Finally on the TOP..

Finally the Indian Cricket team has reached the heights that it promised to achieve but always flattered when within catching distance. Finally a decade long quest to attain the top spot in the rankings has be achieved, though the team could have finished the year in first place in Test and ODI's(they could have won 4 of the 5 games against Australia, but ended up winning only 2 and losing 2 by 3 runs). But still its a commendable feat to say that the team will be finishing the year in top spot(probably).

I remember watching the India-Australia Series in Australia almost a decade ago when the Australian team was laying its claim to be the best in the world. They were totally decimated, and the team had a famous tag line when went with them "Tigers at home, Kittens away". well, no longer. The new look team India is no longer a team which depends on one person. It all started with the Australia's tour of India, Ganguly's First as captain, the famous victories in Kolkata and Chennai(one of the best Test series that i have witnessed, on par with The Ashes, which England won in 2005). If that ill-fated tour of Australia in 1999-2000 taught many players harsh lessons about the game and the rub of the green, then it was the next visit there that really laid the platform for what India have gone on to achieve since. Having overcome the improbable odds to thwart Steve Waugh's quest for Indian glory a couple of years earlier, India went into the series without being overawed or intimidated. With a little more luck on the final day at the SCG, they could even have won under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy. Whatever you say about Sourav Ganguly, he was one person who added steel to the Indian Claws, making them tigers from cubs they actually were. He instilled in the team a spirit of defiance which is carried on by Dhoni and his men now.

The ascent, though achieved, was not smooth. Quiet a lot of off field issues have been witnessed, the dismal show the the world cup, Sydneygate, Ganguly-Chappel Spat, Kumble Retirement to name a few. But nothing has affected the players on field performance. Even with all that the objective has been achieved. Sachin Tendulkar , India's longest-playing cricketer, said this series victory was a "special" moment in his career. "This is a reflection of what we have been able to achieve in the last 20 months or so. It is a special day for me and all the Indians. It is great to be sitting on the top."and truly it was. Many have come and gone, some contributed, some didnt, some shone, some failed miserable, but almost all of them have in some part contributed to the effort. One effort that comes to mind is of Sanjay Bangar's(he didnt play in the team much), whose first-day defiance alongside Dravid was so pivotal in India squaring a series at Headingley in 2002

Though it might take a lot of consistency to keep the no1 position. The current Indian Team, under the guidance of Gary Kirsten and the captaincy of MS Dhoni, is capable of doing that and more. With the team already winning the inaugural T20 World Cup and now the Number 1 spot in Test cricket, guess the next thing on the agenda will be, other than maintaining the current position, to go No1 in ODI's and also winning the 2011 world Cup.

Tendulkar and the other weatherbeaten warriors alongside him has done as much as anyone to get India to where they are now. And regardless of what happens over the next few months, it's something to savour. In a country where both administrators and fans are obsessed with cricket in coloured clothes, whether it be over 50 or 20 overs, the players deserve much credit for keeping their eyes on the red ball. After the horrors of a decade ago, these are the best of times.

Congrats....

Sledging in Cricket

Sledging is the practice in cricket of insulting opponents to break their concentration and cause them to make mistakes. The recent India's tour of Australia was marred by sledging controversies among others. But sledging has been a part of the game for a long time that its a huge task to completely weed it out of the game. Here are some of the legendary sledges(some good ones some are censored...hope it does not offend the readers)

Rod Marsh & Ian Botham: When Botham took guard in an Ashes match, Marsh welcomed him to the wicket with the immortal words: "So how's your wife & my kids?"

Daryll Cullinan & Shane Warne: As Cullinan was on his way to the wicket, Warne told him he had been waiting 2 years for another chance to humiliate him. "Looks like you spent it eating," Cullinan retorted.

Robin Smith & Merv Hughes: During 1989 Lords Test Hughes said to Smith after he played & missed:"You can't f**king bat". Smith to Hughes after he smacked him to the boundary: "Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can't f**king bat & you can't f**king bowl."

Merv Hughes & Javed Miandad: During 1991 Adelaide Test, Javed called Merv a fat bus conductor. A few balls later Merv dismissed Javed: "Tickets please", Merv called out as he ran past the departing batsman.

Merv Hughes & Viv Richards: During a test match in the West Indies, Hughes didn't say a word to Viv, but continued to stare at him after deliveries. "This is my island, my culture. Don't you be staring at me. In my culture we just bowl." Merv didn't reply, but after he dismissed him he announced to the batsman: "In my culture we just say f**k *ff."

You can't forget Ian Healy's legendary comment which was picked up by the Channel 9 microphones when Arjuna Ranatunga called for a runner on a particularly hot night during a one dayer in Sydney... "You don't get a runner for being an overweight, unfit, fat c**t!!!"

James Ormond had just come out to bat on an ashes tour and was greeted by Mark Waugh....... MW : "F*ck me, look who it is. Mate, what are you doing out here, there's no way you're good enough to play for England" JO : "Maybe not, but at least I'm the best player in my family"

Malcolm Marshall was bowling to David Boon who had played and missed a couple of times. Marshall : "Now David, Are you going to get out now or am I going to have to bowl around the wicket and kill you?"

Fred Trueman who when faced with two poor decisions from the umpire, (leg before decision and caught behind to an obvious knick) clean bowled his opponent with his next delivery and turned to the umpire and uttered, “That’s got to be bloody close, hasn’t it?”

This involves Steve Waugh and Parthiv Patel.....Steve Waugh...Last Test...comes up to bat...PArthiv-"so this is your last test...show us some of that famous sledging of yours." Steve-"Respect Me...For when i made my test debut You were still in your nappies"

This is the one and only javed miandad vs dilip doshi...javed bhai at the crease, doshi bowling...the players' hotel was quite near the stadium...
javed: "arre doshi apna room number to bataa"
nothing from doshi
next ball, javed asks again...still nothing when the over ends..."arre ab to over khatam ho gaya, ab to bataa de"
doshi finally relents.."216" (or watever)
Miandad - "agle over mein ball wahin maaroonga"

Ravi shastri v/s the aussie 12th man (don't remember who, and don't want to slander anyone ) shastri hits it to this guy and looks for a single...this guy gets the ball in and says "if you leave the crease i'll break your head"
shastri: "if you could bat as well as you can talk you wouldn't be the 12th man"

Ricky Ponting & Shaun Pollock: After going past the outside edge with a couple of deliveries, Pollock told Ponting: "It's red, round & weighs about 5 ounces." Unfortunately for Pollock, the next ball was hammered out of the ground.
Ponting to Pollock: "you know what it looks like, now go find it."

Freddie Flintoff to Tino Best: After playing numerous defensive shots against Ashley Giles Flintof muttered to Best "Mind the windows Tino". Next ball Tino charged down the track and got stumped.

Merv was bowling to Hansie Cronje during a tour game in South Africa. It was an especially flat wicket and Cronje was hitting Hughes for fours and sixes all over the place.
After the umpteenth boundary, Hughes headed down the pitch, stood near Cronje, let out a fart and said: "Try hitting that for six." It was five minutes before the guffawing stopped and play could resume.

Porky Sri Lankan batsman Arjuna Ranatunga the victim here.
Shane Warne, trying to tempt the batsman out of his crease mused what it took to get the plump character to get out of his crease and drive. Wicketkeeper Ian Healy piped up,
"Put a Mars Bar on a good length. That should do it."

Hope u had a good laugh after reading though them... pls do post if u have more.

6 Sixes in a Over....Impossible is nothing!!!!!!!!!!

With the T20 Cricket World Cup going on the excitement never dies in India which is a country addicted to the game of Cricket. And Yuvraj Singh gave the people something more to celebrate when he hit Stuart Board,a main line England Bowler, for 6 sixes in a over. Not only did the fantastic hitting make it possible to win the match against England but also kept their hopes of reaching the T20 world cup semifinal alive( which they did by beating South Africa in the next game). The sixes were no fluke as all were good cricketing shots.With the internet so well advanced nowadays which make the people relive these golden moments. watch the video below to see all the six sixes( hope youtube does not remove this video). watching this i realized ,as i say, "Impossible is Nothing!!!" :-)