little master... talking about the little master...

In many ways, 1987 was a watershed year. I remember batting particularly well, making more than 1500 runs, so it was disappointing not to get the best junior cricketer award from the Mumbai Cricket Association.

That’s when I got a letter from him. He wrote that I should not be disappointed because bigger awards were in store. At the end, he mentioned that if I looked at the list of players who had received the award, there would be one name missing that hadn’t done too badly in international cricket!

He was referring to himself. That letter is as valuable as any other award I have ever received. That was the beginning of a long and cherished association.

a piece of unadulterated emotions from sachin tendulkar...for his hero...sunil manohar gavaskar...turning sixty today...

"You've always been my hero..."

as namya said...looking forward to yet another century from you sunny sir...

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for test cricket sake... hope someone at bcci see ashes...

apart from the tight first day at cardiff...what was overwhelming to see that spectators turning in in quite numbers...to re-assure that given the right media hype...right venues...and promise of a competitive cricket...test cricket's days are far from over...

but then there exists boards like bcci too...who is killing the test cricket softly in india...by choosing the wrong venues to play test cricket on...

its not that spectators don't turn up for test matches in india...its also a myth that indian fans are not large hearted cricket fans and can't cheer good cricket by opposition team...

for example...who can forget the standing ovation pak team received in packed chennai stadium after beating india...

» related story:
Cry Eden, cry

where else in world you would see 100,000 spectators roaring and making deafening noises...making lessor mortals to even forget how to handle bat or ball leave alone playing proper cricket...but at the eden of cricket gardens...

its that bcci playing test cricket at wrong venues owing to crappy venue rotation policy...rather than on ones which has tradition of sport loving fans...turning up for a good day of test match...

how i wish them implement this rotation policy, they follow religiously for venues, on some overworked and jaded players specially bowlers...but that's another matter...

they are happy projecting sachin tendulkar raising his bat to empty stadium on achieving never before 12000 runs in test cricket...

they are happy airing empty stadiums while india thrashing world champions at home...as if they don't care about crowd coming in once the tv rights are sold for huge sum of money...

otherwise what can explain that they don't even understand the psyche of their own cricket loving fans...cricketing tradition of their own venues...?

what worse it will impact their inner politics if they fix test venues to say kolkotta, chennai, mumbai and delhi (if its four test series...very little chance they would agree to) and implement the venue rotation policy on odis, t20s, ipls which they play throughout the years...?

this way they will have to compromise the 'vote bank' for only two or three test matches per series and some times not even that...against minimum 7 odis and at least two t20 per series which has become norm of late...and countless ipl games...to compensate for this great 'compromise' they will have to make for saving test cricket in india...

so bcci...is it deal...or am i asking too much...?

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exactly what fawad alam has done...

...to invite so much of euphoria as if he is paksitan cricket's next messiah...

almost every one from pakistan is demanding his inclusion and even former pakistan players are questioning his absence from team pakistan's test xi...

this made me wonder as well as curious about him...so i did bit 'cricinfo' on him...

lets have a look at his batting and bowling record till date...

batting...

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bowling...

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so while his 'all round' record in one day international matches are clearly anything but impressive...can someone please explain why he is worth that much hoopla about him...?

why so much 'fussaad' on fawad...?

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mind this pakistan...

that its not only mendis...you have to master...there are other bowlers too in srilankan team...

that the moment you slackens a bit...cricket will come and bite you hard...

contrary to the perception...pak bowlers did fine job even with gul being off color and it was the strong batting which caved in meekly...but despite all the harakiri they still had chance to win the match but i guess misbah's penchant for finding different ways of getting himself out came in way of pakistan win...waste of a talent actually...

now with murli coming in next test match it will be very difficult for pak to make a comeback...making this series even more interesting...

» recommend read @ BCC!
why is herath not bowling, sangakkara?

on the other hand it will be interesting to know who will make way for murli...and i have this feeling that it will be poor herath who, despite his marvelous effort, will have to sit out...


ps:
miandad sir...hope you watched this match to learn that match is not necessarily fixed to surrender it from winning position...or you still think the same way...?!

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dravid is back...

i have put my first reaction on dravid being announced in the list of champions trophy probables...on bored...

but in not so flattering way...as the headline might suggest...

check out...at BCC!

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ashes: why australia won't win...will win...

australia will win: coz every player in the team is fighting for his place...apart from ponting (being captain), michael clarke and johnson...

australia will lose: coz too many players in the team are fighting for their place...


hat tip:
som's finger-licking food for thought for ashes...

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