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Not Just Cricket

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
With so much cricket around us, the prospect of reading on the subject could sometimes put one off. But I promise some fun through this blog. I plan to compile here a list of some of the most incredible episodes recorded in the history of cricket! Uncanny coincidences 1. Australian left-handed batsman Clem Hill who was ranked amongst the finest cricketers...

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Coaching Blues

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
Play in the V; avoid playing shots in the air in the initial overs; rotate strike; play to your strengths; etc, etc. One would often hear coaches say this to students. Recently, I visited the cricket club I had joined as a young cricketer way back in the 1990s. The club has now grown into a full-fledged cricket academy. My former coach asked me if I...

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Boon for batsmen, a nightmare for bowlers

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
A new rule was tested in the recently concluded Asia Cup, which allows the batting side three chances to appeal against the umpire’s decision, and seek the opinion of the third umpire. The rule, introduced on a trial basis, aims to minimize bloopers by the umpires. This rule, skewed as it is, only allows a batman to appeal. The bowlers can’t seek the...

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ALL FOR THREE

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
I was trying to think of players who could walk into a side in all three forms of cricket. Test Cricket, One Day International and Twenty-20. I so much wished Sir Don Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Wasim Akhram, Graham Pollock, Viv Richards had played these versions. After mulling over it for sometime, I created two super XI: One a team of present stalwarts...

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For my 'name' sake

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
Ganpat, Chandidas, Rasiklal, Omprakash, Devjibhai, Manohar, Ramlal, Musa, Ramesh, well all these are Cricketers who played Test matches for India. Never heard of such names is what you would wonder. These are middle names of Vinod Kambli, Saurav Ganguly, Dilip Doshi, Ashok Malhotra, Karsan Ghavri, Sunil Gawaskar, Kapil Dev, Munaf Patel and Sachin Tendulkar...

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What next after T-20?

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
There were two things that went through my mind: The immediate remedy and the futuristic solution. One -- Is it going to be the usual boring soaps from here on or will it be Salman Khan making fun of himself along with the contestants? I dread the coming few days until I get used to other sporting events. For now thank god for the French Open. Second...

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We-men's cricket

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
This weekend must have been enthralling for sports enthusiasts. Ten Sports showed West Indies Vs Australia at Old Trafford, Star Cricket had England Vs New Zealand at Jamaica, Star Sports had French Open, ESPN Motor Car Racing and, of course, IPL on Set Max. Surfing through the channels, I happened to stop at Neo Cricket and was hooked to a bizarre...

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IPL: The View From London

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
The new Wisden Cricketers Almanack says what we have known for long --- that the T20 extravaganza being played across India is changing the nature of cricket. But then this is not just any old cricket annual we are talking about. It is the Wisden, dammit: the Bible of the old (but increasingly irrelevant) English cricket establishment. The very smart...

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Aussies in command

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
The Australians have stood out in the IPL, so far. Although Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and McGrath have retired from international cricket, there’s been no slip in their commitment and enthusiasm. Country cousins Mathew Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey, who are still playing for Australia, have performed equally well in IPL matches. Youngsters...

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Two Questions on cheerleading

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
Question one: How many black cheerleaders have we seen at the IPL matches? Questions two: Does this tell us more about racism in the US or racism in India? Share this post: email it! | del.icio.us! | digg it! | newsVine!

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Virendra Sehwag: This general needs new tactics

Posted by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha at 
Some generals are said to make a fatal mistake in battle. The memories of their last encounter overwhelm them. They fight the new battle using the tactics of the old one. And end up on the losing side. Think of Vietnam: World War 2 did not prepare the American military for Vietnam. And think of Virendra Sehwag. He seemed to have fallen into the same...

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My Dream Twenty-20 XI

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
Folks, I often think what would be the composition of an ideal Twenty-20 team? Should it be batsmen heavy or dominated by bowlers? More allrounders? What is the ideal mix of youth and experience? With these thoughts in mind, I shortlisted 11 names I think would make for the right Twenty-20 team, with my reasons for choosing them. I suggest you also...

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Changing times ahead?

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
The advent of ODIs had a deep impact on Test cricket. Test matches became spicier: batsmen strike rates went up, conventional 4 slip, 2 gully, 1 short leg placements became rarer and 300-plus runs in a day became common. I feel Twenty-20 would do to ODI what ODI did to Test cricket. In addition to making the game peppier, Twenty-20 would lead to the...

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My Vents with IPL

Posted by Manoj Madhavan at 
Hi all, Thank you for the feedback and comments… I love to agree and partially disagree to your thoughts. Cricket is such you can endlessly keep debating. Lets enjoy this blog with some stats, some likes and some dislikes in IPL. 5 matches old what IPL has so far seen:- 61 sixes, 131 fours, 1565 runs in 187 overs, at an average of 8.6 runs My likes...

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IPL arrives in style

Posted by sadmin at 
So that promise of sizzling dances, bubble acts, rappling artistes, stilt walkers and sexy cheerleaders was not just a talk! The Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore had more than all this on the ground. Going by what one saw during the opening ceremony on SET MAX and the initial few overs played between Shahrukh Khan’s Knight Riders and Vijay Mallya’s...

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