Oct 28, 2005

Vandharayya Sachin.. Thandhenayya Ullathai


HE IS BACK.. Not just from his tennis elbow operation, but also from everything that seemed to tie down his breathtaking shots in the last 2 years or so. The effect is for all to see.. the team is back to winning ways; runs flow from his bat non-stop; everything, almost, clicks. To make a long story short, here are a few distinct differences/features that I observed in the past few weeks:

* All the bad omen surrounding the captain-coach imbroglio has been sent for a hiding.

* There is SOMETHING different (of course, positive) seen in this team, which was sorely missing when he didn't play in the past few months.

* The master-stroke of the first match, i.e. promotion of Irfan to # 3 has been hailed as Sachin's suggestion, which also indicates that Irfan's opening with Sachin in Challenger Trophy must also be his idea.

* In the India Seniors vs India B match at the Challengers' trophy, after the India B innings, the players were returning to the dressing room. Some kids were waiting to get a glimpse of their heroes near the boundary rope. Sachin comes first, one kid asks for autograph, Sachin extends his hand and taps the kid's cheek and goes. The other players show no feelings towards the kids. Felt good and bad at the same time.

* His terrific knock at the first match was a glee.. He played some of the strokes which were missing for long time.. Reminded all Sachin of 1998 (When the Pepsi ad "Ullathai thanthenayya.." was hair-raising everytime I saw/heard).

* He constantly talks to Irfan and guides him through the big partnership, which took the game away from the Srilankans.

* Even today, he was talking to Ajit Agarkar before he bowls the last ball of the over, and that ball, BINGO.. the slower ball of Agarkar gets Atapattu.

* He is intent to take on the key bowlers from the opposition - Vaas and Muralitharan and comes succeeds. He is the highest run scorer in both the matches.

I am optimistic of India's chances in the forthcoming busy season, as long as Sachin is fit and raring to go.

HOT NEWS UPDATE: Sourav Ganguly was not selected for the next three matches too.. mmm.. Have we seen last of him? Atleast his influence on this series is pretty much over, IMHO.

Have a Good Weekend, Friends !!!

16 comments:

ada-paavi!!!! said...

its good to c sachin back in form, awesome news, brilliant, but lets wait, there is still dada waiting in the fringes. once he is there everyone else starts playing horribly, dada has this magical quality to screwup every1s game!!

Raju said...

Vatsan, plz. check the hot update in my post. :-)

ada-paavi!!!! said...

raju, tats good news no doubt, but wit dalmia rnd ganguly ll be given another chance, bong-bong bonding u c, idu ellam politics, so lets c after this series.

but in this series team india is gonna kick some serious ass!!

i pray tat ur wish comes true

Raju said...

Vatsan, I was expecting Ganguly's selection now, since Kaif is out of action for another week.. Now, after 3 games, Kaif will be back, replacing, say, Rao. JP Yadav did decent with ball today and since he is one truly batting alrounder we want to nourish, he should not be dropped.

Sehwag's position at the top is a bit shaky.. though he did well, if he doesnt get decent scores in the next 3 games, he MIGHT be dropped to bring back Ganguly. Let us see how everything goes.

I dont mind an in-form Ganguly being in the team.. his opening partnerships with Sachin is the best in one-dayers, but he seems to have gone, of late, into a comfort zone. If he takes sachin as example and bats like how he did before 2001, then I would surely support his inclusion in team.

Anonymous said...

well said Raju, i have formed some hatred towards Ganguly due to his attitude in recent times, and also his inability to score runs, or get India some victories. But we cannot forget that he is a good player when he is in form, and his partnerships with Sachin are always a treat to watch.

Raju said...

Nitin, I understand your feelings towards Ganguly. Ganguly's on-and-off behavior has been continuing for quite a long time. Not only you - many have created disliking on him. Check this website created by Ganguly-haters. And also this site created by an ardent Ganguly fan, who is living in the past.

Narayanan Venkitu said...

Yup, though I am not a big Sachin fan..Its good to see him score close to run a ball.!!! I wonder why they dropped Sree Sanath today??

Ganguly - Deserves every bit.!! Anyone who goes against the coach has to go.!!!

Raju said...

Uma, cant say for sure about Ganguly.. If he understands that he has to earn his place in the side like everyone else and comes back with rejuvenated desire, he would be a good prospect, atleast until 2007 world cup. Let us see..
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Narayanan, are you watching the games LIVE? If you watch, I am sure you will become his big fan.. You have a chance tomorrow night.. the game starts 7:30 PM your time. IF India bats first, you can get to watch Sachin show his skills.

paurna said...

hi raju,i recently started a new blog on blogspot.com.i would like to know how to upload pics to my blog.there doesn't seem to be any provision to add pics in blogspot.can u please tell me.i will check ur comment tomorrow

Raju said...

Paurna, welcome to my blog and to the blogosphere!!

You can easily upload medium sized pictures when you are writing a new post, by clicking on the 'picture' font (second last font). This would help you upload gif and jpg pics..

You can also download a program called 'Hello', which has an interface with blogger. Once you download it, you can easily use it for putting pics in ur blog..

Happy Blogging!! :-)

Ram C said...

I was happy that Daadaa was not selected for the next 3 matches... I could observe that guys are playing freely without his pressure..

Raju said...

Ram, mm.. His effect on the team, as of now, seems to be a negative one. Let us see how things unfold in the near future.

Visithra said...

Inniya Deepavalli nalvazhtukal ;)

Raju said...

Vis, thanks.. and wish you too the same!! :-)

expertdabbler said...

Oh yeah Magnificent Sachin...

Cricket just will not be the same when Sachin hangs up his boots.

4 more yrs and maybe 1 more world cup?

we'll see.

Raju said...

Prabu, magnificant indeed.. I hate to think of what would happen when Sachin retires.. no matter how many Sehwags and Dhonis come, he is always THE one.. let us enjoy the happiness of watching Sachin while it lasts..

Unlike some for whom cricket is a profession/hobby/passion, for Sachin, cricket has been his life.. so, as long as he is in decent form, he would play.. I would wish another 6 years from him.. retire from ODI after the 2011 world cup, play one or two more years of tests and then retire.. Oh man, it sounds sooo empty to think of cricket without him.. I have been watching cricket seriously only since he made debut..