Posts Tagged ‘ Sri Lanka ’

A night when the heart fell and rose

April 3, 2011

Vijaya Nadar

Gautam Gambhir was one of the stars of the chase (Photo courtesy: Google Images)

What a night! A night to beat all other nights hollow! A night when the Men in Blue took centre-stage, with a performance none can find flaws in. It was incredible to see a team which was faltering during the World Cup, gain momentum and produce a less than a perfect performance, but still good enough to stun Australia in the quarterfinal, a doddering performance to stamp out Pakistan in the semifinal and come back strongly to reduce Sri Lankan grit to dust in the finals.

The night was incredibly perfect, as the calm, cool and collected captain MS Dhoni received the Man of the Match award and the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh the Man of the Series prize, but I could not help but feel sorry for the man of the moment Gautam Gambhir for not getting a share of the recognition with Dhoni. After all, his innings is what made the huge task look so surmountable in the first place.

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Who else wants to make Indian hearts beat with pride?

March 31, 2011

The fireworks over Delhi – and I guess elsewhere in India – lasted an hour and more on Wednesday night after India beat Pakistan by 29 runs in Mohali in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semifinal. As I drove back home after completing a show on All India Radio, it seemed that flag-waving cricket fans, young and old, were driving to India Gate and Connaught Place, showcasing an outpouring of emotion.

With the final against Sri Lanka just two days away, the team itself may have quickly shifted its focus to calming its nerves and preparing for that massive game against Sri Lanka. But it appeared as if all India, unconcerned yet about the preparations for the final, was in a celebratory mood.

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The final is much more than a simple cricket contest

June 20, 2009

The scoresheet will identify winners and losers at the end of the 40 overs at Lord’s on Sunday in the ICC World Twenty20 final but never reflect the courage Sri Lanka have shown in returning to competitive cricket, less than four months after a daring terrorist attack on the team in Lahore.

Nor, for that matter, will it indicate how Pakistan themselves have bounced back from virtual isolation in world cricket in the wake of the Lahore attack. The final will be much more than usual T20 cricket game – it will be an amalgam of myriad emotions and yet players will have to shut out and concentrate on the ball.

To be sure, this is more than a simple game of cricket. If you look carefully beyond the cricket, you may find some dark emotions that the player so dearly want to drive away. And if you get past those as well, you may find other wonderful emotions, notably hope that flickers and powers them – and the peoples they represent. Read more »

My tweets

  • On the way back. Overwhelmed by the reception to my suggestion that we must look within to help eradicate doping menace. Have more ppl play.: 1 day ago
  • At an anti doping seminar in lucknow. Good initiative by Uttar Pradesh Athletics Association. Educative and informational.: 1 day ago
  • What a day it has been!: 2 days ago
  • I don't understand looking for restoration of pride by winning limited-over games. Test cricket IS Test cricket and the hurt will stay: 5 days ago
  • Liked Gaurav Kalra's blog there being no link between the Indian cricket's recent Test showing and IPL cricket.. http://t.co/dS8pDXHt: 6 days ago

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