

Quote of the day...

“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake”

-Earnest Hemmingway

The village i live in

Until now i was thinking i live in a city, but suddenly, today i realized that its not a city, but just a glorified village. Well you might ask me whats wrong in living in a village, and my answer would be simple, nothing. But i would prefer not to live in a village. Simple because of one thing, internet. You give me that one thing, and i will be happy to pack my bags and settle anywhere.

Coming back to my realization. It so happened that i woke up today morning, and there was a power cut. Whats new ? But then add to that the time was early morning, and i had to at least switch on the geyser and take a bath. So i went to the kitchen and tried to warm some water over the lpg stove. And then i realized that i am out of gas as well. Wow. I had never felt so helpless. I could not even get a cup of tea in the morning. Only thing i could do was to wait for the power to come. Luckily it was not raining, and so i could hope to see some electricity sooner rather than later. So i waited. Believe me it gets very boring when you are caught in such a situation.

I read the whole newspaper, meanwhile to kill time, reading the sports section twice, just to make sure i didnt miss anything. Also i realized for the first time how much news was stuffed in the small corners of every page in the newspapers, not to talk about ads. And then it was 9. I knew i was going to be late, and thoughts like going to the office and then freshening up were coming in my mind. But i decided to wait. And so i waited, and waited.

And then as i was just about to fall asleep, i was woken up by the calling bell. The maid had come and with her the power. I felt a sigh of relief. And without wasting any time switched on the geyser and warmed some milk on the microwave.

And then after i had freshened up, bathed, combed, and had tea, i thought it would be good to work from home today. Would save some 100 bucks on petrol, would save myself from watiting at traffic signals, and also avoid a few faces that i dont like to see at office. And as i switched on my laptop to connect to the internet, i realized the internet's not working.The phone line was down as well. Asked the neighbour and found his phone is dead as well, and discovered a dug road across the street. It didnt take me long to realize what could be the reason for this. And as i fuming with anger over the municipalty guys who dig up everything with little concern for the burried wires, i called up the telephone company to have it fixed. Finally I thought I had to go to office.

It was already 11 and i realized it would be another half an hour before i would login to my machine. So i decided to hurry, and hit the road. I would have moved just a few meters from my apartment in my car, and i see cattle on the road. Needless to say the road was jammed, and the four buffaloes were enjoyinh the show. Nothing could move them. The cars were honking and bikes roaring. Yet they were unmoved. I wondered who could have left them here. Or may be they were just bathing in the sun. More and more vehicles approached the site, and i could hear motorists yell at each other. Somebody might have blocked someones way.

As i was stuck, i was thinking if it would be a wise idea to go to office today. Nothing was going good for me anyways. Was it just for me or for everyone else. May be the city which we are living in is turning into a village. Maybe its unable to support the people living in it, for the simple reason that there are lots of them. May be it was a village a few years back and the sudden influx of jobs, IT and people has forced to turn it into a city. Its still a village though, from the core. Its a village with urbanization thrust on it.

Its bangalore, and its trully a village. A global one though.

The financial situation....

♫ "The financial situation at the moment is so bad that women are now marrying for love"

--unknown