Joke of the day

(Mujhe bhi khilao!!!!)

Recently, on being asked what he's upto while the IPL is on, Shoaib Akhtar put up a brave front when he said " Im not interested in the IPL and Im not following it , Im all geared up for the upcoming Pak-Aussie showdown and Im going great guns preparing for that!!! ". Apart from the money he's missing, I feel he's clearly avoiding getting injured during the IPL!! What's the bet he'll get injured while training "hard" ;) ???

Cricket is an amazing game. It springs up a surprise just when you least expect it. Who expected Rahul Dravid to play a gem of an innnings in the 20-20 format. Well some of my friends don't even expect that in test matches leave alone a place for him in the one day and T20 format.
But the greats can never be left behind which Rahul himself voiced it in such a subtle manner during the presentation ceremony on Day 1 of IPL v2.0.

"In conditions like SA you need to play good cricketing shots rather than look to hit every ball". Yes Dravid has the calibre to do just that and by that I mean he can change his game like a chameleon. Well till now it has been the seniors and the oldies who have been shining in the IPL. Sachin, Dravid, Kumble, Warne, Hayden. (Saurav is due a great innings, watch out for him guys. :-)) And I think this is how it is going to be this time, because these are not Indian pitches.

I feel as the tournament progresses, spinners will come into play more and more as it is not easy to send a slow spinning ball to the fence. With the experience of Murali, Bhajji, Vettori, Warne and not to forget the old wily fox, our own Kumble, the batsmen will certainly find life not so easy.

Whatever it is I can still vouch for Warne having sleepless nights once again when he plays against Sachin. Sachin is simply awsome. It was so satisfying to see this great icon change his game on Day 1 when he realized that the pitch was not easy to bat on. His cheeky shots, improvisations, deliberately changing shots at the last moment according to the delivery and innovating to play where the fielder is not present are just a trifle of proof that he is here to stay and has not yet finished in any format of the game. He might not be as explosive as he was but I can assure you he is getting more dangerous than ever and is as effective as Viru (if not more).

I feel that Mumbai are in with a great chance here. And I place my bet on two teams - Mumbai and Chennai. Delhi is a close third...

Harsh

Suggest a Caption!!!!!

IPL-2: Its different. Too early to predict?

That cricketing conditions are vastly different in SA than India is a fact that surely must be playing in the minds of the Indian domestic cricketers. Though, they must consider themselves lucky enough for this god-sent opportunity. A good showing in SA surely will make the selectors stand up and take notice, especially for batsmen. Cameos like the one played by Nayyar during the Mumbai-Chennai showdown might be more valuable during IPL v.2.0 as compared to the last year, where such innings were the norm rather than exceptions. This brings me to the question itself : Has Day1 set the tone for the remainder of the series?

Well, maybe not. For once, as the tournament progresses and the teams adapt to the playing conditions, the batsmen will start taking risks and the overall totals will increase. Teams filled with batting firepower like the Daredevils will fancy their chances, as if they can get a 200 plus score on such wickets, it will be too difficult to chase it down. But considering that our domestic cricketers are playing in alien conditions, different strategies might come into play, with teams being content with a comfortably made 150-160 and backing the bowlers to do the job.

The good news from the middle is that veterans made their mark on the first day, a scenario which might not have been on the cards. Sample this: Tendulkar,Kumble, Dravid, Warne, Harbhajan, all of them making full use of the conditions, a five wicket haul for Kumble being the most unpredictable. But such were the conditions yesterday. Still, an average viewer yearns for the ball to be hit out of the park on a regular basis ( in different innovative ways) with the bowlers being treated with utter disdain. Others, of course will not mind low scores, but will demand high drama in the form of upswings and downswings in both runs and wickets. The IPL's opening encounter was a decent one, and the thrills of a T20 tournament might just have begun.

The final verdict from the centre is hazy. It seems too early to predict where the tournament is heading. Everyone knows that IPL will be different away from India. The good thing is that the times have changed, and so have the teams. Who will come out truimphs is anybody's guess. And of course, new stars are waiting to be born again. Watch out!!