India Loses Again After Tendulkar Century

Well, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar finally ended the much anticipated wait for his 100th international century on 16th March 2012 at Dhaka's 'Shere Bangla National Stadium'. The 100th hundred of Sachin Tendulkar came off 138 balls, and was studded with 10 fours and a six. The achievement of this great milestone was congratulated by the media, as well as cinema stalwarts like Lata Mangeshkar and Amitabh Bachchan.

Centuries are supposed to win matches. Very rarely do we see the century-making batsman on the losing side. In Sachin Tendulkar's case, however, the bitter reality is that India usually loses whenever he makes a century. This has become more so over the last seven-eight years, as Tendulkar began working on his personal scores to break more records.

Here are the results of the matches in which Sachin Tendulkar scored a century since 2004 :

• Lost - 16 March 2004 vs Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Scored 141.
• Lost - 12 April 2005 vs Pakistan in Motera, Ahmedabad. Scored 123.
• Lost - 6 February 2006 vs Pakistan in Peshawar, Pakistan. Scored 100.
• Lost - 14 September 2006 vs West Indies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Scored 141 not out.
• Won - 31 January 2007 vs West Indies in Vadodara, Gujarat. Scored 100 not out.
• Won - 2 March 2008 vs Australia in Sydney, Australia. Scored 117 not out.
• Won - 8 March 2009 vs New Zealand in Christchurch, New Zealand. Scored 163 not out.
• Won - 14 September 2009 vs Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Scored 138.
• Lost - 5 November 2009 vs Australia in Hyderabad, India. Scored 175.
• Won - 24 February 2010 vs South Africa in Gwalior, India. Scored 200 not out.
• Tied - 27 February 2011 vs England in Bangalore, India. Scored 120.
• Lost - 12 March 2011 vs South Africa in Nagpur, India. Scored 111.
• Lost - 16 March 2012 vs Bangladesh in Mirput, Bangladesh. Scored 114.

As you can see, India managed to win only five of the last thirteen one-day matches in which Sachin Tendulkar scored a century. Also, in most of these matches, India were poised to win, but ended up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Sachin Tendulkar even manages to get the Man of the Match trophy in the matches which India loses, providing some consolation to his Indian fans.

Here are some reasons why this could be happening:

• Sachin Tendulkar's centuries are jinxed.
• Sachin Tendulkar might be saying something to his team mates in the dressing room, which may be lowering their morale, and causing them to lose.
• Indian cricket team members collectively play badly whenever Sachin Tendulkar scores a century, because they are jealous of his personal achievements, and want to see the smile wiped off his face.

Well, what do you think is the main reason why India generally loses whenever Sachin Tendulkar makes a century. Is Sachin Tendulkar a team player or is he only working to achieve personal accolades for himself? How should India break this losing jinx?

Congrats Team India - World Cup 2011

Congratulations to the Indian Cricket Team for winning the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup!! Mahendra Singh Dhoni, you're the best! I always knew we could depend on you!

Gautam Gambhir (93) and MS Dhoni (91) coolly sculpt India's run chase to claim victory in the 2011 ICC World Cup finals held at Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai. I had to mute my television during this phase because commentators on all channels (DD National, Star Cricket and Star Sports) were very negative about the performance of the Indian batsmen/team, when it was obvious that India were comfortably cruising, and there was nothing to get tense about!

Team India with the 2011 World Cup.

I really enjoyed the match - You guys rock!! Zaheer Khan, MS Dhoni (Captain Cool), Munaf Patel and Gautam 'dirty shirt' Gambhir are on the left. Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Piyush Chawla are hogging the World Cup. Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ashwin and Yusuf 'strongman' Pathan

Indian cricket coach, Gary Kirsten of South Africa being carried around the Wankhade Stadium by Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli. His hard work and training helped ensure that the Indian team performed to their optimum best during the World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar sharing the 2011 World Cup with his crazy fan Gautam. I once saw Sachin's No.1 fan at the abandoned India-Sri Lanka one-dayer in Delhi last year. I thought I'd take a photo of myself with him, but then decided against it as I noticed he was not wearing any clothes, except for really tiny briefs.

This photo is for all those cynical commentators out there who keep saying that the Indian team rests on the laurels of Tendulkar. Here is Sachin Tendulkar resting on the shoulders and achievements of the Indian cricket team! He didn't do too well in the finals, but the rest of the Indian team ensured that India still won the cup!

Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh were the main cricketers who scripted India's victory, but they just sort of blended into the background after the match. I could not find any photos of them holding the World Cup or celebrating after the match, even though I looked really hard. If you find any photos of them, please let me know.

Did you watch the match? What did you think of India's performance?

Delhi Match of India and Sri Lanka Abandoned

Well, it was a nice sunny day and we had managed to get Club house passes for the last one day match between India and Sri Lanka at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi. The match was scheduled to start at 9.00 am and spectators were requested to take their seats starting from 8.00 am. Since it was a bit cold in the morning, we arrived at around 10.00 am at the gates of the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds.

Security was really strict at the entry gates. The female security staff at the gates did not allow us to take our purses inside. They told us that we could keep only our mobiles and cash, but had to leave our handbags in the car. They said that there was a very strict security threat from some terrorists and that the orders had come from the highest level.

At first, we thought that they would allow us with our purses in after some begging and excuses, since purses were allowed at the India - Australia match, held around one month ago. However, they were too strict and all women with purses were turned away. Soon we saw Ajay Jadeja and his 5 year old son being frisked by the security. Realizing that the security was way too strict, we called our Dad and had him pick up our purses. We were also told by the security that exit and re-entry would not be allowed during this match.


Well, we managed to enter the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium at around 10.30 am. Half the seats in our section were empty and we easily got seats. We cheered when a couple of wickets fell and I was lucky to be looking at the ground when India got an amazing run out. The score at that time was around 60/3. I saw Zaheer Khan fielding at the boundary, Dhoni with his No.7 shirt, Harbhajan Singh with his turban, Jayasuriya coming in to bat and Sehwag with his white hat. The other players could not be made out from the distance.

The food in the stands was quite expensive. A packet of chips with an MRP of Rs. 20 was being sold for Rs. 40. When we questioned the chips seller, he gave a flimsy excuse of ' rent having to be paid for his stall'. Momos cost Rs. 80 for a plate of 6 momos. Well, just as we ordered the food and settled in to watch the match, we realized that something was up.

The players were sitting about on the field, some of them doing stretches. At first we thought that maybe there was a tea break for refreshments. Seeing no refreshment cart on the field and it being only the 23rd over, we guessed that something was wrong. We phoned home and Dad told us that it was on TV that the match was abandoned due to 'unfit playing conditions' and that media persons were saying that the pitch was bad.

At the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium no announcement was made of that sort. Members of both teams and the umpires walked off the field. A message flashed on the big action replay screen that 'play had been suspended'. Many people expected that play would soon be resumed. We decided to wait around for some time. A message informing not to indulge in racist, ethnic or religious comments against players or spectators kept scrolling on the big action replay screen.

Very soon, people lost their patience and the first few bottles of water were hurled on to the ground. Confetti of torn 6 and 4 signs began falling from the higher stands. Chants of 'haay haay' went up. Next to go were the white seat covers from the stands that had cushions. People twirled the white seat covers around their heads a-la Saurav Ganguly at the Oval Test match. Then, people began hurling the red cushions from the Club house seats. Lastly, people in the cheap yellow seats became so angry that they had nothing to throw on the pitch that they tore off the yellow seats and began throwing the dangerous missiles. Corporate signs were also torn down. All hell broke loose and the cops charged soon charged the unruly crowd with lathis.

We decided to wait a few minutes till the disturbing scene cleared up and then exit the stadium. After nearly an hour, an announcement was made saying that the tickets would be refunded. I don't think this would have made much difference to the unruly crowd as most of them have bought complimentary passes in black. As these complimentary passes are non refundable, they will not recover any money. Also, many have been betting, so they must have lost a lot of cash there too. Outside, the spectators caused a traffic nightmare, picketing on the road and shouting slogans. No one was sure why the match was canceled and people suspected the official reason of the 'pitch being bad' was untrue.

We took an auto rickshaw back home. The auto driver told us that the official reason being given was 'bad pitch' but the real reason at the ground level was something quite different. He said the police had received a serious threat of 'Philistini' terrorists wanting to attack the crowds at the cricket match in Delhi. It had also been reported in the newspaper that the police had some information about a planned 26/11 style terrorist attack in some crowded place. As the Sri Lankan team had already been seriously attacked in Lahore earlier this year, the venue was deemed to be 'unsafe' and it was decided not to take the risk of continuing to play the match.

Well, I have no idea why terrorists could be after the Sri Lankan team or what are the relations between Sri Lanka and Palestine, but here are some thoughts to mull over -

1. The match was called off after the 23rd over. If the pitch was really unplayable or dangerous, it would have been noticed in the first two overs itself and the match abandoned. The other match that was abandoned in India - the Indore match between India and Sri Lanka was called off after the second over, after Sri Lanka complained.

2. If the pitch was really bad, it could have been discovered a week ago, a day ago or earlier in the morning. Why was it's 'unplayable condition' suddenly discovered in the middle of the match. Surely, it was tested after being relaid ???

3. There was no rainy weather or dew to spoil the conditions of the ground. It was bright and sunny.

4. It is a fact that matches at the Ferozshah Kotla grounds are low scoring and the ball keeps low. In most matches, it is expected that some balls bounce extra high and some keep really low.

5. Chetan Chauhan said, "Sri Lanka were at 83 for five and that's why they backed out, it was the Sri Lankans who chickened out. I agree this was not ideal for international matches but this was neither unplayable or dangerous."

6. Why was there such strict security checks?

7. Why did it take the umpires and match referees so long to declare that the match was abandoned? Why was no immediate specific reason given?

8. Match referee Alan Hurst labelled the Feroz Shah Kotla ground 'unfit' in his post-match report. He made no mention of dangerous pitch conditions.

Well, what do you think???

India Wins One Day Tri Series in Australia

Congratulations to the Indian Cricket Team on winning the CB Series One Day Tournament in Australia. You were the best guys!!!

As for Symonds, the meano of the Australian team - he proved what a total nutcase he is when he rammed a skinny unarmed defenseless Aussie streaker on the pitch!!

India Wins The Twenty 20 World Cup - Congrats Boys!

India Wins The Twenty 20 World Cup

Monday evening was the best cricket match I have witnessed in my life. It was a dream India Pakistan final for a World Cup Championship in which India ended up winning - even if it was only twenty overs a side. Congratulations to all the 'Boys in Blue'. I felt so proud when you guys did not choke and turned a match that could go any way into a win. You proved that the Indian team are tigers at both home and abroad, they are paper tigers no more !!!

I always had full faith in the Indian cricket team and their abilities. I supported them even after their shocking exit from the 2007 ICC World Cup. The reasons they failed at that time - such as selection politics, Sourav Ganguly, poor fielding and bad luck were not present in the Twenty 20 World Cup. This made them a confident team that was just destined to win. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a real cool captain too, I liked the way he gave off his shirt to a young fan. That shirt is now is a valuable collectors item.

Here are some pictures of the winning moments and the celebrations afterwards-







Here is the final score and a ball by ball analysis of the India Pakistan Twenty20 World Cup finals.

This year, Diwali came early. After the match ended, I went to my balcony to set off some fireworks. Sadly, I tripped over my feet and banged my knee real bad while attempting to run away from the bombs I had just lit.

Did you watch this match? How was the experience ??

Indian Cricket Team at World Cup - An Analysis

Indian Cricket Team At The World Cup - An Analysis

Recently, the Indian cricket team came home after not making it to the second round or Super Eight stage of the cricket world cup. This was followed by widespread condemnation by the Bengali dominated Indian media that had supported Saurav Ganguly's inclusion in the cricket team. Here is my analysis of what went wrong. First, lets take a look at the facts.

The Facts - India played only 3 matches.

1. India Vs Bangladesh - Batting - Ganguly (66/129), Dravid (14/28), Yuvraj (47/58), Zaheer (15/17), Munaf (15/15). Bowling - Sehwag 5 -2, Munaf 8-2, Zaheer 9-1
Bangladesh Won - India made 191/10 in 49.3 overs and Bangladesh made 192/5 in 48.3 overs.

2. India Vs Bermuda - Batting - Ganguly (89/114), Sehwag (114/87), Dhoni (29/25), Yuvraj (83/46), Tendulkar (57/29 not out), Dravid (7/2 not out). Bowling - Agarkar 10-3, Kumble 9-3 Zaheer 10-2, Tendulkar 1-1, Munaf 8-1.
India won - India made the highest ever world cup total of 413/5 in 50 overs while Bermuda scored 156/10 in 43.1 overs. Sehwag was the man of the match.

3. India Vs Sri Lanka - Bowling - Zaheer 10-2, Agarkar 8-1, Munaf 10-1, Ganguly 4-1, Tendulkar 8-1. Batting - Uthappa 18/27, Sehwag 48/46, Dravid 60/82, Agarkar 10/25, Harbhajan 17/20 not out, Munaf 10/17.
Sri Lanka won - Sri Lanka scored 254/6 in 50 overs while India made 185/10 in 43.1 overs.

M.S. Dhoni - 5 catches and 2 stumpings from 3 matches.

(Batting is runs/balls and bowling is overs - wickets. Players who made less than 10 runs are not mentioned)

The reasons why India lost -

1. Greg Chappell was not given the young team - which he had prepared and trained for the world cup. Selection politics lead to the exclusion of players who have done well in the West Indies like VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif. Other good players like Pathan and Sreesanth were not allowed to play while Saurav Ganguly the only player who was not wanted by Greg Chappel, Rahul Dravid and the team was given a place.

2. Sourav Ganguly - He is a negative influence. He plays for his personal score not caring if India wins or loses. He knows that if he gets a 50 or 100 they can't chuck him out of the team, so he builds the score using as many balls as suitable to his needs. As an opening batsman he should be giving India a good start, but he wastes balls and makes playing conditions seem harder than they are. His statistics in the 3 matches - 66/129, 89/114 and 7/23. Even no.11 batsman Munaf Patel has done better. Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid are not fools. They work with Sourav Ganguly on a regular basis, they must be knowing exactly what he is like and why he should not be allowed to play.

Sourav Ganguly plays a lot of politics. He only wants to win if he is made the captain of the team. He managed to get into the team by using the 'jack' of politicians and the sponsors of the world cup - Pepsi. Too bad for them that India is now out of the world cup. Sourav Ganguly shares little rapport with the rest of the team. Not many hug him when he scores big nor can he be found sitting and talking with other team members in the pavilion. This proves that something is wrong somewhere.

3. Bad Fielding - As players known for good fielding like Kaif, Raina and Powar were not taken in the team, India ended up giving away plenty of runs to the opposing team and missing run out chances. Plus, the Indian cricket team must have lost the motivation to play after Sourav Ganguly was included into the team. Imagine, how he must have gloated and showed off!

4. No Luck - When India was bowling, lots of lbw decisions and inside edges did not go in India's favor. On the other hand, while batting many Indians were declared lbw when the ball was going the other way or faced other unlucky circumstances. Sachin Tendulkar was the main victim here. Remember, how the ball bounced off his pads onto the stumps ? Plus, deciding matches were heavily rained on.

5. Too Few Matches - The structure of the 2007 world cup allows for three matches per team in the first stage and twelve matches per team in the Super Eight stage. Any team can have a bad day and this faulty scheme played a big role in the exit of popular teams like India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

Annoying questions being asked by the Bengali media and their answers -

1. Cricketers are doing advertisements - Unlike, regular folk whose careers last till the age of 60-62 years, cricketers retire when they are around 32 -36. Many play for just two - three years. Most don't have a college education and it is very difficult for them to get a regular job after they retire. Money from advertisments are just neccessary savings for an uncertain future and they have every right to it while it lasts.

2. Cricketers are staying awake till late hours - True, how can they get a good nights sleep before a tough world cup decider. They are bound to be nervous. Plus, the Bob Woolmer saga must have played havoc on their psyche.

3. Indian fans are furious - This is not true. Not many Indians expected India to win the world cup even though we secretly hoped that they would prove us wrong. The people shown on television burning effigies, protesting and attacking players' homes are units of some political party or the other trying to get attention for their cause. The protest lasts only for two minutes, the media takes a few shots and then runs it the whole day.

In reality, the matches were being telecast late at night and very few people stayed up to watch the second innings of any match. I certainly did'nt, even though I am a big cricket fan !

4. Greg Chappell should be sacked - Why should Greg Chappell be sacked for the failure of the selectors ? Greg Chappell must be so tired with the politics of Indian cricket that I doubt he will want to renew his contract anyway. He is an Australian and is unlikely to stand this sort of nonsense favouritism which is commonplace in India.

5. Blame everyone except Ganguly tactic - That's because the largely Bengali media cannot see beyond a fellow Bengali - Sourav Ganguly. Be practical and unbiased in your reports guys !

6. Former cricketers criticisms - They seem to have forgetton what is was like to win and lose. Many want to be coach and have an axe to grind against the current coach, captain and team. The only persons who spoke sense are former batsman Navjot Singh Siddhu on Rajat Sharma's Aap Ki Adalat and former spinner Dilip Doshi in Times of India - who both blamed the selectors!

The Solution

The 2007 cricket world cup is already dead - no one is watching it on television far less thinking about going to the Caribbean to watch a match. A great solution would be to get sponsors to organise an India Pakistan Zimbabwe friendly one day series to coincide with the semi finals and finals of the cricket world cup. It can be held in a neutral venue like UAE, Malaysia or Canada. The matches will be at a more earthly hour because of the time zone. More people will come to watch it because UAE is close to Asia as well as Africa and has many citizens of South Asian origin. This way you won't see empty stadiums as is visible at the Caribbean world cup venues. Plus, India is more motivated to win if they are playing Pakistan. We can allow Greg Chappell to play with the team he trained for the cricket world cup and bring back crowd attracter - Shoaib Akhtar. Since Bob Woolmer is dead and Inzamam has retired there won't be many protests.

So, what do you say about India's performance in the world cup ??




india cricket 2007 world cup defeat performance review debacle fan fans reaction protests retire greg chappell rahul dravid sack sourav ganguly out lose sucks advertisments endorsements failure analysis post mortem indian team

World Cup Cricket Jerseys - The Other Eight Teams

Cricket Jerseys of Ireland, Zimbabwe, India, SouthAfrica, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Netherlands - Which one is the coolest ??

Here are the world cup shirts of the Umpire, Ireland, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Netherlands, India and Bangladesh. Click here to check out the uniforms of the first eight teams - West Indies, Pakistan, Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Bermuda, Canada and Kenya.

Here is the umpire in a mustard sweatshirt, black pants and a sun hat.


Here is the Irish captain Trent Johnston modelling the green cricket jersey of Ireland. The uniform has dark green trim.


This is the Zimbabwean cricket kit. It is red with green and white trim. Here is Prosper Utseya the captain of Zimbabwe and the youngest captain at the world cup in the official colours of the Zimbabwe team.Here is the New Zealand world cup jersey. It is black with grey trim. The New Zealand uniform has the a fern leaf printed on the front of their shirt.


This is Liam Plunkett of England celebrating after he got a wicket. The England world cup jersey is blue, with one red sleeve, red trim and white piping. The Bermuda team jersey resembles it a bit when it comes to the colours.

South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs looks mighty pleased after hitting 6 sixes in a row. The South African team jersey is green with yellow trim. The cricket shirt has a picture of a lotus printed on the front.


Billy Sterling of the Netherlands celebrates after getting a wicket on the second ball on the match against South Africa. The Netherlands cricket jersey is bright orange with navy blue and white trim.

Sachin Tendulkar of India sporting the Indian Jersey. The Indian cricket shirt is a lighter shade of blue than usual with the tricolor along the left side of the shirt. It has white trim on the sleeves and collar.

Here is Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh in their green world cup jersey. The Bangladesh cricket shirt has red trim on the collar and sleeves and yellow trim on the seams of the jersey and pants.

So which team jersey do you think is the coolest ??

Here are the uniforms of the other eight teams - West Indies, Pakistan, Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Bermuda, Canada and Kenya

2007 Cricket World Cup Jerseys - The Grooviest

2007 Cricket World Cup Jerseys

Here are the team uniforms of the six teams that have played world cup matches uptil now - West Indies, Pakistan, Australia, Scotland, Canada and Kenya. I will be adding the team shirts of the other teams after they play their first matches. Which one do you think looks the coolest ?

The West Indies world cup jersey is maroonish - pink with green and yellow trim. The West Indies played the first match of the 2007 world cup against Pakistan. They are hosting the matches over 9 Caribbean Islands.


The Pakistan cricket team uniform is dark green with light green and mango yellow trim. This one seems to look the coolest. Here is one of the new Pakistan bowlers - Iftikhar Anjum in the Pakistani world cup jersey.


The Australian team kit is yellow and green. The front design reminds me a bit of some of their older world cup uniforms. Glen McGraw looks cool as he models the jersey for Australia.


Scotland has a navy blue world cup jersey with white crosses on the shoulder. Scotland lost the opening match to Australia by 203 runs.


The Canadian cricket jersey is bright red with black sleeves and white trim. Here is Ian Bilcliff wearing the cricket official shirt of Canada.


The cricket uniform for Kenya is light green with red and black edgings.

Here are the jerseys of Sri Lanka and Bermuda who played their first world cup match last night. I'll be adding the jerseys of the other eight teams in my next post after they play their first matches.

Here is Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas modeling their blue jersey with yellow trim. The Sri Lankan national symbol of a lion holding a sword is on the front of the cricket uniform.

Bermuda is playing the world cup for the first time. Here is Saleem Mukaddam of Bermuda. The Bermuda cricket uniform is bright blue with half red sleeves and white borders. It reminds me a bit of the jerseys England wore to India during their 2006 tour.

Click Here to view the Jerseys of Ireland, Zimbabwe, India, England, NewZealand, Netherlands, South Africa and Bangladesh.

So, other than your own team which other cricket world cup jersey do you like ?

For my predictions about the world cup read this older post.

Some More 2007 Cricket World Cup Contests

That's How It Really Works !!: Free Tickets To Cricket World Cup

Here are some more contests where you can win a trip to the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. These world cup contests are being held by the official sponsors to promote their products.

1. Johnnie Walker - The Johnnie Walker Red Label cricket world cup contest offers a Caribbean Cruise package for 8 days and tickets to the final or semi final. Other prizes include Mp3 players, watches and DVD players. You have to visit www.keepscoring.com and play the super scorer flash game. Here you have to face four overs and score as many runs as possible.....the highest I managed was 59 !!

2. Hutch - sent me an sms about a cricket world cup contest where you have a chance of winning a trip to the West Indies if you subscribe to sms cricket updates.

3. Clinic All Clear Anti Dandruff Shampoo - Clinic is offering a free trip to the Carribean if you are lucky enough to have a winning code on the shampoo bottle that you purchase. As Clinic is not an official sponsor the prize does not include free tickets to world cup matches.

I had always been skeptical of promotional contests thinking that they most probably give the prizes to friends or relatives....... until .........the day my 6 year old brother won a bike from Cheetos. Today, I know its possible to win stuff if you are lucky. The thought of winning a Caribbean cruise seems so unbelievable......wonder which lucky person will strike the jackpot ?

Have you ever won any contest ?

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey - World Cup

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

Here is a picture of the 2007 Indian cricket team jersey recently released by sportswear company Nike. I went shopping in Connaught Place and spotted the team uniform in one of the Nike stores. Did'nt look that inspiring...Pretty boring and ordinary actually! The PHL hockey jerseys of Chennai Veerans designed by Adidas are much cooler !


After interviewing the cricket team for 6 months, Nike came up with this new kit. This jersey is 15 percent lighter than previous uniforms and is capable of keeping body temperatures down to a comfortable level. The material does not stick to the skin after sweating.

The Indian team will wear the same cricket jerseys to the 2007 cricket world cup beginning in March except the position of the logos will be different because of ICC Rules.

So, what do you think about the new Indian cricket team uniform ?

Here are some helpful links -


2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions

The 2007 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to start in less than a month and before it gets underway, I thought I'd make some predictions on the matches and which team will finally lift the cup. Here are the groups -

Group A - Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Netherlands (Holland)

Group B - Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Bermuda

Group C - New Zealand, England, Kenya and Canada

Group D - Pakistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Ireland

Each team will play one match within their group and the top two teams in each group will advance to the Super 8 stage. There are 24 matches in this stage. My predictions about the teams that will reach the Super 8 stage of the 2007 cricket world cup are -

Group A - South Africa and Australia

Group B - India and Sri Lanka

Group C - New Zealand and England

Group D - West Indies and Pakistan

In the Super 8 stage, each team will have to play 6 matches against the teams that reached the Super 8 stage from other groups. They don't have to play the team from their own group. Here too there are 24 matches. The top four teams will reach the semi finals. My predictions about the teams which will be in the semi finals of the cricket world cup are -

1. South Africa
2. India/Australia
3. New Zealand ( will get through after narrowly defeating the hosts West Indies)
4. West Indies

Semi Finals will be between -

South Africa and West Indies - won by South Africa

India and New Zealand - won by India

Finals will be between South Africa and India - either can win since they have good teams and hav'nt won the World Cup for a long time. My heart says India will win but my brain says South Africa. My final prediction for the Cricket World Cup - India !

So, who do you think will win ?


Here are some helpful links -

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

Free Tickets To Cricket World Cup

Free Tickets To Cricket World Cup

Like all Indians who wish to watch a world cup match I too am looking for a free world cup deal. Have heard that ticket sales for the 2007 cricket world cup which start on March 5th and go on till 28 April are still quite low.

The Caribbean is a great place to vacation, the only problem is that it is very expensive especially for cricket fans from the subcontinent. The prices of everything - tickets, hotels and travel are in US dollars. Visa charges itself are around US $100 (INR $4,600 approx) and its a very long process as you have to get different visa for each of the 9 islands.

Bed and breakfasts are the cheapest place to stay in the Caribbean costing between $25 -35 per night. Two star hotels are available from $35 onwards. Three stars start from $75 while the lowest price for a four star is $125. Forget about five star hotels. Cottage style vacation rental properties charge around $200 per night and is most affordable if you are travelling with a group.

Prices of West Indies world cup cricket tickets for warm-up matches start from $10. Group stage matches cost$15 to $90 while tickets for super 8 stage cost between $25 - $100. Matches where India is playing are more costly. A ticket for the final of the cricket world cup costs between $100 - $500. The later you wait to buy the ticket the more you will end up having to pay.

Official travel agents for the West Indies cricket world cup in India are Bharat Army Travel, SOTC Sports Abroad, Pyramid Travels in Mumbai; Air Cruise Travels and Friends Group Travels in Delhi; and Sportzvillage in Bangalore. Air Cruise has cricket world cup packages to the Caribbean ranging from 7 days to 20 days while Friends group is offering three cruise packages of 8, 15 and 20 days in April. The packages cost between 1,20,000 to 4,08,000 rupees for a single person depending on the amount of days, accomodation and matches you choose to go for. This cost includes economy air tickets, twin sharing rooms, meals, entertainment, cruise, match tickets and airport transfers in the Carribean islands. I really want to book myself on one of these cricket packages but I have no one to go with....how depressing ! Am too scared to go alone.

As for free tickets to the Cricket World Cup................

Yes, I am still looking for that Jadoo ka Jupp in my packet of Kurkura namkeens. Hutch also has a contest and Hero Honda is offering a prize of free world cup tickets on the purchase of a Hero Honda bike. I suppose after some time other sponsors like Indian Oil and LG may start offering free tickets to the cricket world cup, let's see if we get lucky ! If not, I can still watch the game on Set Max.

What about you ?

Here are some helpful links -

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

Darrell Hair vs Inzamam - Ball Tampering Issue

Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove vs Inzamam Ul Haq

Ok, here's what happened - It was the 4th day of the Pakistan England Test match being played at the Oval, England. Somewhere around the 56 th over when England were batting in her second innings, Darrel ‘controversy’ Hair and Billy 'off the field' Doctrove suspect ball tampering. They replaced the ball and awarded 5 penalty runs to England. Pakistan captain Inzamam is not happy but they continue playing. After tea, Pakistan refused to take the field as a matter of 'honour' as they felt it was a biased decision and they had not been cheating. According to rules, since the team did not take the field the umpires removed the bails and went in. Later, the Pakistanis came back onto the field, the English were also ready to play, but the umpires refused to come out and awarded the match to England.

Some unanswered questions -

1. Who instigated 'Aloo' Inzy not to take the field after tea ? Were they really concerned about Pakistan's 'honour' or just jealous that Inzamam was still going strong in the team after so many years and wanted him out?

2. What evidence did Darrel Hair and Billy Doctrove have ? Why did'nt they inform Inzamam of the reasons or player/s involved according to cricket rules ? (Law 42.3) Simply because the ball was reverse swinging is not reason enough, as bowlers from most top teams do swing the ball.

3. Why did'nt the Umpires consult Captain Inzamam about the team's refusal to play before forfeiting the match to England ? (Law 21.3)

4. Why is it usually either Darrell Hair or Billy Doctrove who are involved in controversies whether the Muthiah Murlitharan chucking episode or the Dhoni/Brian Lara catch on the boundary incident.

The sad part is that Pakistan were on their way to winning the test when this happened. Inzamam ul Haq has always seemed a very 'bhola' - simple minded person who wears his heart on his sleeve. Even at post match interviews, he usually speaks from the heart staying away from the diplomatic babble of other players. Too bad for him, he was unable to stay away from petty cricket politics.

As for Darrell Hair, it is time he learnt to deal with on field issues with a little compassion and flexiblity. If he wants to be known as a stickler for rules, he should administer all equally and not ignore a few according to his fancies. Billy Doctrove should get a book on 'Independent Decision Making for Dummies'.

So, what do you think ?

Tags: Darrell Hair Bill Doctrove Ball Tampering Cricket Pakistan India Inzamam

2007 ICC Cricket World Cup - Teams and Stadiums

2007 ICC Cricket World Cup - I must be there at any cost.

I took a peek at some of the details of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 that will be held in the West Indies in spring next year. The opening ceremony for the Cricket World Cup is scheduled to be held on 11 of March 2007 at the Trelawney Stadium in Jamaica which can house 25, 000 people. 16 countries are taking part. Top teams to beat are Australia, India, England, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. There are also loser teams that don't win any matches like Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya and Scotland that are participating. (ok, maybe they'll win if they are playing each other or if a match is fixed)

Warm up matches will be held at the 3W's Oval at Barbados ( 4000 seats), Arnos Vale stadium in St. Vincent (12,000) and the Brian Lara Stadium at Trinidad and Tobago (15,000) for which tickets are available online.

The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup is divided into 4 groups - A, B, C and D. Group A matches will be played at St. Kitts and Nevis between number one rankedAustralia, South Africa ranked five, Scotland ranked twelve and Netherlands (Holland) ranked sixteen. Opening round matches will be held at the brand new Warner Park Stadium that has a capacity of ten thousand seats.

Group B matches will be played at Trinidad and Tobago between Sri Lanka ranked two, India ranked a lowly eight, Bangladesh ranked eleven and Bermuda ranked fifteenth. Rankings are as on April 2005 and many countries have improved their rankings since then and may improve further till the ICC cricket world cup in 2007. The one dayers will be played at the Queen's Park Oval which has capacity of 17,000 seats.

Group C matches will be played at Saint Lucia. The teams included in this group are New Zealand ranked 3, England ranked 7, Kenya ranked 10th and Canada ranked in 14th place. Matches will be held at the Beausejour Stadium whose capacity is estimated to increase to 20,000.

Group D games will be held at the Sabina Park in Jamaica. Matches will be played between Pakistan ranked fourth, West Indies ranked 6th, Zimbabwe ranked 9th and Ireland which is in 13th place. This group will see the most action with regard to points needed to make it to the next round.

Super 8 matches will be played at Sir Vivian Richard Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda ( 20, 000 seats - picture on left) , Kensington Oval in Barbados with 28, 000 seats, Queen's Park at Grenada ( 17, ooo seats) and the Providence Stadium in Guyana (16,000 seats) which is being constructed with Indian technical know how.

Sabina Park, Jamaica will host the semi finals and the finals will be held at the Kensington Oval in Barbados (picture on right). In total, matches will be played at 12 stadiums in 9 cities.

Telecast of the 2007 Cricket World Cup - I'll be glued to the screen for matches I don't have tickets or passes to. Matches will be telecast on Set Max as Sony has bagged the telecasting rights. Most probably Doordarshan will file a case in court to telecast the feed to viewers in India who don't have cable.

Tickets to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup - tickets are available online on different websites, but as I am a typical Delhi-ite from India I'll first try to win tickets by taking part in free contests or scrounge for them from friends. For free passes or invites you can contact your friends or contacts in LG Electronics, Pepsi, Hero Honda, Hutch or Indian Oil that are either official global partners or sponsors of the 2007 ICC cricket world cup.

West Indies is a really beautiful place with amazing weather and landscape and if anyone has any hints on how I can make it there for the cricket world cup real cheap, please drop me a line.

Here are some helpful links -

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

Tags: Cricket World Cup India West Indies One Day Cricket 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup Indian Team

Indian Cricket Team Beauty Pageant 2006

Cyberkitty's Indian Cricket Team Beauty Pageant 2006: As beautiful as Cyberkitty thinks you are.....Presented in Association with meowlife.blogpot.com.

The biggest pageant in Indian Cyberspace was held on May 4th, at meowlife.blogspot.com.


Results of Cyberkitty's Indian Cricket Team Beauty Pageant 2006:

Sub Contest Winners:

1. Mr. Beautiful Hair -
The Nominees are - 'Musharraf's pet' Dhoni, Clinic All Clear -Dravid, Wavy haired Irfan.......
And the Award goes to Harbhajan Singh for the longest hair !!
He recieves the prize of - 1 Ruffle

2. Mr. Beautiful Eyes -
The Nominees are Cat Eyed Agarkar, Brown eyed Sehwag, Winking Kaif......
And the Award goes to 'goggle-nashi' Ramesh Powar for his 'stunning' eyewear.

He recieves the prize of - 1 pair of star shaped Janpath Sunglasses.


3. Mr. Perfect 10 -
The Nominees are - 10dulkar, Kaif, Yuvraj, Irfan........
And the Award goes to Venugopal Rao for his 10 runs in the 3rd ODI with England.
He recieves the prize of - A Barbie Doll

4. Mr. All Rounder -
The Nominees are Irfan, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Cricket Ball........
And the Award goes to Ramesh Powar of 'Fat but Fit' fame.
His prize - The Cricket ball that lost out !

5. Mr. Beauty with Brains -
The Nominees are '2B Honest' Dravid, Prince of Calcutta Ganguly, 'Exam-oholic' Raina.....
And the Award goes to Anil Kumble for being the only one with a 'Real Job' ! (Director of Stumpvision)
His prize - A copy of Cyberkitty's Resume.

6. Mr. Congeniality -
The Nominees are - Bike Driver Dhoni, Umpire Mimicking Kaif, Grinning Gambhir.....
Awarded to Rahul Dravid for his diplomacy in making the team click and dealing with Ganguly.
His prize - Free Dinner for 12 ( team + chappell) at Ganguly's Restaurant 'Souravs'

7. Mr. Talented -
The Nominees are Man of Matches Yuvraj, Match Finisher Raina, Good at Everything Irfan........ But the Award goes to SreeSanth for his butt-shaking dance moves on getting a wicket !
His prize - One of Yuvraj's Page 3 Party invitations.

8. Mr. Catwalk -
The Nominees are Reebok's Dhoni and Yuvraj, Samsung's Irfan, Sehwag.......
And the Award goes to Mohammad Kaif for his ' Bheegi Billi ' walk back to the Pavilion.
And he wins - A jug of milk with Boost

9. And finally the 'Mr. India' Title -
The Nominees are Sexy Kaif, Handsome Irfan, Stud Dhoni, Suave Yuvraj........
But the winner is 'chased from hotel' Dinesh Karthik, the most 'invisible' team member ! Runner's up are Munaf Patel and Robin Uthappa.
And they all win DVD's of Anil Kapoor's film 'Mr.India'

10. Consolation Prize -
Awarded to Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his 'Bholepan, Sadhgi, Dilkashi Aur Taazgi' that has won Cyberkitty's heart.
His Prize - Gets to go motorbike riding on a hot date with Cyberkitty !!

This Pageant for Charity was held during the 'Really Long Break' before the India - West Indies Series due to be played in May 2006. The proceeds of the event were donated to The Trust for Indians suffering from 'Lack of Cricket Disease' and is meant to be taken seriously.

Tags: Indian Cricket Team beauty contest Mahendra Singh Dhoni Irfan Pathan cricket India