Cricket

Cricket - I think it runs in blood of almost every Indian. It had once run in mine too. Yeah once upon a time even i had followed it religiously. I have lost count of the matches that I have watched without missing a single ball. The match fixing scandal of the late nineties was an acid test. Initially like millions out there even I felt depressed. But gradually the madness was back.

The fab five - Sachin, Anil, Sourav, Rahul and VVS were instrumental in rekindling my interest. Each special in his own way. Each has brought smiles to millions. Each has become a part of the Indian cricketing history.

Sachin Tendulkar. The man who has ruled cricket for two decades. The man who carried Indian cricket through the turbulent nineties. When it was accepted that India wins only if Sachin plays well. The magician with the bat. The most important quality is his ability to bounce back when people write him off. Just as he done with his double ton the other day. I was lucky enough to have watched it in office. And i did not feel like doing any work for nearly three hours after watching that innings ! Here is one man who has brought us cheers when there was gloom around us. The man who taught India to believe in herself. Who thought us that we can win through hard work and passion. I bow to thee, Little Master.

My fav : The Sharjah storm.

Anil Kumble. The synonym for sheer perseverance and determination. The one who couldn't spin a cricket ball but ended up taking 619 test wickets. One of the great sights of Indian cricket

was Kumble bowling with his fractured jaw and taking the wicket of Brian Lara. The first time i remember watching him was during Hero cup against the Windies where he took 6/12. Ten wicket haul that made him a legend followed. But the thing that impressed me the most was the way he captained the team during the Aus tour of 2007. The famous quote after the infamous Sydney test says it all - "Only one team was playing in the spirit of the game".

My fav - 10 @ Kotla

Sourav Ganguly. The bravest captain that India has ever had. One who believed in an eye for an eye. He is the most controversial of the fab five. The 'God' on the off side he had a dream start to his career (if his ODI debut in 92 is ignored). Instead of switching off the TV sets when Sachin gets out, people started waiting till Sourav is at crease. His four man of the match performances at Toronto helped India in a rare one-sided series victory against Pakistan. Controversy has always been his favorite companion. Be it waiting Steve Waugh for toss or the famous shirt waving at Lords. Bad form and ugly spat with coach led to his removal from the side. But as he has done always he bounced back in style signing off with a series victory against the Australians.

My fav - 144 @ Brisbane

Rahul Dravid. The architect behind most of India's famous test victories. Remember Eden Gardens, Adelaide, Kingston, Hamilton. Mr.Consistent @ 3. No matter where the match is played, no matter what the state of the pitch is, more often than not he delivers for India. The man for whom team comes before everything else. Keeping wickets, batting @ no 6, whatever the captain asks he will be ready to do it. He makes sure that most of the times the bowlers earn his wicket. Initially criticized for his slow pace in one days cricket and also dropped from the time. He worked on his game and came back with a vengeance by becoming the highest run getter in the 99 world cup. Again showed his character against Australia in 2001 after a poor show in the first three innings. Demoted to number 6, he scored 180* to script one of the greatest comebacks in cricket. A professional par excellence.

My fav: Test victory against Aus @ Adelaide

VVS Laxman: 281. That says it all. The artist with magical wrists. Technically least sound of the above players. But he makes it up with his timing and the use of wrists. He had to struggle a lot in initial days. The stable middle order meant that he had to play as an opener, not his favorite.

Dropped from the side, he forced his way back by scoring heavily in the Ranji trophy. Showed his first sign of greatness during his 167 @ Sydney. But again he was unable to perform consistently. Then came Eden Gardens. He has always reserved his best against the Australians. Be it Adelaide, Mumbai, Eden Gardens or Sydney. But despite so many performances always his place in the team is in doubt. One of the best batsmen to watch when in flow. And my favorite cricketer.

My fav: 281. What else...