India - Australian for fear

Earlier this year despite several controversies , we came close to toppling the world champs. And now we have done it and in great style too! A 2-0 win over the Aussie side , be it home or away, speaks volumes of the kind of vice grip India had on this series. In fact i thought for once in a zillion years, the Australian side looked like an underdog. Frowns of concern wiped off their trademark smirks. I still love their game but this change of guard they are going through is not exactly going to be a walk in the clouds. Other than Katich's form and Krejza's crazy debut, there was little consolation for Australia, despite sparks of brilliance from Ponting and Hussey. We literally had them on the ropes in Mohali after the trademark indifferent opener in Bangalore. Ganguly's final test ton added to the significance. Our terrific Delhi opening pair, Dhoni's punishing form and Amit's fantastic debut (finally a worthy successor for Kumble unlike the ordinary Piyush) ensured a convincing win. In Delhi Gambhir and Laxman's double whammy double centuries threatened Aussies' reputation like never before. Thanks to a well timed revival in the Aussie batting led by Clarke, they staved off the threat for a draw. Kumble competed directly with his replacement Mishra and came off looking the lesser of the two. A great career came to an abrupt end with an injury. But he like Ganguly had chosen the right series to retire in. Nothing bigger than this! After a totally unnecessary clash with Watson (not for one second did i believe it was an accident when i saw the video), Gambhir got a one match ban. It is high time we learn to play aggressively like the aussies rather than trying to mimic their behavior. The ban was absolutely justified in my opinion despite the immature appeal that BCCI put up. This paved way for not Jaffer or Chopra but surprise surprise Murali Vijay from Tamil Nadu. He has been in the domestic headlines for the last 2 years but none would have imagined his super fast sprint into the squad that too in such an important series. To all the people who question his selection and attribute to the presence of Srikkanth as chair of the section committee, How many people voiced their concern when for decades , even rubbish players from Mumbai inexplicably keep making it to the Indian squad? There was also a Karnataka wave when as many as 6 players including sundries like Dodda Ganesh, David Jhonson & Somasunder were picked for one series. Did any think about the Srirams, Sharaths and Vasus who were lost into the oblivion meanwhile. Badri had to endure an agonizingly long wait for his place after tons of runs in the domestic circuit. Anyway M Vijay did enough to silence the critics with his assured handling of the Aussie attack however weaker they were compared to their former world class levels. He did not score a fifty but was involved in opening stands of 98 and 116 with Sehwag and there were absolutely no play and misses or nervous edges despite this being his extremely high pressure debut. For once the selectors displayed some sense , picking somebody who is in terrific form as of that moment. Sachin's classy ton and the crucial Dhoni-Harbhajan century stand helped to get into a great position and the spinners delivered the final blow. Dhoni's 8-1 field was widely criticized but he put it down to what the Aussies have been saying for past 2 decades, "We play hard to win. Nothing else counts"! Ponting drew flak for his use of part time bowlers to increase the over rate but i wouldn't blame him. He could have played hard to win too but would have openly flouted ICC guidelines. Why have the guidelines and punishments if they are never meant to be followed? At the end of an extremely satisfying series, i actually pitied the aussies. I pity the englishmen more. As i write they are 3-0 down in the one day series. Waiting for the Ashes!

Obama....Obama!

One name has dominated world news over the past year or so! Barrack Obama! The previously little known Democratic Illinois Senator is now the first African American president of the United States. His calm and confident persona has generated a wave of passion amongst people not only in the US but abroad too. He has become a youth icon, a symbol of the black civil rights movement in America & a face for change! It is unbelievable the kind of fervor this guy has generated. It might be partly due to the fact that he is an african american running for the highest office in a country which once had a brutal civil war over the issue of slavery and home to one of the world's most notorious white supremacist organizations. It might also be due to the reason that he was a democrat promising change in the wake of a hugely unpopular Republican Bush regime what with the exhausting wars and the bleeding economy. Or it might be simply due to his composed persona, oratorical prowess or just his age. In a country which has long been preaching morals to the rest of the world, the election of Obama is a significant step in proving to the world that they mean what they say! No other president could evoke this widespread euphoria in the remote corners of the world as he did. In a way his success has been taken as a glimmer of hope for minorities under oppression all over the world. But for the US, more than that , he is being seen as a person who could turn the fortunes for his country and once again make them the nation everybody looks upto. Part of his success may also be due to Bush's unpopularity rubbing off on the republican challenger , McCain's own age, Sarah Palin's guffaws on national television etc. But there is no underestimating Obama's achievement. He has pulled the youth junta to the politics realm again. I have not seen youngsters celebrate wildly in clubs for a presidential election result before , in any country. Whether he is successful in office or not, he has proved that America is definitely a land of equal opportunity. Hope there is a revival of interest in politics in India too and someone young and dynamic comes to the fore to wash off the dirty impressions of a politician! I think we the people can pull off such a revival! YES WE CAN!