[mclaren1885]

This article in the newspaper really cracked me up. Robin Uthappa gets 3L award from the KERALA state govt. Why you may ask.. Because his mother hails from Kozhikhode! What are the govt's trying to prove?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by greatDrive

I think you are right, I started a thread on Hockey, when India defeated Srinlanka 20-0 in Asia cup. Eventually India went on to win the tournament with good margin, but it did not bring any curosity in the fan clubs. The thread itself tells about it. Just less than 15 replies.

What about the football thread, when India won the Nehru Cup? Hardly any replies there as well.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Instead of cribbing in the article as everyone else before him has and everyone after him will, if the writer had started a movement, you and I could have signed up to support him.
What I'm trying to say is, everyone is just talking, no one is taking the first step.

Aditya... if that articles makes you think, I think the guy has done his job.
The problem is there's not even a single news channel who can call a spade, a spade. You never know it might be the start of a movement even, I am willing to go an extra mile not just a step and mind you its not just about cricket. Its about my country.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

Would that opinion change if someone tells you that T20 is entertainment and people do not really care about teams skill to last 100 overs or 5 days? Rather they care about 3 hours of no holds barred action?

What India needs is a sport which can start at 6 in the evening and be done by 10 in night. In todays fast paced life, people can only spend 3 - 4 hours in front of TV or in stadium watching a game and that is what T20 gives us.

Just an aside, when India played pakistan, I watched the game before going to work. I woke up at my usual time and still managed to watch one full innings and get to work on time. I think it is great format!

Agreed... but what I am tryin to say is different. Is comparing T20 victory with the victory in 1983 world cup justified? Or can or should 50 over one day match be compared to T20? Media and the government have made this victory such a big deal when ASIA cup victory in hockey and nehru cup in football were more significant?
If I am not wrong India played just 4-5 matches and won the world cup... now in which team sport can 4 or 5 games decide the world champion.

[artofzen]

Err BUSA -which car does Joginder sharma drive ?

Oh and by the way ,This was almost the same reaction when Kerry packer introduced 50-50.Also ICC has restricted the number of T20 matches that can be played in International levels.I think the rule is 4 Home games and 3 Away games per year.

Whatever BCCI pays is from the revenue earned from TV rights and ads and not from taxes we pay.Change the channel next time cricket comes on and then maybe BCCI wont pay up so much.We cant have it both ways.Watch the match and whine when they are paid well.

Hockey Players SHOULD get the same amount that was given to cricket players by GOVT.but they cannot dream of the kind of pay cricketers are getting until all of us watch and root at every hockey match.

Oh and India is gonna beat Aussies in India and they are gonna do it vice versa in Australia.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by artofzen

Err BUSA -which car does Joginder sharma drive ?

Widebody Logan?

[BUSA]

Bang on Mclaren, thats the answer

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by artofzen

Whatever BCCI pays is from the revenue earned from TV rights and ads and not from taxes we pay.Change the channel next time cricket comes on and then maybe BCCI wont pay up so much.We cant have it both ways.Watch the match and whine when they are paid well.

The price you pay for a product selling in the market has the advetising expense included in the price so Indirectly its going from your pocket only. TV rights money is covered by advetrising revenue's so there.

Originally Posted by artofzen

Hockey Players SHOULD get the same amount that was given to cricket players by GOVT.but they cannot dream of the kind of pay cricketers are getting until all of us watch and root at every hockey match.

Why should cricketers be getting any amount at all from the government or tax payers money? They are in anycase not short of it anyway! BCCI is a private body just like the upcoming ICL.

Originally Posted by artofzen

Oh and India is gonna beat Aussies in India and they are gonna do it vice versa in Australia.

I seriously hope you dont have to eat your own words. Aussies are at it again... mind games
IndiaWhining

[mclaren1885]

Last time Kevin Pieterson tried to take a verbal dig at the Aussies we all know what happened. Just praying that Shreeshant might not have to eat his own words. I don't think they are too perturbed by the loss in T20. To quote some of Ricky's statements.

But now the pressure will be back on the Indians because of the expectations. They are back as world champions and some of their players would be under pressure

Sadly, the expectations on the team are back again. Will that put additional pressure?

India are the World Twenty20 champions and we are the world Test and world 50 overs champions. We have some 50 overs matches coming up. So that is how it will be now. I wouldn't be too carried away by the Twenty20 World Championship win

Source: Link provided in IndiaWhining.

[diabloo]

England can't walk their talk. So no point drawing a comparison. Even Australia couldn't walk their talk against Zimbabwe in T20 WC. So talk before the match is pretty much pointless.

If India's young guns can match the mighty Australia in T20, why can't they in ODIs? Surely they have talent & skills. They have showed the temperament by winning the WC. I would have said they will beat the pulp out of the Aussies in these ODIs. But can't since I know the Fab 3 is back in the team. Oldies, with their great experience (with their I have seen & so I know all attitude) will douse the enthusiasm of the youth & kill their spirit (like we saw in the great movie 'Chukde India').

Its the Fab 3 who can't handle the pressure & live up to the expectations.

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Last time Kevin Pieterson tried to take a verbal dig at the Aussies we all know what happened. Just praying that Shreeshant might not have to eat his own words. I don't think they are too perturbed by the loss in T20. To quote some of Ricky's statements.

Sadly, the expectations on the team are back again. Will that put additional pressure?

Source: Link provided in IndiaWhining.

[mclaren1885]

Even Australia couldn't walk their talk against Zimbabwe in T20 WC.

India has lost to Zimbabwe, Bangladesh too if you are not aware. Does that mean we also cant walk the talk?

Originally Posted by diabloo

Its the Fab 3 who can't handle the pressure & live up to the expectations.

True diabloo . 1996 WC's top scorer, Sharjah series, test series back home against Aussies, WC match against Sri Lanka in 2003, the just concluded Eng series and countless number of such matches were just glimses of gully cricket.

3 of the most prolific batsmen cricket has ever seen in the last 2 decades (respected by the entire cricket fraternity), having figured in the top batsmen list for eternity now. But you are right, they are useless. The sides they played against were equally useless. They just managed to amass close to/over 10,000 runs in both forms of the game (except ganguly in tests and dravid is like some 400 odd away) without knowing how to handle pressure. You are so right, I give up. Salutations to players you adore.

Shane Warne, considered as the best spinner cricket has ever produced must be out of his nuts when he ranks Sachin @ 1, Dravid @ 14 as the 50 greatest players he has ever played with/against.

10- 1: Shane Warne's 50 greatest cricketers - 'Tendulkar's toughness puts him out on his own' - Times Online

So, kindly enlighten us since how long have you been watching cricket to make the conclusions you have? No, actually please spare me the details. There is no point in talking to someone who is as biased as you are. Its like wasting my time.

PS: If they are indeed that useless, why don't the selectors go one step further and drop them all? They dared to make Dhoni the captain. This shouldn't be that tough. And while you are at it kindly do compare the number of match winning knocks/spells that Shreeshant, Kaif, Yuvi have and compare them to any one of your hatred 3.

[diabloo]

Originally Posted by diabloo

So talk before the match is pretty much pointless.

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

India has lost to Zimbabwe, Bangladesh too if you are not aware. Does that mean we also cant walk the talk?

Ya, thats loads of records & statistics. If you play for ages you will accumulate such baggage. But how many tournaments & big matches have they won? How many test matches/series have they have won? In most cases they threw in their towel when called upon to deliver.

True diabloo . 1996 WC's top scorer, Sharjah series, test series back home against Aussies, WC match against Sri Lanka in 2003, the just concluded Eng series and countless number of such matches were just glimses of gully cricket.

3 of the most prolific batsmen cricket has ever seen in the last 2 decades (respected by the entire cricket fraternity), having figured in the top batsmen list for eternity now. But you are right, they are useless. The sides they played against were equally useless. They just managed to amass close to/over 10,000 runs in both forms of the game (except ganguly in tests and dravid is like some 400 odd away) without knowing how to handle pressure. You are so right, I give up. Salutations to players you adore.

Shane Warne, considered as the best spinner cricket has ever produced must be out of his nuts when he ranks Sachin @ 1, Dravid @ 14 as the 50 greatest players he has ever played with/against.

10- 1: Shane Warne's 50 greatest cricketers - 'Tendulkar's toughness puts him out on his own' - Times Online

Quite some time to judge the fab 3.
Sachin - can't hit a six since he will pull his muscle. Greatest batsman can't win a tournament in his career or score a triple hundred in his career
Saurav - only shot left in his armory is walk down the pitch and loft over cover.
Dravid - better of the 3 with his improved ODI ability to take singles & hit the oocasional boundary. Six? no way. Few years back when Dravid walked to bat, the opposition got ready for some fielding practise. In fact Dravid used to oblige & push the ball directly to fielders

So, kindly enlighten us since how long have you been watching cricket to make the conclusions you have? No, actually please spare me the details. There is no point in talking to someone who is as biased as you are. Its like wasting my time.

[mclaren1885]

If you play for ages you will accumulate such baggage. But how many tournaments & big matches have they won?

Your famed youngsters, Yuvraj & Kaif have played for the country for 6 years now, Dhoni for 3 years (I don't know why people refer them to as newcomers). Could you kindly off the top of your mind tell me how many matches they single handedly won & then try it with the 3 who must not be named SINCE these youngsters have made a debut (lets not take their entire career statistics, just from 2001)? While you are at it, kindly do compare what the other 3 (Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly) achieved in a similar time span and compare the results since their debut. Cricket has changed a lot since then & is more batsmen friendly now (which has worked in favour of the recent players). Also, in the similar timespan as your young 3 V/s the hatred 3 please do an analysis on how many times they lost their place from the playing 11 to another player. That should give you an indication.

In a span of 6yrs & 3yrs (which in cricketing terms is quite a lot of time) how come Yuvi, Kaif & Dhoni still have figured in Shane Warne's (or any other cricketers for that matter) most dangerous list?

Good/bad performance in just 1 series doesn't change matters. A players performance over a season or a couple of seasons is what matters. Just like India are not the "Champions" after having won just 1 WC. Real Champions are the Australians of today, the WI & Aussies of yester years who played like champions for eternity.

Since we are at pointing out weakness of players.
Yuvi - Cannot play spinners confidently. A tactic well proven by the Pakistani's in the WC final. Has no consistency whatsoever. After 6 years in the team, he still has not cemented a place in either formats of the game.
Kaif - Cannot hit 6s at will. Pathan does a better job. After 6 years in the team, he still has not cemented a place in either formats of the game.
Dhoni - Best know for hitting the ball hard into the ground. Clearly proven by his recent track record. At a time his performance is going on a downhill, he is entrusted the captaincy slot which might be the only reason for him to still have a place in the team.

[amit]

But now the pressure will be back on the Indians because of the expectations. They are back as world champions and some of their players would be under pressure

Ponting has made a very solid point. Since cricket lovers in India don't have the word moderation in their dictionary, we can expect burning of a few effigies if the team loses a few ODI's and since our opposition is Australia, thats bound to happen!

I don't know why cricket lovers here get carried away. If we win, we shower our players with gifts and make them demi God's, if they lose we demand their heads. Now that the euphoria of the T20 victory has seeped in, it's time for Dhoni and the other geniuses to get down to work. The challenge is to keep winning consistantly like the Aussies. Are they upto it? How many people here feel 110% confident that India will beat Australia in the Saturday one dayer?

One loss on saturday and our media will be out asking if the T20 victory was a fluke. Expect the "SMS kijiye: Aaj ke match ka mujrim kaun?" on our over dramatic, inspired from 1980's style bollywood movies TV news channels by this weekend.

Be careful Yuraj, if you fail, the media and the crazy fans may demand you return your Porsche back!

[diabloo]

Beg to differ in case of Aussies.
WI ruled the world in 70s. When pajama cricket world cup was held for the first time in 1975, they won. They won again in 1979.
Cut to 2007. Aussies were ruling the world. When new form of pyjama cricket world cup came up, Aussies quietly hid the tail between their legs & packed off. So can't compare Aussies to WI.

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Real Champions are the Australians of today, the WI & Aussies of yester years who played like champions for eternity.