OPPO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE T20

                                     

 

                                For the past two weeks many cricket fans would have said they are watching the Champions League where a team scored a 150+ and the other team chased it down with 15 balls to spare or was bundled out for 90/100 odd runs and the normal people would have been scratching their heads after hearing this. Because all they know is that Champions League refers to the UEFA Champions League (football). Well the Champions League T20 in cricket is very similar to the football version where the domestic champions participate in a tournament over a fortnight to be crowned “CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS”.

                   The Sixth edition of the tournament was sponsored by OPPO and the matches were scheduled to be played in India itself instead of South Africa. As usual the co-owners of the league BCCI, CA and CSA had their teams directly in the round-robin (MI being the exception) and the other domestic champions had to fight out through the qualifiers to take part in the round-robin. The teams that took part in the Qualifiers are the Northern District Knights from New Zealand, Lahore Lions from Pakistan, Southern Express from Sri Lanka and Mumbai Indians from India. The other domestic champions that took part are the Hobart Hurricanes and the Perth Scorchers from Australia, Cape Cobras and Sunfoil Dolphins from the Rainbow nation and the Barbados Tridents from the Caribbean islands.

                    After the qualifier round the two teams that progressed on to the next round was the Knights and the Lions. The Knights entered unbeaten whereas the Lions had a sole defeat to the Knights. And then the action shifted to the main draw. In the main draw there were the Indian teams which used the best of the home advantage and remained unbeaten by the overseas sides. The only Indian franchise to taste defeat was the Chennai Super Kings and they lost to the domestic champions Kolkata. The Kolkata and the Punjab franchises maintained a 100% win record in the group stages. The Chennai franchise apart from their loss against the Kolkata side bounced back with victories over Dolphins and the Scorchers and to share the points along with the Lions after it was washed out. The Australian teams fared better than the South African sides and the Tridents were hit with a triple blow in their campaign as their most valuable 3 players chose to play for the other teams. The Perth Scorchers showed some character when they pulled off the matches from defeat where against the Dolphins by hitting the required 12 runs off 2 balls with success and chased 125 against the Lions after a situation where they were 62/7. Aiden Blizzard provided some fire power at the top order for the Hobart side which was dominant in the group stages having bowlers with international experience. The Sunfoil Dolphins apart from the match against the CSK were never at their best and the Cape Cobras had to win the match only in the super over. The Tridents after losing the trio of Pollard, Smith and Malik were feeling their absence in their batting order as it was revolving around Jonathan Carter to score the runs. The teams that came through the qualifiers had some consolation wins.

                   Overall, as history repeats the tournament proved as the base for some players to be bought for Jackpot money in the upcoming IPL auctions and leading that list would be Cameron Delport after his quick-fire innings against the Super Kings. With the finals held today (CSK vs. KKR), the tournament comes to an end where the Indian franchises have dominated and have made a second all Indian CLT20 final for a consecutive second time (The last time it was MI vs. RR where MI won the title).

STAY TUNED FOR MORE.....

Guha Karthikeyan

TEAM INDIA'S AWAY WORRIES

 

The last time the Indian team won a test match outside the country was against the WINDIES in July 2011. After the massive whitewash against England in the next tour where they lost 4-0 and lost their No.1 ranking to the hosts, it has been a downfall when it came to the following tours after. If in the summer they lost to England by 4-0, in the winter it was Australia's turn to humiliate the Indians as they lost to them 4-0 again. This raised some questions about sacking Dhoni as the Indian Captain. He was backed by the selectors and was made to extend his stint as Indian Captain. The next assignment that was awaiting him was the 2 test series against a low ranked New Zealand.Following the retirement of Rahul Dravid in March that year, prior to that series VVS Laxman also announced his retirement from International Cricket. Thus the Indian middle order was relatively new with Sachin Tendulkar alone being the exception. But the replacements Pujara and Kohli showed some talent and India defeated New Zealand 2-0 and following that it was against England where they won the first test at Ahmedabhad, but the England led by Monty Panesar's quick spin bounced back to win the series 2-1, for the first time in 24 years. Then Australia toured India and it was the Dhoni's turn to avenge for the losses down under. And he did start off in style with smashing 226 runs in  the first test and India won the series 4-0. Adding to these big victories came the 2 innings wins against the WINDIES in  Sachin's Farewell series. After the retirement of Sachin, the next tour was against South Africa where the first test ended in a thrilling draw and they lost the second match. In the next tour to New Zealand, they lost the first match of the series before settling for a draw the next match after they were in a winning position. Now the same saga continued in England as they took the top 9 wickets for 298 before the last wicket added 198 runs and England took the lead. By this test Indias's horrible streak extends to 15 tests without a win outside India. With the second test beginning today at the Lord's its up to MS to see whether to extend the unsuccessful run or put an end to it.




S.T. Guha Karthikeyan

THE STRONGEST EVER WALL FOR INDIA

THE  NICE  GUY  WHO  FINISHED  SECOND

This title contradicts the title of Devendra Prabhudesai’s book on Rahul Dravid , ‘The Nice Guy Who Finished First’ . While Dravid has always been the nice guy , he has seldom managed to finish first , often overshadowed by his teammates . This can be tracked back to 1996 , the start of his international career at Lord’s , where his magnificent debut knock of 95 came second to the century scored by another debutant , Sourav Ganguly . The latest example for this fact being Rahul’s last ever competitive game in cricket in which the limelight on him was stolen by the man who has been an expert in this , Sachin Tendulkar . Sachin , playing in his final limited overs match , won the match to lift the Champions League trophy , leaving his former teammate empty-handed . I have no specific grudge or harsh feelings on Sachin , though I may sound a bit biased in this article due to my greater admiration for Dravid .

The build-up to this edition(2013) of the Champions League was dominated by the fact that this would be the last ever cricketing assignment for Dravid as a player and the last one for Tendulkar in coloured clothing . It was an irony that these two who hold the record for being the most successful partnership in the purest form of the game will be sharing the field for their last time in a twenty over match . However , cricket fans across India were hoping to catch a one final glimpse of their icons .

Coming into the tournament , Dravid was leading a team which was shocked a few months ago in the IPL , with three of its players getting caught and arrested in the spot-fixing scandal that broke out . Dravid would have been shattered by this act of betrayal as he was the one who gave them their chances to perform in the big stage . He could have easily given up , citing this reason . But unsurprisingly , the ever tough minded guy decided to lead the Rajasthan Royals once again and for one final time in this global T20 extravaganza .

Fortunately enough , the Royals found themselves playing all of their four group stage matches in their fortress , the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur . Despite Dravid not being able to replicate the batting form he showed a few months ago in the IPL , his astute leadership skills combined with significant contributions from almost everyone in the team saw the Royals keep their 100% win record at Jaipur in 2013 intact . As a result , the Royals topped their group and also had the luxury of playing the semifinals in Jaipur too .

Dravid was just one win away from a fairytale farewell after leading his side to a comprehensive victory in the semifinals over the former IPL and Champions League winners , Chennai Super Kings . Rajasthan Royals were to face  two separate hurdles before having their hands on the coveted trophy . The first one being the venue for the finals , Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi and not their fancied Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur . The second was their biggest setback . Rajasthan’s ever reliable match finisher and their go-to man Brad Hodge was ruled out of the finals due to injury . But the Royals had much to hope for in the finals , given their young and talented squad .

Meanwhile , the other finalists were the Mumbai Indians , who had a scrappy start to their campaign but peaked at the crucial stage . The Sachin-centric franchise was hoping to give its icon player a perfect send-off by winning the double .

The stage was set for the finals . In what was appearing to be a grand farewell for Rahul Dravid , Sachin Tendulkar and his team crept up and made their way to the finals from a certain no hope situation by delivering a couple of outstanding performances and also with the help of a great deal of fortune going their way . As he had been unintentionally doing so well right throughout his career , Sachin somehow once again managed to cast a huge shadow over Dravid even in his last match . This had jinxed Dravid right throughout his career and he never complained about that . But no one can actually blame Sachin for this and its not his fault either .

Eventually the script went in Tendulkar’s way once again as the Mumbai Indians were crowned champions . The Royals put up a very good show and competed really hard but couldn’t match the might of Mumbai Indians and succumbed to defeat .

In many ways this final summed up Dravid’s career . It is a known fact that Rahul always puts the team first , ahead of his personal interests . But on this day he went to the extreme of selflessness . He demoted himself from being an opener to number 8 in the batting order in his swan song match as his team was chasing an Everest target . He got out playing an unorthodox slog , which he would have never dreamt of playing in his entire Test career . He did his best for the team and still ended up on the losing side .

Finally , Dravid went to collect the runners-up cheque in the presentation ceremony . The nice guy once again finished second .

                                                                                                           -vj

LUIZ SUAREZ

Luis Suarez is a household name now. Even the most ardent Liverpool fan cannot argue that it’s entirely because of his magical football abilities. Suarez was a prodigious young talent. Even in the youth teams that he played, he was always the star. He was the man they always counted on. And he never ceased to deliver. And then, he moved to Ajax where he continued to shine. Then, Liverpool took notice of him and duly signed him for roughly 23m. He scored in his first game in front of the Kop and immediately became the darling of the fans. He was one of the best players for Liverpool in a season where they finished a lowly sixth. Suarez then had an astounding Copa America 2011 and won the player of the tournament award. But he had a poor season by his standards. He could score only eleven league goals and Liverpool finished the season in eighth place. He was still appreciated by the Kop for his contributions and even helped Liverpool to the League Cup in the same season. But the world had already gotten a preview of what was to come as far as his character was concerned. In October 2011, he was accused of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Liverpool, foolishly, wore tee shirts in support of Suarez before the next game. It was a move that generated wide spread criticism. These incidents however had no effect on his form and he banged in 23 league goals in the next season and was voted the second best player of the Premier League that season. However, in April 2013, he bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. It was a shocking incident, which a normal football viewer could scarcely believe. Even Liverpool couldn’t support him much this time and he was given a 10-game ban. In the following transfer window, he desperately wanted to leave Liverpool. However, Liverpool didn’t want to sell him. The next season was his best. He scored 31 goals in 33 games, an astounding feat. In the World cup that followed, he bit Italy’s Chiellini. He was banned for 5 months from football, which was welcomed by everybody. It was then that Liverpool probably realized that they were better off selling him for some huge bucks. Suarez moved to Barcelona for 73m. The Kop though, will remember him for all the joy that he brought them with his game. Suarez was always going to be a gamble. His discipline had always been bad. But he was worth all that. Here’s wishing Luis Suarez good luck at Barcelona! He may score 40 goals in one season or he might be banned for the whole season. With Luis Suarez, you never know. 

SACHIN:THE NUMBER 10 LEGEND

Tendulkar gets the mic finally! Here goes: "Friends please settle down, I'll get more emotional! It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end. I've a list of names to thank. The first is my father, who passed away in 1999. Without his guidance I wouldn't be standing in front of you. he said 'chase your dreams, don't give up, the path will be difficult.' I miss him today. My mom, I don't know how she managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. For four years I stayed with my uncle and aunt when in school, they treated me like their own son. My eldest brother Nitin doesn't like to talk ,much but he said, whatever you do, I know you will give 100%. My first cricket bat was presented to me by my sister Savita. She still continues to fast while I bat. Ajit my brother - We have lived this dream together, he sacrificed his career for me, he took me to Achrekar sir first. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal. Even when I'm not playing we will still be discussing technique. If that hadn't happened, I would have been a lesser cricketer.
"The most beautiful thing happened to me when I met Anjali in 1990. I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her. But she decides that I should continue playing and she took care of the children. Thanks for bearing with me for all the nonsense I've said (Anjali wipes tears). Then the two precious diamonds of my life Sara and Arjun. I've missed out on several birthdays, holidays. I know for 14-16 years I've not spent enough time with you. But I promise you I will spend the next 16.
"My inlaws - I've discussed several things with them. The most important thing they did was allow me to marry Anjali. In the last 24 years my friends have made terrific contributions. They have been with me while I was stressed. They have been with me even at 3am when I was injured. Thanks for being there for me.
"My career started when I was 11. I was extremely delighted to see Achrekar sir in the stands. I used to ride on his scooter and play two matches a day. Sir took me along to make sure I played. On a lighter note, Sir never said 'well played' because he didn't want me to be complacent. You can push your luck now, Sir, since I'm not playing cricker anymore.
"I started my career here in Mumbai. I remember landing from NZ at 4am and playing a Ranji game the next day. The BCCI was fantastic from my debut. Thanks to the selectors. You were right with me making sure my treatment was taken care of.
"Thanks to all the senior cricketers who have played with me. We see on the screen Rahul, VVS, Sourav, Anil who is not here. All the coaches. I know when MS presented the 200th Test cap, I had a message to the team - I said we are all so proud to be representing the nation. I hope to continue to serve the nation with dignity. I have full faith that you will serve the country in the right spirit.
I will be failing in my duty if I didn't thank the doctors who have kept me fit. Given the injuries I have suffered. They have treated me in odd hours.
My dear friend the late Mark Mascarenhas. I miss him. My current management team WSG, for continuing what Mark has done. Someone who has worked closely with me for 14 years is my friend Vinay Nayudu.
"The media has backed me a lot, since my school days. Even today. Thank you. Thanks to the photographers for capturing those moments.
"I know my speech has become long. I want to thank people who have flown in from different parts of the world. I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. "Sachin, Sachin" will reverberate in my years till I stop breathing." (Followed by loud cheers).
The crowd wants more. Sachin has handed back the mic. We haven't seen the last of him here surely.
Sudhir Kumar Gautam, by far his biggest fan, waves the tri-colour. Sachin may not have mentioned his name, but he holds a special place in his heart, you can be sure.

Super Stunner - Kyrgios

                         NICK KYRGIOS

                When the world responds to an astounding Wimbledon upset, it appears the Australian teen behind the win seems to be "calm and composite". His first date with Rafael Nadal was a dream come true, knocking Nadal out of Wimbledon and off the top rung of men's tennis,had set the alarm for many futuristic young guns in the court.
               The 19-year-old, 144th seed did the unthinkable and bundled out world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets in one of the all-time great Grand Slam giant-slayings. A kid on a wildcard somehow holding his nerve against one of the greatest players of all time. The amazing thing was that Nadal actually played really well.But,the Canberran never looked back with his dominance throughout the tournament.

Kyrgios an Australian teenager "with no fear and a golden arm ... who blew the world No. 1 off centre court".

                       Nicholas Hilmy "Nick" Kyrgios is an Australian professional tennis player. .Kyrgios was born in Canberra, Australia. He is the son of a Greek father, Giorgos ("George"), and Malaysian mother, Norlaila ("Nill"). His father is a self-employed house painter and his mother is a computer engineer.He is the third of three children; his brother, Christos, is a lawyer, and his sister, Halimah, is an actress.
                       Kyrgios was a promising basketball player who had represented the Australian Capital Territory. Kyrgios is an avid fan of the Boston Celtics in the NBA. He won the Boys' Singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the Boys' Doubles event at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.
                   This untiring young gun saved 10 match points to upset Richard Gasquet in the 2nd round of Wimbledon 2014. The "freakish" and "audacious" between the legs shot against Nadal,which became "THE SHOT OF THE YEAR",will be remembered forever in the history of Wimbledon. His performance was widely applauded by many tennis experts and Legends like Borg,Sampras,Ivanisevic,Agassi and so on.
                      American tennis great John McEnroe annointed Kyrgios “the next guy in the men's game”.

                   
                   Truly,this resilient youngster is showing good prospects of getting into the top 25 with his rankings improved from no.144 to no.66. Without any other doubt,this redeemed teenager can become a World Sensation some day.....

 

Ronaldo Vs James

                                             
                                              Iconic Comparisons #2

Now its cr7 vs James !!!!!!

 

                          

                                    For whatever reason, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Miami Heat star LeBron James are athletes that people love to hate. Both are considered the most talented overall players in their respective sport, so criticism is definitely easy to dish out when they aren't at the top of their game. When LeBron is on the court, he makes the game look ridiculously easy. When Ronaldo is on the pitch, his goal-scoring skills almost look effortless. When you are at such an elite level, people are always going to attack your flaws. As long as Ronaldo and LeBron are miles above the competition, that simply will never change.

Neymar Vs Durant

                                 Iconic Comparisons #1

                                It's always a fun exercise to compare athletes from one sport to athletes of another. So, with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil raging among us, i decided that it would be intriguing to take a look at some comparisons between international soccer stars and current athletes that have dominated the sports landscape all over the world. No, there will never be a perfect comparison between any two athletes since they play in different sports.
                       They can be funny and can be depicted in a "Safer"side to avoid complications.
                  Comparing Neymar with Durant,Ronaldo with Lebron James can be given as classic examples.Sports fans who know of both players may find this comparison somewhat interesting, but there are definite comparisons between these superstars.                              

                      Neymar will be counted on to lead Brazil to World Cup glory this summer. However, even though all the pressure is on his shoulders to help the team deliver on its home continent, his legacy will be determined by what he does after it. Meanwhile, Durant will always have the pressure of delivering an NBA championship to Oklahoma City on his shoulders for as long as he's there. Luckily, both men have unique skills that should allow them to rise to the occasion for many years to come......

Fighting Fedex

         FIGHTING TILL THE END.........

                             This is one of those remarkable stats that’s been floating around for years, but it’s always worth repeating, especially after a weekend that saw Roger Federer win a tournament for the first time in 18 months and Tiger Woods being forced to withdraw in the middle of a round due to a back injury. Over his 16-year career, Federer, who has played almost 300 more matches than any active player, has never retired in the middle of a match. No other player in the top 25 has fewer than three career retirements.

                             Here’s a list of how Federer’s retirements compare to his contemporaries and some past tennis legends.

Federer’s 1,154 matches are the most by any active tennis player. The rest of the top 10 in matches played — none of whom is within 290 matches of Federer — has an average of 12.4 career retirements. Those players: Tommy Haas (23), David Ferrer (7), Lleyton Hewitt (6), Nadal (7), Nikolay Davydenko (23), Tommy Robredo (9), Mikhail Youzhny (13), Tomas Berdych (9) and Jarkko Nieminen (15).                                                                                                                          

 

                             Okay, great, but what does it all mean? Is Federer tougher than Nadal because he’s never thrown in the towel during a match? Does Novak Djokovic’s 11 retirements make him less of a competitor than Andy Murray? Of course not, though that’s not to say the numbers are meaningless. The Djokovic retirement total was a blight on the early part of his career. And Federer’s non-retirement streak is still an impressive feat of durability, toughness and stubbornness, like Cal Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games played. Call it another impressive statistic on a resume filled with them.GO ROGER!!!!!!