Ind-SL Test series not exciting anymore? Says who?

First of all, apologies for not writing a piece for so long. After surviving all the excitement of India’s thrilling victory over Pakistan and of course, a triumph in the Asia Cup after 15 long years, I needed a long vacation in a quiet place. That took me to Maldives, which, according to me is the real heaven on earth.

But now I’m once again getting back in the cricketing groove, waiting for our Men in Blue to resume action soon, albeit in their white flannels. The prospect of a yet another series against Sri Lanka may not sound too exciting – the two countries only seem to be playing each other since the last one year. But guys, it’s much more exciting than you think it is.

First, it is a Test series. After all the ODIs and Twenty20s, won’t it be nice to see our Indian cricketers battling it out hard, displaying their immense skills over the period of five days against a team known to be tigers at home? It certainly would!

Secondly, we have some scores to settle against the Lankans. Remember the mystery spinner called Ajantha Mendis weaving his magic and ripping India apart the last time we toured the island? We lost the three-Test series 2-1 then, and I’m confident the score-line will surely favour India this time around. After all, we’re the world’s number-one ranked Test team now!

The third and the loveliest reason to look forward to this series is the return of our batting stalwarts. It seems ages since I last saw Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman playing for India, together, and the very thought of watching them bat again in Test cricket brings out the cricket romantic in me.

Who said yet another India-Sri Lanka Test series will not generate interest among people? We, Indian cricket fans are never short of reasons to support our team, in fact, we don’t need a reason to support them. Right guys? So, once the action begins in the emerald isles, join me in cheering for Team India and show the world that cricket indeed, flows in our veins.

 

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An emotionally draining day!

Phew! That was the first reaction I got from MS Dhoni when I spoke to him right after the India-Pakistan game. And I’m sure that’s how all the billions of Indian fans, watching the humdinger, all around the world felt, including me. If there was any match worthy of all the hype and hoopla it generated, it has to be this one. Any word like cliff-hanger, nerve-wrecker, hair-raiser, etc. etc. will be an understatement to describe the contest.

Any India versus Pakistan match cannot be complete without a few individual battles. Before the match, there were a lot of such face-offs that were anticipated. People were looking forward to seeing Gambhir vs Afridi and Sehwag vs Akhtar. But we got to see some different, though not unexpected, individual wars, which added to the immense drama. Things got rather fiery when Gambhir and Kamran Akmal came so uncomfortably close to each other that Dhoni had to pull his angry young Gautam back and calm him down. Gambhir eventually won the battle by smashing a boundary in the next ball. Then, there were a few ‘pleasantries’ exchanged between Harbhajan and Akhtar, which set the already heated atmosphere ablaze.

Personally for me, it was an experience like never before, watching the two arch-rivals battle it out so fiercely, from just outside the boundary rope. I had my heart in my mouth at ever ball and in the end, I was completely drained – emotionally and physically. When Harbhajan hit that winning six, the Indian dressing room erupted in joy. Some players like Raina, Rohit and Virat, jumped over the pavilion fence, hurtled on to the field and plunged themselves on an ecstatic Bhajji, who was roaring with his arms high up in the air. The excitement was just out of this world.

For a moment, I thought, what if this match was played at the Eden Gardens, the Wankhede Stadium or the Chinnaswami Stadium? You can only imagine the madness that would have followed the victory. Actually, the cause of such a thought was the fact that for the first time I observed the Indian supporters were outnumbered by their opposite counterparts, at a neutral venue. It is a fact that whenever India takes on a neutral team, away from home, they invariably enjoy much greater support than their opponents. (Remember the Wanderers going wild when Sreesanth took that catch in the final of the 2007 World Twenty20?) But here in Sri Lanka, there were more people rooting for the Men in Green. However, credit to the Dambulla crowd for turning up in large numbers despite the home team not playing.

Such was the impact of this contest that the global football mania took a back-seat. In fact, the Sri Lankan team too had arranged a small cocktail party at their hotel and they were all glued to the big TV screen, following the Indo-Pak encounter from the edge of their seats. Talking of the Lankan players, the skipper Sangakkara and Muralitharan had come to the stadium before the match, to take part in an activity organized by the UNICEF. It was really touching to see the big stars playing with the children and bringing smiles on their faces. For me, it was an emotional day that summed up a sportsperson’s life. He’s a ruthless warrior on the field, whose only motive is to win for his country, and a wonderful human being off it, who’d go that extra mile to bring joy to someone’s life.

 

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Excited for the big Indo-Pak clash

We had yet another pretty one-sided match, in which the Lankans walloped the hapless Bangladeshis. But credit to Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique for showing strong resilience and also to the Dambulla crowd that brought the atmosphere to life with their constant cheering for the home team. Adding colour to the cricketing experience were the Sri Lankan dancers who I call the traditional version of cheerleaders. With their unique and vibrant costumes, they brought in a flavor of the Sri Lankan culture into the stadium and brightened up the otherwise quiet town of Dambulla.

The place is serene and full of natural beauty – the wandering animals, the chirping of the birds and the greenery makes you one with the nature. It was a perfect place for our Men in Blue to spend their day off and prepare themselves for the big match against Pakistan. While a few of the Indian players relaxed by the pool side and hit the gym, some nature loving chaps went out on the streets for a nice long run. Imagine the Indian cricket stars roaming around freely on the streets without being mobbed or stalked. Some of them told me, it brought back the memories of the days before they started playing for India; the time when they could go anywhere, anytime without the public attention. As they say, the biggest price one pays for success is freedom.

But apart from getting all nostalgic, the Indian players underwent some serious training session under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Kirsten and company. They looked super excited about playing Pakistan after almost a year and the passion to do well against the arch rivals showed on their faces. They way their eyes lit up at the mention of Saturday’s match made one thing crystal clear: any match against Pakistan is much more than ‘just another game’ for the players, like it is for us.

Though presently the sole focus of the entire team is on defeating the cross border rivals, some players have already found the perfect way of unwinding after the high-voltage contest. They’re planning to visit the historic and beautiful Dambulla Rock Temple. For now, I’ll pay a visit at a nearby temple and pray for India’s victory.
 

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How football World Cup earned India a bonus point

What a brilliant performance that was from Dhoni and his boys! Our Men In Blue perhaps knew, after the thriller between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Dambulla crowd wouldn’t have any nails left to bite and the nerves to survive another humdinger. So, they decided to wrap up things quickly by sweeping Bangladesh aside.

After the game, Dhoni, who is a huge football fan, said he would get back to his hotel room and catch up with some World Cup action from South Africa. That perhaps explains the way our captain cool finished the game off rather hurriedly, with a massive six and two smacking hits for four. So, while Dhoni got to watch underdogs Switzerland turn the tables on Spain, India earned an emphatic win with a bonus point.

The entire Team India looked really happy and satisfied after the convincing victory but there was one player who seemed more excited than anyone else. Virender Sehwag had many reasons to be thrilled, including his mean and miserly spell of 4 for 6 and his best buddy Gautam Gambhir notching up a match-winning 82. But the main reason for Sehwag’s excitement was a boundary he smacked into one of the sponsors’ hoarding that earned him $1500 and a box of alpenlibe toffees. However, Sehwag’s bubble was burst and he had to share the prize with Bangladesh skipper Shakib. I’m sure India’s fitness loving coach Gary Kirsten will be pretty happy that the Nawab of Najafgarh didn’t have the entire box of chocolates to himself.

While his opening partner was his usual bubbly self, the man of the match Gautam was as ‘Gambhir’ as ever. His mates looked chilled out and relaxed but the pocket-sized powerhouse from Delhi was all exhausted after his grueling knock. Never the one to seek the limelight, Gambhir chose to go into his shell (in his case the dressing room) and regain his lost energy.

So, as the Indian team head to their hotel and chill out in their rooms – as there is nothing much else to do in Dambulla – I’ll go and look for some more fun stuff to share with you all.

 

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Soaking in the excitement in Lanka

So, the biggest cricketing battle of Asia is now less than 24 hours away, and boy, am I excited or what! I’ve just reached Dambulla, the venue for the first match of the tournament, between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and it is pretty sultry out here. Just hope the cloud cover disappears when the players appear on the field tomorrow. But apart from the hot and humid weather, Sri Lanka is beautiful. It’s always been a sublime experience visiting the island country and this time it’s no different.

Now, I know you’re all eager to know what our Men In Blue are up to and how they’re looking ahead of the big series. Well, I bumped into some of the players in the hotel and they looked pretty relaxed and cheerful. The nice, long break surely seems to have helped them rejuvenate, which is great news for India.

What also augurs well for Team India is that the boys who are due to join the team from Zimbabwe will also will be in good spirits after ending their otherwise sorry tour on a high with two back-to-back Twenty20 victories. A combination of revitalized, fitter seniors and confident, ebullient youngsters should be an ideal mix for a fine performance on the field. Let’s hope our Indian tigers bring back the Asia Cup back home after 15 long years.

With that prayer, I’ll end this piece and venture outdoors to enjoy the scenic beauty of the beautiful island. Will be back with more from Sri Lanka, as the series gets underway.

 

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