Other side of the coin

Well India lost to New Zealand..Yes, I'm not wrong.....India lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the T20 world cup ....I'm sure that most of you would think that I'm wrong....But friends, I have made no mistakes.....India lost to New Zealand in the T20 world cup semi-finals for women....

Did you even come to know that a tournament was being held parallel to the men's T20 world cup ??? Not many I guess...Even I was unaware.....Indian women were outplayed by the Kiwis... But atleast they reached the semi-finals!!! (where the Indian men's team put a poor show)

In most of the Asian countries cricket is a religion...To be specific...Men's cricket is considered as a religion...But women's cricket is regarded as just another game.. Even the number of spectators who turn up for the womens' games are much less... With T20 gaining so much popularity all the matches in the mens' tournament have jam packed crowds...But for the womens' section even a half filled stadium is a big thing!!!!

Lets forget about the spectators...Even the the prize money for the tournament is less than one-tenth of the prize money for the mens' section....Why is ICC creating a discrimination on the basis of sex??? Are women less paasionate about the game?? No is the obvious answer....The fact is that neither ICC nor the sponsors have taken much interest to popularize womens' cricket...

How many of us know the names of the players in the Indian women's cricket team?? Atleast the name of the captain?? I'm sure that most of you would be having a big question mark on your head...!!!!

I hope that ICC gives an equal status to the women's game and that their passion is given equal importance...


For those who are still busy guessing the Indian captain's name; Its Jhulan Goswami...

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Pride goes after the fall !!!

With Indian team being shown an early exit from the T20 world cup, all that was left for the them was to play for pride.... The last match of the super 8 against the undefeated South Africans was just a formality...Rather some kind of a practice match for them...Perhaps arrogance or faith made Dhoni decide to keep the side unchanged...Yes, he decided to play with the same side that lost to England...I guess that he wanted to prove a point...That this team could win....But this was not the day for Dhoni...The South Africans were guided to a modest total of 130 in 20 overs by AB De Villiers on a slow and turning pitch...The pitch being a spinner's paradise....

The total seemed too modest for the mighty Indian batting line up....But they were made to work hard for their money...!!! Batting second, India struggled against the opposition spin attack, losing wickets at critical junctures of the game....Finally like always, it came to Yuvraj to steer the ship home....But he too succumbed to pressure and the Indians submitted...The Proteas keeping the winning habit going...

In the after match press conference Dhoni made some statements which have shocked every cricket fan in India....Dhoni stated that in the squad chosen for the tournament, a majority of the players were not 100% fit....Doesn't that mean that the selectors have been cheating the fans?? If this is true then I must say that its inhuman...Fitness is a major factor in a player's performance...And if fitness is compromised then any team is bound to lose....

The Indian team is going through some harsh times....Times that can test a man's character....Even the mighty Aussies, four time world champions had to catch an early flight back home...Every team has its ups and downs...

Inspite of the fact that India were out of the tournament, there was terrific support for them.....The fans just wanted their team to perform.....But they collapsed like a pack of cards...Adding agony to shame....It was like adding salt to wound....But sometimes tough times can make you tougher within....Hope that is the case with the Indian team...

Ahead of the Windies tour, the Indians will have to get their confidence back and forget about the past...Without Sachin, Sehwag and Zaheer it will be a test for the Indian captain and his troops....Lets hope that the team does well in the Caribbean and gives their fans something to cheer about...

India's shameful exit from the T20 World Cup

When India were crowned as the T20 champions in 2007 every Indian was proud... Cricket fans were on cloud number 9... And why not?? We had outdone arch rivals Pakistan in a nail biting dream final....India had proved to the cricketing world that they could win without the fab four (Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman)....But that was a different story.....India as a team was modest then..... Dhoni's remark after the victory was -

Low expectations led to high determination

The success at the T20 world cup carried long....With India beating Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.... Most victories being achieved away from home...India threatened Australia for the top spot in ICC rankings....But somewhere something went wrong as India started feeling complacent... Complacency was India's biggest enemy...And perhaps it led to India's doom in the recent match against England; prior to which they were cozied by easy victories against Bangladesh and Ireland...England on the other hand had the hunger for victory and the players stood up to the need of the hour.... Hats off to the English....They put up a fine show....But being an Indian I must say that India's performance was dismal...

This T20 world cup has exposed India's weaknesses to the world.....The Indians failed to outmaster the bouncers or the perfume balls bowled at the them by the English. They had carefully watched India's performance against the Windies, who had a definite game plan...A similar ploy was adopted by the English and they were successful....

Another factor was dependency on Yuvraj...There was a time when people would switch off their TV sets if Sachin would get out....Now in the new age, India have a new dependency...Of course he is a match winner and of course he has been in great form..But depending on one player is not good for any team....

When Yuvraj hit the first ball faced faced by him for a six, I thought that he was there to make a statement..But when he fell India's doom had befallen... Dhoni had a part to play in India's doom...He should never have sent Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Yuvraj....Jadeja's strike rate was under 100... This put India on the back seat and Yuvraj was put under lot of pressure when he came in to bat...Many Indian fans would have thought that Yuvraj would repeat history by hitting 6 sixes...!!! But the English had different plans this time...They surely had done their homework....

England had fancied their chances then....They knew if they got Yuvraj out, the match was in their hands.....And Yuvraj fell to some smart keeping...


Yuvraj's early fall meant that Yusuf Pathan had to be the finisher...But the English contained him well, thanks to some disciplined bowling...

What India lacked this time was the edge and the hunger for victory...If the Indians had analyzed the loss to the Windies then they would have sorted out the short ball problem....Indian batsmen were driving to half vollies at the nets instead of playing bouncers...Many practice sessions were cancelled...

Gary Kirsten, the Indian coach talks about the player fatigue being responsible for the defeat...Gary points to the tight schedule of the team...But being proffesionals you are supposed to deliver each time....Fatigue should not be a factor...

Rohit Sharma failed to make a mark against stronger oppositions like the Windies and the English and fell early.....There lies the importance of Sehwag...He would and will always upset the opposition...And put them under immense pressure....The Indian's surely missed him....

Dhoni has lost his aggresive batting since he has taken charge of the team....This was clearly displayed when he failed more than once batting first down...Dhoni was taking singles on crucial deliveries in a do or die situation...

In a country where cricket is considered as a religion, India's early exit has raised fury among the fans...With Dhoni's effigy being burnt in his hometown....

Lets hope that India puts up a better show in the Caribbean next year.....