Another IPL post
Right. The IPL is over. All ye commentators can stop licking the Commissioner's ass. Rajasthan Royals have won. Even though I was backing Chennai Super Kings (I work in Tamil Nadu), I'm happy that the Royals won.This is why. Also, any team which picks Chamara Kapugedera and then sends him ahead of Badrinath deserve to lose anyway. The failure of "Shah Rukh's team" and that of the Mumbai Navanirman Sena were especially heartening as well.
At the end of the day, I have a few questions.How did some of the world's most successful cricketing brains like John Buchanan, Martin Crowe, Ricky Ponting etc. end up looking silly? How did Shane Warne, for long mauled by Indian batsmen, end up with a better success rate against the Indian players than the imported ones? Who paid money to Chamara Kapugedera? Have you ever seen a more disgusting sight than Shah Rukh Khan jumping around like a gay chimpanzee (unless you were talking of Arjun Rampal doing the same thing, supporting Kolkotta and then later, Punjab)? And why weren't screen time devoted to Vijay and other southern actors and team ambassadors? The Bangalore Royal Challengers have been roundly criticized for picking a test team. Well, the Deccan Dingbats picked a super one day side and finished last. Doesn't this prove Test cricket's superiority over one dayers?
The IPL proved that Australia and India are embarrassingly rich in bench strength. Thusly, all this talk about not having enough talent must be an excuse to continue with the fab four, three, two one etc. The Indian players however, were the worst behaved of the lot, swearing and snarling on field, (usually at their own team members), and punching and slapping fellow Indians off it. They need to learn something from the Australians. As for the crowd, it really tickled me pink to see them cheering for their home teams, regardless of the players. Look at the applause Shahid Afridi got for taking Tendulkar's wicket in Hyderabad. I usually get tickled pink when know-alls are proved wrong.
Oh, and I met all the Kings' XI Punjab in Chennai airport. Irfan Pathan was easily the most popular and most impressive. He smiled and obliged everybody with photographs and autographs, while Sreesanth walked around like a noisy schoolboy. I had a small chat with Kumar Sangakkara, at the end of which I told him he was one of the greatest modern day players. The truly great are always humble. I remember being brushed aside with a haughty "afterwards" when, as a schoolboy, I approached Ravi Shastri for an autograph. Kapil Dev sitting nearby easily obliged me, pestered as he was by autograph hunters.
The IPL is over. Some triangular series is upon us. Welcome to the real world. Elsewhere, there is talk about mega T20 championships and huge money. Since it's not filthy Indian lucre, I suppose it's all right.
At the end of the day, I have a few questions.How did some of the world's most successful cricketing brains like John Buchanan, Martin Crowe, Ricky Ponting etc. end up looking silly? How did Shane Warne, for long mauled by Indian batsmen, end up with a better success rate against the Indian players than the imported ones? Who paid money to Chamara Kapugedera? Have you ever seen a more disgusting sight than Shah Rukh Khan jumping around like a gay chimpanzee (unless you were talking of Arjun Rampal doing the same thing, supporting Kolkotta and then later, Punjab)? And why weren't screen time devoted to Vijay and other southern actors and team ambassadors? The Bangalore Royal Challengers have been roundly criticized for picking a test team. Well, the Deccan Dingbats picked a super one day side and finished last. Doesn't this prove Test cricket's superiority over one dayers?
The IPL proved that Australia and India are embarrassingly rich in bench strength. Thusly, all this talk about not having enough talent must be an excuse to continue with the fab four, three, two one etc. The Indian players however, were the worst behaved of the lot, swearing and snarling on field, (usually at their own team members), and punching and slapping fellow Indians off it. They need to learn something from the Australians. As for the crowd, it really tickled me pink to see them cheering for their home teams, regardless of the players. Look at the applause Shahid Afridi got for taking Tendulkar's wicket in Hyderabad. I usually get tickled pink when know-alls are proved wrong.
Oh, and I met all the Kings' XI Punjab in Chennai airport. Irfan Pathan was easily the most popular and most impressive. He smiled and obliged everybody with photographs and autographs, while Sreesanth walked around like a noisy schoolboy. I had a small chat with Kumar Sangakkara, at the end of which I told him he was one of the greatest modern day players. The truly great are always humble. I remember being brushed aside with a haughty "afterwards" when, as a schoolboy, I approached Ravi Shastri for an autograph. Kapil Dev sitting nearby easily obliged me, pestered as he was by autograph hunters.
The IPL is over. Some triangular series is upon us. Welcome to the real world. Elsewhere, there is talk about mega T20 championships and huge money. Since it's not filthy Indian lucre, I suppose it's all right.