Wolrd cup : The Glorious Moment

The glorious moment for Indian cricket I witnessed last night. The statement was further justified when couple of South Africans mentioned ‘I am glad the Aussies are out of World Cup’. It’s the expression of joy when a team put up more than a brave fight and showed the exit doors of World cup to a team who dominated more than a decade in world cup.

It was 1996 (I was at school that time) I saw the so called minnows Srilankans who murdered the Australians in the world cup finals and ever since, the Oz team only grew stronger, became dominant. With the stalwarts like Ponting, Mcgrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Hayden etc., they formed their own empire in the world of cricket. They kept fetching all the records possible. They won every world cup they played after that. As the talent grew stronger and stronger, the attitude took a stroll and termed as the RUDE TEAM in the cricket field. Sledging, Controversies, Disciplines joined with their Cricketing talents. That’s when the superstars retired but not the teams attitude and fittingly, that’s when they started losing their pride.

The slide (to me) started when India won the CB Series during last time during India's tour of Australia. There was no luck factor, no hook n crook. It was 'best of 3' finals and India kick started the ‘Beginning of the end’. Sachin Tendulkar rubbed off the stupid superstition by scoring centuries in both matches and still made India lift the trophy with one of the histories most convincing win against Australia in Australia by any team in ODI format.

Later, the Aussies suffered poor crash defeat in Ashes against England which put the message across to the arrogant team that they are just as good as any other test teams.

Back to present, the Aussies started the world cup well staying un beaten until they met the most unpredictable super talented team called Pakistan. Crushed ruthlessly and their stint of 34 unbeated worlcup victories in a row ended. I have to mention that its shame on Ponting who clearly edged and waiting for umpires decision to force him out instead of walking out. Fittingly, Tendulkar only grow as a sports man (besides being top class player) by walking away when he nicked the ball that even replay cameras couldn’t spot.

Yesterday, the big stage was set. India (the favorites) but with lots of bowling and fielding issues to face the defending champions. I was taken by surprise to see the new look Indian team with their best bowling n fielding. Took regular wickets, stopped boundaries and batted with utmost responsibility as a team. End of the day, there was 2 people who were on their knees on the ground. Yuvraj, roaring at his loud best looking at the sky. Ponting, heads down forehead kissing the Indian soil for the last time in world cup.

I saw this funny comment on cricinfo.com at the end of the match

Passenger Announcement : Final call for passengers travelling to Non stop flight to Australian on Quantas Airways.

Disclaimer : This post is not to hurt the Australians but true emotions of Non Australian Cricket fan.

More Tennis

Ever since I moved to South Africa, the predominant activity goes in my mind and body is Tennis. With chilly climate (than Singapore), well available and free courts, good play mates, the love of the game only increased. Although I am not a power hitter or super fire athletic in the court, I still love the game the way it works. Adding spice, I got my new Racket (a bit expensive, bloody 1800 Rands = 340 SGD) but the best thing I got since my ipad few months ago ; ) Some of healthy tips and tricks I learnt from other mates/experts. This doesn’t mean I am following it well but with my limited exposure, its working well for me.

Shoes : After 1+ years of tennis exposure, I very well learnt how vital Tennis shoes means if you are frequently hitting courts. I used to get lotsa ankle sprains/twists (the cream of Singapore knows the stories well) and then these Tennis shoes joined me only to give the best to my legs.

Racket : I wasn’t sure which one to buy initially (1+ years ago) So my mate and me blindly purchased a 100$ Wilson racket. Surprisingly, that was a wise choice and served us sincerely for long long time (and it still does for me) Last week I came to know what suits me, if you are a power hitting player then predominant light weight stuffs are the ideal choice otherwise go for a bit heavier one. I am still learning on the right selections but smaller racket with heavy head weight works well for me at the moment (Wilson BLX blade 98 rocks ) Obvious, I am married to Wilson now.

Tennis is a wonderful game for activity. I tried badminton for a while but gave up as its more demanding in terms of fitness and stamina. Tennis on other hands blends activity well with your skill. Also, Tennis is more enjoyable if you play singles and more exciting if you play doubles. Certain things to keep on mind while playing the sport.

Warm ups: Always, warm ups first. Its quiet essential. Tennis is full of continuous hitting, hard running, sudden jerks etc. Your body should be all fine before and after every game. Hence atleast 5-10 mins warm ups and stretching is a must do before you start holding your racket.

Rallies: Play bloody loads of rallies. I was stupid myself gave more importance to the fun matches with my mates than actual rallies (practice). Ofcourse, matches are the intresting bit that keeps you going for the whole session but its rally hits that improves you in the game. So, if you play 1 hour game then make sure you play 10 hours rallies accordingly.

Strokes : I myself still a rookie in making my strokes clear but I am happy am learning now to spot the mistakes. The mistakes I used to do always is using my wrist to generate the power but ideally, it should be the combination of your foot work, grip and swing of your arms that should generate the power. Obviously, this doesn’t come over night and you gotto keep hitting lots of balls to get right swing