Alastair Cook: The quintessential Test batsman!

 

Albeit cricketing standards have lowered, last decade has witnessed men with strong character & temperament like Cook, Dhoni, Misbah. Yes we have observed abatement in cricketing standards as well as in interest of the audiences for Test cricket. May be that’s the reason we don’t get to see the temperament and technique that we saw a decade back. I still remember and miss few nail biting test matches that I saw as a kid. The fad for test cricket was no less in those days. This inflow of T20 and rapid cricket has reduced interest for test cricket noticeably. That said, there have been some brilliant players in the recent times as well, a few I mentioned in the initial statement of this blog post.

 

I have always believed that the true potential of a players is put under test only in Test cricket. T20 is all about throwing the kitchen sink and doesn’t apparently involve a lot of technique. Test cricket requires patience, technique and is not restricted to mere talent. Albeit it may appear a tad monotonous to some but a true cricket lover who loves quality cricket would always love test cricket. The red new ball is not that easy to face as a batter. As a batter at times you need to play out the overs to avoid a debacle. As a bowler you have to wait for that ‘lapse of concentration’ of the batsman to get his wicket. Test cricket indeed can be testing and challenging.

 

Alastair Cook is one such phenomenal player, someone who looks like a complete batsman. His style and approach of batting befits test cricket. His stats speak for him but it is not just about the stats! He adds so much to the game and is indeed a treat to watch for any cricket lover. We have seen him play few brilliant innings under adverse situations as well and that is what makes him special. Cook has also led the side as a captain. As a skipper as well he has always kept his cool and has led the side pretty well. On 30 May 2015, Cook became the leading run-scorer in Test matches for England, surpassing Graham Gooch.

 

Currently Alastair Cook is in the elite group of men with more than ten thousand test runs, now that is some achievement. That said Cook is not a done deal yet, he is still fit and batting brilliantly. He is still ‘work in progress’. Cook currently has more than eleven thousand runs under his belt and he still has a lot of cricket in him. The current England-South Africa test series would probably witness him surpassing few more greats of the game! Alastair Cook looks disciplined, focused and temperamentally strong. We want more men like these for the benefit of Test cricket.

Haseeb Hameed carrying the legacy forward!

 

Players of Indian origin playing international cricket for England has apparently been a culture. In this ongoing test series Hameed makes a debut and carries the legacy forward. The young guy looks calm and has got the quintessential English technique as well! The young man’s patient innings in one of the test matches showcased his temperament as well. Never easy for a debutant to play in India when the whole crowd (apart from a few tourists taking sun bath) is hostile and the ball is turning like anything.

 

Hameed isn’t the first one of Indian origin to play for the English. There have been many players of Indian origin who played for England and were pretty known faces in the cricketing world. It all started with Ranjitsinhji, the king who played cricket for the England team. Ranjitsinhji is regarded as one of the greatest batters of all time. The Ranji Trophy is named after him and carries a cardinal significance in the domestic circuit. After Ranjitsinhji his nephew Duleepsinhji carried the legacy forward and player cricket for the English at the international level. The famous ‘Duleep Trophy’ is named after him and is pretty famous in Indian domestic cricket.

 

In recent times as well many Indian origin men have played for the England cricket team. Nasser Hussain, Ravi Bopara, Ronnie Irani, Monty Panesar are players of Indian origin who have played for England at the international level. These players have done well at the highest level as well and they are known worldwide. So Haseeb is just carrying the legacy forward and the young guy looks promising as well. Tour of India is always a fantastic learning experience.

 

The FANTASTICO feeling you get whenever India wins a cricket match!

 

The fad for cricket is simply enormous in this nation. Cricket is really like a religion in India! The fantastico thing about cricket fans in India is that they are emotionally attached to the cricket team and they are always optimistic about the Indian cricket team. I am an ardent fan of cricket as well! I must confess that this sport has given me some fantastico moments and memories in my life! Cricket has always been like a part and parcel of my life! I still remember my childhood days when I used to either watch or play cricket whole day long!

 

I think a lot of people who are born in the 90s would remember Sachin’s fantastico innings at the Sharjah! The cricket matches at Sharjah used to be extremely exciting! That was truly a fantastico moment for all the cricket fans of the nation. We still remember that innings and whenever we watch it still excites us! That’s the beauty of cricket in this fantastico nation! The craze for Sachin is also huge in India.

 

We still remember the final that the Indian cricket team won in the Natwest series. Chasing a three hundred plus score was never easy against the English cricket team. It was a major win abroad for the Indian cricket team. All thanks to Kaif and Yuvraj who helped us make a comeback in the match and then eventually we won the match as well! That truly was a fantastico partnership between the two youngsters that helped us win the match! We still remember that match and we still relish it!

 

India winning the T20 world cup was also a fantastico moment for all the Indian cricket fans! It was a new format of the game and we performed really well to grab the world cup! This world cup gave the fans some really close encounters. The way Indian players adapted to the latest format of the game was really fantastico and amazing! The Indian team winning the T20 world was a special thing for all the cricket fans of the nation!

 

Then came the big thing, we won the world cup 2011 and it was a fantastico moment for all the people of the nation! People came out on the streets to celebrate the victory of the world cup. The final was played at Mumbai and our captain finished the match with a majestic six! The thrill was truly fantastico and the entire nation danced in joy! The Indian captain holding the world cup was a proud moment for all the citizens of the nation! This was the second time that we won the cricket world cup.

 

Whenever the Indian cricket team wins, we all get a fantastico feeling! Let us wish that our team keeps winning to bring more pride to our nation!

 

 

 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

We want KP back- Bring back Kevin Pietersen! #BringBackKP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well let me make it extremely clear initially itself that I am not English! I haven’t even visited England ever in my life so far (although I would love to)! I am writing this article or rather blog post just as a mere cricket fan, someone who has grown up watching cricket. The fad for cricket in this part of the world (Asian subcontinent) is amazing. We love cricket beyond boundaries and borders. That’s the reason that players like Wasim, Akhtar et al. have a huge fan following in India as well! Likewise Sachin, Virat are loved in Pakistan as well! We love the game and we want the game to maintain its standards.

 

Well, let’s talk about KP now! We have always heard that he may be a hard to control bloke at times! He is a tad mercurial and may become a tad undisciplined at times as well but isn’t he the most talented English batsmen in this contemporary times! There is no doubt that when KP is batting it’s a treat to watch! Every shot is scenic and pleasing to the eye. The current team needs him as well! They have tried enough to shun his presence in the team but they’re still in a limbo!

 

Players that are extremely talented and passionate at times may be a tad eccentric as well! As a captain or the mentor of the team you must know how to handle such players as such players are talent personified. Handling talent is an art as well! We all love such players like Kevin Pietersen who bring the style quotient into the game! Such players are the reasons the people watch the game for! The youth imitates such class acts and that is what brings the glamour into the game. We don’t want a dull show, do we? We don’t want boring 40 year old men playing cricket with no fire or zeal!

 

Kevin Pietersen’s latest run in the domestic cricket has been fabulous as well! He made a triple hundred, what else you want him to do to get a place in this English side! To be very candid, in my opinion there is no one even half as talented as KP in this entire English cricket team. He surely deserves a place in any team of the world, as long as it’s a cricket team. I have been following Piers Morgan pretty closely on twitter just to stay updated about Kevin Pietersen. He is extremely correct when he says that the trust issues that Strauss has stated as a reason for KP’s rejection makes no sense at all! Seriously, Strauss should have concocted a better story for the rejection of the class act KP. We all know that Strauss is not even ten percent of what KP is as far as batting is concerned! On any day, I would prefer watching KP’s fluent thirty plus innings over Strauss’ ton. A moment of rapture is far better than hours of boredom.

 

I would again request English Cricket Board to rethink about their decision and bring back Kevin Pietersen in the side. I am saying this as a pure cricket fan who loves the game of cricket. Personal behaviour or nature of a player shouldn’t be a problem as long as he is performing and is an asset to the team. Please bring back KP to the side otherwise it will be a huge loss to the game and a really sad waste of talent!

 

#BringBackKP

 

 

 

 

Ek Nayi League Promises to be Interesting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cricket is more than a sport in the Indian subcontinent. The fad for cricket in this part of the world is just enormous. Cricket has seen a dramatic change in the last decade. A new version of the sport has evolved, that is the T-20 format. The new format befits this era of rat-race! Indians are just crazy about cricket. We eat cricket, drink cricket, sleep cricket and obviously think cricket as well! So anything that involves cricket or cricketers is welcomed with open arms in this nation. India is for sure a cricket loving nation!

 

Ek Nayi League involves the great cricketing legend Kapil Dev! That’s enough for the league to become a huge hit! The nation loves Kapil Dev, the man who won the first world cup for India. It was under his captaincy that India won the world cup in 1983. Thus, the respect for the man in this nation is immense. Also, the fact that Kapil Dev is such a modest man makes the league a lot more interesting and awaited! We all enjoy when the legend Kapil Dev is in the commentary box, may it be international matches or the IPL matches. Presence of Kapil Dev is always special and entertaining as well!

 

I have repeatedly gone through the videos that Kapil Dev has posted on his twitter account about Ek Nayi League! The videos are really awesome and definitely enticing. Kapil talks about cricketing giants like Yuvraj, Dhoni in the videos. Also, in one of the videos Kapil talks about the famous Indian standup comedian Kapil Sharma. The videos are funny for sure and the project Ek Nayi League is indeed promising!

 

Having gone through the videos one thing is for sure that the league is going to be a mind game! The videos are really hilarious and entertaining as well! As we can hear Kapil Dev repeatedly saying that if you play with your heart you are going to face the debacle. So the
league probably will be a mind game wherein the contestants will need to get others eliminated in order to remain in the contest! Also, most probably Kapil Dev himself is going to conduct and host the league! So, with Kapil Dev as a host the league promises to be ultra-special!

 

So the Ek Nayi League promises to be a contest wherein the contestants can’t trust anyone! One of those shows that require you to be diplomatic and clever! So the contestants must always be ready for challenges! One of those where you have to play mind games to stay alive in the league! One thing is for sure this will be immensely interesting!

 

Ek Nayi League is definitely promising and the idea of such a league is indeed refreshing!

 

Note: This blog post is written to promote Ek Nayi League

 

 

 

 

A Get-Together in London before ICC Champion’s Trophy!

It was a bright sunny day in London, one of those typical British summer days! People were moving inside a Pub (mind you it’s not called Bar in London). You could see people of different origin, different characteristics, different vision and different beliefs! I was sitting just next to a round table, where some of the celebs were sitting!

 Shah Rude Khan, enjoying a mock-tail was cursing Uncle Sam! Show-Abs Akhtar enjoying a Beer was thinking about the times he used to bowl at 100 plus miles! MSD who usually prefers milk over other beverages, was having a mock-tail for a change as well! Captain Cook who looks like a typical British gentleman was busy pouring scotch in his glass! Shame Warne the spin-wizard was busy spinning beers on his table!

 Then Shah Rude broke the ice- “Well, with due due due respect to all the teams of the world, I guess KKR is the best”.

“I agree, I was a part before my depart. The team has everything, good and bad. Sometimes I feel, our team is nothing but just an extension of our attitude and personality”. – Show-Abs Akhtar said, flaunting his biceps!

“Well, we British play cricket in the good spirit. That is exactly what turns me on the game; Flint-off was the only turn-off! Statistics and mathematics are not as important as ethics for us”. – Captain Cook said, gulping his drink!

“Hey, I played cricket for style. That is the reason all the models in this city are crazy for me. I know how to spin the Balls”- Shame Warne said, flipping his Beer Cans!

“Hey Dhoni, I bought a new Versace watch, can you touch it. I heard whatever you touch turns to Gold”- said Shah Rude Khan with a tint of arrogance in his voice. He was the only one laughing at his joke!

“Well, if you want that I will do that as well! Right now, I am just Enjoying The Moment. And trying to keep myself as calm as possible”. – said MSD, with a smile on his face that had all the calmness of the world!

“Hey, anyone wants Kabab, I have some”- Show-Abs Akhtar said!

“Why you brought Kababs, we could have ordered here”. – said Shah Rude Khan, in a stammering voice!

“No Bhai, this is a DOOSRA type of Kabab, specially made by Saeed Ajmal”- replied Show-Abs Akhtar!

“Okay Lets go, we have a dinner today at Imran Khan’s place”- said MSD!

“He is here in London, I thought he was there in Lahore”- said Show-Abs Akhtar!

“He goes there once a week, he is an ardent traveler you know”- said Captain Cook!

“Okay, can I take a model with me to the dinner party, I guess Khan Sahab will like it”- said Shame Warne!

“Yes, yes sure”- said Shah Rude Khan!

And they all left for the dinner party!