Bolte raho

Sri Lanka have dropped to 5th in the test rankings and their captain is calling it the worst series if his life. His speaking continues and so does the distaste for him on this blog.

SriLankan war crime

The truth behind the so called demolition of LTTE from Sri Lanka land in 2009 is well evident in the video below. 

Cold blooded killings of minority community augurs international investigation and if confirmed widespread sanctions against the  country as a whole including their cricket. 

The killings are brutal and totally Talibanesque. 

When this killings were carried out, the international media was barred from covering the conflict in Sri Lanka and later on their prez has been taking on the credit for wiping out LTTE . He has constantly denied allegations of the war crimes, but this video footage nail his lie in open.

England not faves for Adelaide

Everybody is talking about how England have the advantage over Aussies going to the 2nd test on back of the Sri Lankan scoreline of 1/517 in 2nd innings of Gaba Test, but why do they forget that same English team were bowled out for 260 in the first innings. 

If a clear and fair picture has to be drawn, then the first innings has to be taken into consideration.

English bowling is not much better than Australia's. If Australia conceeded 517 runs in 2nd innings, English leaked 484 in their first innings. So that gives a very hazy picture on who is leading and who is traling.

The scoreline is 0-0 and the 2nd Test would be played on yet another flat surface which would be just like Kandy or Premdasa or SSC.....Hudddddddddddddd

India's world cup chances brighten up

India are on a roll and having an unbeaten home season first time in memory of all the years I have watched Indian cricket. 2-0 win over Aussies, 1-0 over Kiwis and today's 2-0 lead over Kiwis in ODIs. And this is without the first choice players -- Sehwag, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Dhoni, Ishant, Tendulkar are all rested or missing.

India have been playing some positive brand of cricket after a dismal show in Sri Lanka on dicey useless pitches in august.

And that augurs well for the team ahead given the World Cup is in India itself.

Sreesanth's form in bowling and Gambhir, Kohli's form in batting is a huge bonus.

India's world cup chances look good again!!!

Correction:: India wins Guwahati game

There is a correction in the post below courtesy Golandaaz (thanks for pointing it out): Ok Sreesanth, if he takes wicket off first ball next game he plays he would be 3rd Indian to take a hattrick in ODIs after Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma.

Kapil Dev took it against my favorite Sri Lankans in 1991 and Chetan Sharma took it against Kiwis in 1987 World Cup (first World cup hattrick).

Chetan Sharma's hattrick was just the 3rd in the ODIs then after Jalaluddin and Bruce Reid. (Courtesy check from wikipedia).

India wins Guwahati game

India won the first ODI in Guwahati by comfortable 40 runs. This margin could have been even bigger one should the 9th wkt partnership of 67 runs had been shortened. Yet next game in Jaipur, the Mallu lad Sreesanth would be on hattrick and if he gets wicket on first ball he would become 2nd bowler to take a ODI hatrrick for India. Kapil being the other one.

India had lot of positives from the game in all the aspects:

• Gambhir looked comfortable batting until he chased a wide delivery that got him out.
• Virat Kohli is soon maturing to a wonderful ODI batsman, with his 2nd consecutive century he is a certainity for the World Cup. He has gone past the likes of Vijay, Rohit Sharma and of course Sir Ravinder Jadeja in the utility to the team.
• R Ashvin was a very good bowler on this day and should he get more chances and he encashes them he would be good wicket taking bowler for India in ODIs.
• All bowlers bowled well in tandem with even Yuvraj Singh coming good with his off spin.

Nehra's ommission from the original squad was baffling and still its not sure if PK returns who would go out. I'd reckon it should be Munaf, as he has not been in the frame all this while and Nehra is India's most successful ODI bowler since June 2009 with 55 wickets in 37 games.

Kiwis now have lost 7 games on the trot in the subcontinental conditions and at this point of time Vettori/Taylor would be a huge fan of Mr Speakit Sangakara who every day gives us a new gyan on the cricketology and latest from his repository is "WC 2011 is going to be most  competitive and there is no clear favorite". So if going by this form, Kiwis are not the favorites for the world cup in subcontinent, but since this would be most open and competitive World Cup, the Kiwis can still surprise anybody. I would be happy if they surprise Sri Lanka every time they play.

Ashes ke Bahane

Its all set for the Ashes. Gaba awaits the action on Thanks Giving day. The closest fought Ashes would begin that day when Ponting's hurt men would take on Strauss's roaring soldiers.

Everywhere its being said that the roles are reversed, the Aussies are new Poms and Poms are new Aussies.  In the fact that the Aussies are yet to win a Test after they sent Afridi to retirment, they are going in Ashes test on the back of 3 back to back defeats. Some thing which none of this players have witnessed before.

As for England, they have improved a lot since the dark days of 90s and early 2000s when they were the worst team playing test cricket. Collapses, ego and paper tigers in Atherton and company made them a natural loser in every Ashes series they played. Since Vaughan took over, the tides have changed. They have won 2 Ashes series post 2004 and lost one 0-5. They drew in South Africa, lost in West Indies, India.

They have a lot of batsmen who are in good form. But its the bowlers who are in better shape than the batsmen.. The batters still have Cook, Pieterson, Trott, Collingwood who have had horrid times off late in Tests, so its the bowling attack that gives England the competitiveness that was lacking in them all this years.

Swann, Finn, Anderson and Cribber Broad make the attack for England.

Johnson, Siddel, Hilfy and Doherty form the attack for Australia. Nowhere in comparison with the great attacks that have taken the field in the past, but the guys are honest triers and work hard. Esp Hilfenhaus, he is the most improved bowler in the tests around.

I would still bet Australia to win this Ashes. 5-0 is a dream, but a 2-1 or 3-1 victory would not be ruled out.  Gabba and MCG are sureshot Australian wins, while Perth may be English win. Draws  could be the results on Adelaide and SCG. But we never know.

The next 3 months are very exciting for Test cricket, for its great Lanka taking on rejuvenated Windies and bottom rung of teams India taking on South Africa and England taking on Australia.

Ishant Sharma, the biggest beneficiary of Nagpur Test

India in the end won the Nagpur test by 3rd highest margin in its history and thanks to the man in the center, the bridesmaid of Indian cricket. Rahul Dravid. He is tenacious, he is patient and he is a rejuvenated wall.  He was a big factor why India were able to post a lead of 373 runs in the first innings. His return to form is a welcome sign ahead of the final frontier in South Africa.

India have a very good chance of a series win in South Africa with Smith injured and Indian bowlers showing up the promise on the day 3 and day 4 of the Nagpur Test.

Ishant Sharma's 7 wickets in absence of Zaheer ensured he was not missed much, this 7 wicket haul in the game would have given a tremendous surge in the confidence for Ishant Sharma to have his first real Test overseas after Australia 08.  Not to forget on those Australian wickets, Ishant gained a reputation of being a zippy bowler who can extract bounce off the track.

If he could make AB or Amla his bunny, India would only be benefitted from that. Now that Zaheer's bunny wont be playing the series anylonger as of now, the bunny for Zaheer can be Kallis, but Ishant would need to fire in SA. That done, he would go long way being the next fast bowling sensation in India after Srinath and Zaheer at least in Tests.

Shane Shillingford reported for suspect action in Chuckali's land

Ah well, the f**k irony is Shane Shillingford who troubled Lankans with his spin bowling in the Galle Test has been reported for suspect action.

And all this in a land where the biggest chuck and suspected action bowler bowled on and on for taking 800 wickets and other chucker is a reverted retard umpire in the ICC panel.

Nagpur wishlist

My Nagpurian wishlist:

1. An Indian victory within 4 days or at max 5. Not more tha 5 days please. In short, no flat wickets please.
2. Sachin Tendulkar's 50th 100.
3. Dravid scoring a 31st 100.
4. Harbhajan getting a 4-for.
5. Ishant Sharma getting bounce and wickets.
6. Dhoni fires with the bat.
7. Ryder, Baz, Mac get out cheaply.

Nothing short of all 7 wishlist items coming true.