My attempt to write

Perth, Gayle, Spasm, Angel .... err heartbreak

2010-01-16T13:22:00.000+05:30

I hope you remember this woman ... yes read the tale to actually understand this post... !

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Off late I havent been jogging as the Test matches in Australia and New Zealand have been on my palate... !!

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There is a romance in Test Cricket that is difficult to explain add to that the fact that the pitches in New Zealand and Australia are different as they assist the fast bowlers a bit... ! Mind you the wickets over there are getting flat too... but they are still anyday better than the pitches in the subcontinent which are as flat as what my belly once used to be !!!! :P

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Day before I left office early with a stomach bug and raced home on my bike, at times wincing in pain as a spasm raised its head, but in no time I had parked myself on the sofa with a couple of pillows and a sheet to cover myself, spasm after spasm periodically would come to disturb me as I turned to watch the match at Perth. Watching the ball fly on the bouncy wicket is what I thought I would see but instead I saw Chris Gayle pulverise the Aussie bowlers making the 5th fastest Century on the worlds fastest pitch !!!! Among all his big hits was one humongous hit on the roof of the three tier Lillee Marsh stand[click to see height] of the WACA... !! The pitch at Perth is at its most batting friendly on days 2 and 3 and Gayle was blowing away the Aussie attack which really looks thin with Siddle, Lee, Hilfenhaus injured.

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As I marvel at the ferocious strokeplay of this mighty marauder from the Carribean I can see why a healthy West Indian side is most necessary for the cricket world... they have a certain swagger, sway and charisma that no other cricket team can possess, not even our Indian team and this comes from a Blind Indian Cricket Team Fan!!!!! Watching the windies do well is the third best feeling after watching my India win and Australia lose... !

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Watching matches in Test matches at Perth is a different experience altogether... but getting over excited about Gayle's six doesnt go down with the bug in my system as it decides to wringe my colon everytime I say Whoa ! deflating me... At times I would feel as badly hurt as some of these blokes in this video... !

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I lay there Wincing in pain and at times wanting to pull my hair apart as the spasms decided to let me know what a woman in labour must be feeling.. ! Just than Gayle lobs a dolly catch to backward point and I feel the spasm pass away, tired and sort of feeling having overcome a battle with the herculean spasm I gather strength & miraculously am able muster enough courage to get up and fetch a glass of water for my thirsting tonsils all by myself as my angelic wife decided that instead of staying home while I was sick and listening to all my whims and orders for fruit juices it would be a better idea to announce to me that I have an appointment in the neighbouring building with the lady who was running a beauty parlour in her house & that I have to get my hair trimmed...

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some one knocks !!! I presume its wifey back and finally I can go back to lying sick and keep ordering away

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But when I open the door, Its her !!!!! yes yes... the woman I was talking about in the first line... !!! The same Sonam & Deepika combo !!!!! Apparently she and wife are good friends these days and she had come to our building so came to say hi ! She is dressed in pink (wonder if she always wears pink), suddenly the spasm is completely gone, she looks like a breath of fresh air on a hot summer afternoon !!!!

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But then as soon as I sense my senses coming back I realise.... SHUCKS !!! I m unshaven, worst is the gray strands in my beard really stand up, am in my age old shorts, my hair aghast almost pulled apart by me a lil while back, looking sick and weirdo !!!!!!! God !!!! why o why !!!!!! did she have to come now, today ??? :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

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I tell her she has gone to the adjacent building to get her hair trimmed... that she wait I ll call her on her mobile, she smiles kindly like an angel would and gently tells me...

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"Nahi nahi... Theek hai bhaiya, main Hetal ko wahi mil loongi !"

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As I see her climbing down the stairs, My wife's words return to haunt me... the first time I told her, I like her...

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My wife told me I stand no chance... Sigh... ! :|

As if I was trying.... Pah.. ! :mrgreen: ouch... the spasm returns.... the wincing continues... !

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300 n hoping to count

2010-01-16T13:21:00.001+05:30

Finally I have joined the league of the triple centurions ! I now stand proudly in the league of Virendra Sehwag !!! I have completed my triple century of posts !!!!

I just noticed it two days back while I was piling up the nominations list that I was at 299 !! 239 posts since 1st January ! Thanks to IHM now I know how to make a list so I ll publish it here !

Many a times the posts have been just a few video's to share or a couple of lines but it has been most important for me to post... I started just in August last year and the triple hundred has come at a very good strike rate... Sehwag would be proud I say !!

Once I shifted to this new city Indore the only friends I have made are virtual, they all live here online, inside my computer ! For me the blog has been the adda where I meet you guys, my potion of energy, my friends !!! :D :D :D More than writing for me its been most about interacting with you people... about 4 months or so back someone told me I will out grow this and eventually just write... however temporarily I seem to have hit an abyss... neither can I write... and most weirdly I seem to have no zest to comment... Imagine I havent replied to comments I have got in the last few posts even on twitter I wait for hours reading everyone but I cant actually write one line ! 140 characters is a problem for a guy who has written over 200 posts in a single year... Sigh !

I have never been a writer, but at the same time I express myself better writing than speaking.. ! Wonder what that tells you about my speaking skills.. :|

I tried taking up reading but its not taking off... after a few pages of two books one a love story of a IIT-ian and one on cricket by my favourite writer Peter Roebuck I aint able to read... neither do matches seem so exciting... the tv programs truly suck ! Food seems not so cool after all, a stomach bug and a dozen loo visits in two days didnt help matters ! the only good thing it all did was probably left me with some less weight. I have always been a poor sleeper and if I sleep early I get up at 3 or 4 in the morning and no internet at home doesnt help at such times... !!

Strangely the only thing that seems appealing is the scrabble board, strange game this, I have been playing it now for the last 6 years online and it still never loses zing or intrigue for me !!! I have 9 games in progress !

I am sure this is a passing phase, a temporary phase, and words will start flowing more... so until they start flowing ! Ta'da !

and here is my list :

[archives limit=239]

Nomination list - 6

2010-01-16T13:19:00.001+05:30

Added Later : Hey Am not going to put any more lists here.. will send remaining nominations directly to Poonam's post. Have suddenly got a lot of work in office and hence.. will update directly in poonam's post as and when i am able to dig the old ones.. !!

cheers... !

Best Off Beat Post : had to add these two here !!!

http://impassionedchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/10/can-we-hear-sobs-of-tiny-voices.html

http://ki-jaana-main-kaun.blogspot.com/2009/10/26-years-ago-on-this-day-i-was-perky-7.html

People here are a few more gems !!!!!!! :P :P :P Enjoy !!!!!!

Best Humourous Post

Ashwathy at her best !!! Do read this !!!! - http://thatslifemyfriend.blogspot.com/2009/11/matrimonial-mish-mashes-part-ii.html

Best Personal Post:

I am Deeps adopted son !!!! I had to nominate this !!!! :P :P : http://deepsspeakingup.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/i-love-being-a-mom-no-five-ways-about-it/

Best Travel Post :

This post by Pixie even has my name in it !!! - http://mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/yercaud/

Best Culinery Post -

One of my favourite cook !!! a simple dish is made so drool worthy by Monu, simply coz she loves this dish so much !!!! - http://monikamanchanda.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/kadhi-chawal/

Best Off Beat Post :

Manju tells us how running barefoot is a different experience and how we are forgetting it !!!! http://indiancabbagesandkings.blogspot.com/2009/10/running-barefoot.html

A sad truth about how we Indians forget our martyr's, Indyeah in this hard hitting post - http://indyeahforever.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/a-nation-forgets/

Ugich tells us how google fascinates us bloggers !!! - http://kaimhanta.blogspot.com/2009/04/googlees-of-my-life.html

Best Off Beat Post :

http://impassionedchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/10/can-we-hear-sobs-of-tiny-voices.html

http://ki-jaana-main-kaun.blogspot.com/2009/10/26-years-ago-on-this-day-i-was-perky-7.html

Best Satirical Post :

A short post but one line that always stuck in my brain - By Solilo : http://mesoliloquy.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/what-were-they-thinking/

Best Visual Post (Photos, Cartoons, etc.)

By Sandhya a very gentle blogger who always comes up with the sweetest of posts, she just came up with a lovely life story of a bird family in her garden : http://maradhimanni.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-guests-in-our-garden-bird-family.html

Please do nominate them if you like them HERE :

Nomination list - 5 !!

2010-01-11T13:39:00.000+05:30

My list is getting longer and longer... but then I spend so much time here... and these people are the ones who make my time pleasurable... I dont read books but I read alright !!!! :D :D :D :D Cheers to all the lovely bloggers !!!!! :D :D

Best Off-beat post:

http://deepsspeakingup.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/reading-too-much-into-it/

Best Short Story:

http://shailsnest.com/wp/fiction/the-rejection/

Best How-to Post :

http://vlokam.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/my-first-post-on-cooking/

Best Short Story Post:

http://shailsnest.com/wp/fiction/i-am-a-ghost/

Best Travel Post :

http://thesongoflife.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/straight-from-gods-own-country/

Best Blog Design :
http://www.theselfloveproject.com/

Best Culinary Post :
http://umsreflections.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/dosa-lover/

Best Humourous Post :
http://konnotation.blogspot.com/2009/11/butt-of-all-jokes.html

Best Poetry Post :

http://partywithneha.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/i-still-love-you-and-it%E2%80%99s-not-a-cliche-nablopomo-post-23/

If you like these posts please nominate from your end too... if you think you have read better then send your nominations for your selection... but do nominate HERE :

list 4

2010-01-11T13:36:00.001+05:30

Folks have been busy with family over the weekend and now a lil work is coming up ! this is one list I had already prepared on saturday... More still to come !!!

Best Short Story Post

http://writerzblock.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/the-house-of-the-sunk-fiction/

By Pal – fiction at its best… she is my guru too !

http://mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/the-homecoming/

By Pixie – Fiction stories fascinate me.. a happy one this.. !

http://oorjas.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/secret-admirer/

By Oorja !

Best Movie Review Post :

http://rakeshzone.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/delhi-6-movie-review/

By Rakesh with an Indian heart from Dubai !!!! Rarely does he praise a movie.. !!!

http://indyeahforever.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/dilli-6/

By Indyeah… same movie… and it’s a review by a girl who knows the soul of Delhi !!!!

Most Interesting Personal Rant Post

http://shailsnest.com/wp/challenge/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-mother/

By Shail – the most intriguing blogger for me… !! do read this post about a mother who is a woman too !!!

http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/2009/06/cry-baby-cry.html

By Smita – no she aint crying yet !!!

http://churningthewordmill.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/we-wake-up-late-here/

By Mandira – only she can put up with the sanitizing her office came up with !!!

Most Humorous Post

http://mesoliloquy.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/bloggers-in-sachai-ka-saamna/

By Solilo – The funny Don, AGAIN tells you what is inside the hearts of the bloggers !!!!

http://www.whatay.com/2009/04/05/romance-%e0%a4%b9%e0%a5%80-romance/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+whatay%2FPosts+%28Domain+Maximus%29

By Sidin Vadikutt – Love in a friends life can be quite an event… Check it !

Best Visual Post (Photos, Cartoons, etc.)

http://lifesacomicstrip.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-know-what-you-did.html

By Meera Sapra – She knew what happened last summer ! Highly Recommended by me !

Best Culinery Post

http://mykitchenaroma.blogspot.com/2009/06/hyderabadi-dum-gosh-biryani.html

By Saritha - About my favourite Dish the Hyderabadi Biryani !

Best Poetry Post

http://questforheaven.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-reassurance.html

By Usha - My favourite poetess !!! How I wish she would get back to regular posting !!

http://partywithneha.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/just-a-lil’-piece/

By Neha - a lil piece of heart !

Best Personal Post

http://thatslifemyfriend.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-very-first-marriage-proposal-from-uk.html

By Ashwathi – About her first marriage proposal !!! and its funny alright !!!

http://tarabhatt.blogspot.com/2009/06/aur-mera-popat-ho-gaya.html

By Tara – uska popat ho gaya tha… read it here !!!!

Best Blog Design

http://prats.co.in/

By Prateek Gupta – I think it’s the most sleek of them all !!!

Please send your nominations HERE.

More still on the way... 6 days to go... and I have lots to dig !!!!!!!!!!!

Nomination list # 3

2010-01-11T13:32:00.000+05:30

Having proclaimed Quirky's post was almost a winner I suddenly remembered this one :

Best Satirical Post

http://whatnonsanz.blogspot.com/2009/09/tweet-that-wasnt.html

Tweet that wasnt - By Gopinath Manikurve : a class take on twitter and Tharoor !! and cattle !!!

Now for the best off beat post category and there are many here... but each is better than the other... and who knows I might add a few more... 9 days to go still !!!! ;)

Best Off-Beat Post :

1.) http://monikamanchanda.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/a-sunday-for-all-religions/

A sunday for all religions - By Monika : How simple things are difficult for us to understand.. This wonderful post is a simple lesson of life !!!

2.) http://indyeahforever.wordpress.com/2009/07/17/laicite/

Laicite - By Indyeah : about the Burqa ban in France and how banning is not a solution to anything AT ALL !!!!

3.) http://wordsndreamz.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/unharnessed-thinking/

Unharnessed thinking - By Smitha : about how raising kids means at times thinking out of the box !!! A must read for all parents !!!

4.) http://ramblingsbybones.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/i-dont-mind-being-a-bitch-sometimes/

I dont mind being a bitch sometimes - By Sraboney Ghose – about some words are conditioned in our brains and life beyond it !!!

5.) http://craftyshines.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/free-hugs/

Free Hugs - By Craftyshines : About how Hugs can actually make the world go around !

6.) http://kislaychandra.blogspot.com/2009/10/show-them-no-fear.html

Show them no fear - By Kislay Chandra : about Gandhiji a man we fail to understand !!!

7.) http://indianhomemaker.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/draupadi-sita-and-helen-of-troy/

Draupadi, Sita and Helen of Troy - By IHM : comparison of different cultures in a different way !!!

I insist you guys go read these posts... !! and if you like any of these please nominate them : HERE

You can also send in your own posts for nominations !!!! Grab the chance... its 9 days to go !!

Also watch this space for nominations for Best Humourous post ! Best Personal Post ! Best Personal Rant Post ! n more... !!!! :P :P

second list of nominations

2010-01-11T13:31:00.000+05:30

I hope you guys loved the first list... !! Do read them and if you feel they were good enough please do nominate them !!!

We all blog with great gusto and if we can get more recognition I am sure it would act as a wonderful shot in the arm. I think its the right sort of encouragement we can provide to our co-bloggers who also form a part of our daily lives almost !!!

While I am nominating these few I am sticking my neck out... but guys and more importantly girls :mrgreen: these are just a few that stuck and stayed in mind and only those posts that I read... there are many that were good or many I didnt read... so no offence meant... and none should be taken !!! These are just a few gems that stuck an impression in my mind and I would love if they get an award !!!! simple !!!

So for the second list of nominations first up two LEGENDS that I would love to nominate :

Most Disciplined Blogger

Ugich Konitari of Gappa !!! I simply love her posts and her dedication to blogging !!!!

Most Responsive Blogger

IHM – No one else but just her… in my opinion !!!

There also are a few category for which I have no clue what and whom to nominate, basically categories that dont interest me :

Best Consumer Rights Post

Best Book Review - I dont read book reviews mostly … so it wouldnt be fair for me to nominate anyone here… !

Best Music Review Post - Help here !!! I don’t know what to nominate ??? I would love to nominate in this category but I dont think I have read anything ... please leave links if you feel there are a few deserving ones... I would love to read !!! Go ahead be a show off and show me !!!

Best Tech Post - No clue whatsover !

And before we end this post here is one potential winner in the Satirical category according to me :

Best Satirical Post

Bijli Ya SEX !!

By Quirky Indian – The king of Satire !!!! - Read this its highly recommended by me !!!

Hurry only 9 days remain : Send in your nominations HERE

First list of my nominations for Avant Garde Bloggies Awards 2009

2009-12-16T17:35:00.001+05:30

Geez... selecting Nominations for the awards is a tougher job than it seemed... !! whilst making this I thought would people really read all my nominations and then I thought I would rather break up my nominations and put them at intervals so that all can be actually promoted too...

Please find below my nominations for the following categories

Best How-to Post

1.) 10 lol ways to get traffic to your blog - By Solilo – The funny Don gives a sneak peek into how bloggers think !!!

2.) the advanced guide to cutting your fingers - By Ordinary Guy – He shows how not to cut your fingers !!!! super post !

3.) swadisht khana sakshi ke saath - By Sakshi – Read this post to know how interesting can a cooking post be !

Best Public Interest Post

1.) from copy writer to con artist - By Crafty – Surprise Surprise but a serious post by none other than Crafty !!! Read it to believe how your normal sugar free can be deadly !!!!!

Most Beautiful Header

http://indyeahforever.wordpress.com/

Indyeah’s header designed by Chirag !!! This was the first time I got interested in headers !!!

Best About Me Page

http://quintessentialhope.wordpress.com/about/

OG – You must read this… !!!! The funniest it can get !!!! totally Kidilaan !!!!

As of now I reveal these favourites... the rest later so that actually people read it !!!!! Do read these... and if you find them interesting do nominate in the respective categories !!!!!

Send your nominations here. 10 days remain !!!

11 days to go...

2009-12-16T17:33:00.000+05:30

These days I just blog a hundred posts a day in my mind but still cant conjure one post on my blog !!! So whilst I am battling for my fingers to cut lose on the keyboard in the meanwhile scrabble has caught my fancy ! So whilst I keep beating my opponents in scrabbly I must tell you I am reading you all !!! Maybe not commenting but reading !!!!

Now as you all must be knowing by now...

The Avant Garde Bloggies Awards 2009

have kicked off... 11 days remain for sending in nominations... so come on if you havent sent it your enteries get going right away click on the event name hyperlinked and head for Poonam's blog and send in your nominations.

Also for a change be generous and dont just go about nominating yourself but also nominate posts that you loved reading !!!! Not only will it be a fitting accolade for the writer but also helps spread the word !!!!!

(pssst.. you can nominate me too... !! I aint gonna blow my own trumpet for a change !! :mrgreen: ;) )

and dont mind me not commenting these days... I m busy making a list of nominations to send !!!!!! Trust me it will be a looooooong one !!!!! :D :D :D :D

For your convinience here are the categories :

Post Awards

Best Short Story Post

Best Off-Beat Post

Best Book Review

Best Movie Review Post

Best Music Review Post

Best How-to Post

Most Interesting Personal Rant Post

Most Humorous Post

Best Satirical Post

Best Travel Post

Best Visual Post (Photos, Cartoons, etc.)

Best Culinery Post

Best Consumer Rights Post

Best Poetry Post

Best Tech Post

Best Public Interest Post

Best Personal Post

Blog Awards

Most Beautiful Header

Most Interesting Sidebar

Best About Me Page

Best Blog Design

Best Professional Blog

Most Disciplined Blogger

Most Networking Blogger

Most Responsive Blogger

life a learning curve

2009-12-16T17:25:00.001+05:30

The only reason kids listen & act upon their dads instructions more then their mom's is because they spend less time with each other and hence the kids can bear them a lil longer !!!!!

:| :| :| :| :|

a historic day

2009-12-16T17:23:00.000+05:30

Today India has been officially crowned No.1 in Tests and its a remarkable achievement for a team that has been consistent now for quite some time in Test Matches.

However before we get into celebration mode my heart misses the two chief architects of this great achievement :

These two are India's finest warriors and they have had a major role to play in shaping up Indian cricket where it is today. Also in the past 18 months these two were playing too... !!! Apart from their onfield performances which were truly legendary their contributions to all the players & Indian cricket is IMMEASURABLE !!!!!

The No.1 position surely must be dedicated to these two !!!

Celebrate India !!!!!

in pursuit of excellence

2009-12-15T14:37:00.000+05:30

There is a very thin line that separates the greats from the good.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni would do well to realise this fact. He has had a lot of success, he is going to take India to the world no. 1 spot in Test Rankings and I think this is the time to reflect upon.

I for once cannot fathom why would you bat on after you have already had a lead of 250 runs, you have had the opposition team fielding for over 5 sessions !!!! The Sri Lankan batsmen were tired as hell and thats when you want to bowl 10-20 overs at them !!!! But we batted till MS got his century !

I am very sorry but I thought Dhoni sent out a very wrong signal not only to the opposition but to his team as well... ! He should have declared early and made Sri Lanka face atleast 15 overs, why wouldnt you make things easy for your bowlers ?? the fast bowlers could have gone flat out for 5 overs each and come back refreshed again tomorrow morning !!!

As a guy who has played 3 day cricket I tell you its the worst thing to be made to bat in the last 10 overs after spending the whole day in the heat in the field !!! Dhoni obviously should know better !!!! Sri Lanka were in the field for over 5 sessions, if in any case he wanted to get the hundred he should have gone about faster... !!! Now in the next match when some other batsman will be at 80 and Dhoni will want to declare will he be able to do that ???

Also it would have sent a clear signal to the Lankan's that we are out to get you and that we dont care about milestones but we will make it most difficult for you to bat out this game. Why would you bowl just 3 overs and let them take a full nights rest ???? and let them come again fresh to bat the next day morning ?? Inexplicable.. and while we are winning no one will complaint but I was mighty disappointed !

Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble have done the job that Alan Border did for the Australian Team. While Border galvanised the Aussies, it was Taylor and Waugh who took them to a golden era !!!! Now its upto Dhoni to decide whether he wants to take the team higher and do what Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh did or even better them, which is what he should be ideally aiming for !!

Steve Waugh reveals in his book "Out of my comfort zone" that they made a conscious decision to raise the bar, they would attack at all times in the field, they would look to score at faster than 3 runs an over and they would try their best to annihilate the opposition !!!!

The problem with sport is you cant stay at the same level for long... so if Dhoni doesnt keep going up... he will go down... !! Excellence must be pursued at all times. Dhoni and his team together have to raise their bar, be more focussed, be more ruthless, be more and more intent on winning games.

India still has 2 days to win this match and in all likelihood they will win this match at a canter but the thin line that stands between us being the best and also ran is still to be crossed.

A skipper in cricket means a lot more than in any other sport. A cricket captain's personality straight away reflects on the team. When he is looking to win you will suddenly find the whole team's intensity goes up, at the same time when you see that the skipper is laid back, the team will also seem the same.

Steve Waugh was a very aggressive captain and in his quest of annihilating the opposition he would leave a door of oppurtunity for the opposition team. I can bet my bottom dollar that if in the 2001 Eden Test Match if Nasseer Hussain would have been captain of the Australian team instead of Steve Waugh, Laxman would never score 281 !!!! Simply coz after 3 boundaries Nasir Hussain would have had a sweeper cover and would not have allowed Laxman to hit those boundaries !!!!!

Aggressive cricket, apart from raising the bar will also make for interesting cricket to watch. India is at the threshold of becoming the best team in the world but it should be more than just about the rankings. Dhoni must set his sight at achieving feats that Tugga's team did, actually he must better them... he has the arsenal... does he have the will ??

My first scooter

2009-12-15T14:36:00.000+05:30

Just read this wonderful post about the old scooter by Sandhya and that just rekindled so many memories that I had .. well not forgotten but almost put in some corner of my mind.

It was the summer of 1999 and we finished college in May and I managed to sneak away and pass B.com in pass class, well its pass class in more decent language... in simpler terms its third class coz my percentage were below 50% !! :mrgreen: After B.com life was sort of fun... no studies... no job for a while.. and those days were truly bliss !!!! You can read more about them here

After spending about 2 months after the results just bhatkofying and trying to get admission in MBA somewhere, where they would admit a guy with less than 50% on Merit and without Donation, two elder cousins of mine got hold of me and told me, that Mom needs a helping hand and its hightime I start sharing her responsibilities and forget about MBA or anything... that I can do it in correspondence but get a job right away and start earning.

I had passed my B.com with Marketing Management as my special subject and that was simply a mask as in S.Y. & T.Y we didnt have to do A/c's if we took Marketing Management ! Numbers somehow gave me horrors so in second and third year of college I had only theory subjects !!!!! :D :D :D In my three years of college I attended 7 lectures !!!! yes 7 but most remarkably I never failed in my entire school life or college life nor did I ever get an ATKT. (ATKT = Allowed To Keep Term)

Eventually as I shakily thought of finding a job I realised I had no special skills and apart from communicating I didnt know anything else !!! :P :P :P So much for a graduate degree ! During College we used to do marketing for Computer classes and so that was something I had done... a friend told me to get into it... earlier in Baroda I had my cousin's bike to do the job but here in Bharuch I had no scooter and cycle would have killed my ego in front of the girls.. !! :mrgreen:

The most important tool for marketing was a two wheeler !!! No way could I ask Mom who was already stretching all nooks of hers in paying fees for me all my life and two younger bro's too.. !!!

However we went to an interview my friend Vineet set up in Aptech. The boss assured a salary of Rs. 1400 and Rs. 600 as petrol allowance for the first month and promised that he would increase after watching for a month !!!! Even our peon who used to serve us tea in that office then had a salary of Rs. 1500/- but still I took the job... !!! the next job was to look for a scooter... !!!

Help came from a friend Tejas, he had his Narmada 150 scooter that we used to use in school. It had been parked in his house for 3 years as he was using a Vespa NV that was quite a draw for us young collegians. Tejas said I could have the scooter for Rs. 2500/-

The Narmada 150 scooter was made by GNFC that was a failed project and the new scooters had already stopped being produced from the factory, when I went to get the scooter it was punctured in both wheels and the chasis of the scooter was totally gone... what I and Tejas had thought was I would take it to a garage and get it repaired... however when we saw the punctured tyre's we tried to open the nuts of the tyre.. but they were so rusted that they broke while we tried to open them... eventually we hired a tempo for Rs. 100 and put the scooter in the tempo and went off to the garage.

Tejas' Mom was kind enough to lend the scooter free... I was to pay him from my salary once it started... !!! :) :)

The repair bill was Rs. 1700/- which I borrowed from Mom !! and so started my career on the Narmada 150 bought in Rs.2500/-

After the end of the first month my boss was kind enough to keep his promise and raised my salary straight to Rs. 3300/- with Rs. 700/- as petrol allowance... plus INCENTIVES !!!!! :D :D :D :D The party of it was given in Bharuch's Shalimar Theatre in Balcony Delux seats with tickets costing about Rs. 15/- per head !!! ( those days seem so so far now... !! ) The first months salary came with an incentive of Rs. 2000/- as well !!!!! I got rid of all the dues in one month and I was well and truly on my way to independence !!!

After the repairs were done it was fine but the scooter would not stop giving me sporadic troubles many times thanks to some or the other dirt element in the carburator (hope the spelling is right) by the end of the year I was an expert in scooter repair... !!!! I could myself open most parts and repair it !!!! :P :P :P

Many a times it would run out of petrol and you would have to call from a P.C.O then !!! to a friend and tell him to come with a bottle of petrol !! Punctures were the worst as towing the scooter was really really hard... !!!

It was this scooter that I and Hetal would use to get away from our town, where everyone knew us, to loooong drives... just to be close to each other... !! Those days I was quite religious tooo and we would go to all sorts of mandir's and what not !!!! Thanks to Narmada river we had plenty of spots to drive too... !!! Most of them would be picked on the basis of how lonely the road was !!!!!!!!! ;)

I used that scooter for over three years for my job... everytime I would have to go out with friends they would always tell me to leave it... it wasnt the flashiest thing to be used... !!

Over the three year period I eventually found my job in USV where in my salary crossed the 5 figure mark and I bought a Hero Honda after taking a loan on basis of our Gas Connection from Gujarat Gas !!!! :D :D

For about 5 years or so after I bought my first bike the scooter stood in our compound, I was intent on not selling it... but lying in the compound and bearing the rains it started rusting a lot and eventually one day I sold it .. !! It was in such a bad shape that it was sold in scrap on weight !!! I got Rs 750 from that weight of the scrap !!!!

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Now that finally I have put up a post I would also like to draw your attention to this :

The Avant Garde Bloggies Awards 2009 are here... !!

So if there are bloggers you feel deserve special mention or their posts deserve awards... go ahead and click the link below and read all the rules & regulations :

Avant Garde Bloggies Awards 2009

The badges are designed by none other than Design Master Chirag, have a look at the badges : here :

Hurry last date for sending Nominations is 20th December !!!!!

Two tags

2009-12-15T14:28:00.000+05:30

One of the best ways of starting to blog again is tags I guess... and I m glad I was tagged by Gauri for the Honest Tag !!!! and how very apt that I was tagged for the honest tag ... eh... who else but me !!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Here it goes:

1.Where is your cell phone?

Near the Landline phone on my desk. :

2.Your hair?

silky and on my forehead... they just wont stay in their place.. ! :(

3.Your mother?

someone I want to keep happy for ever :)

4.Your father?

doesnt show emotions but I know he loves us a lot ! :)

5.Your favorite food?

cheese with bread... any sort (pizza, sandwich whatever) or samosa !! :D :D :D :D

6. Your dream last night?

I was back in Bharuch.... with my friends... :)

7. Your favorite drink?

Orange Juice.. or nimbu paani ! :D

8. Your dream / goal?

to retire with a farm house in the hills .. ! :)

9. What room are you in?

office :

10.Your hobby?

travelling to jungles and taking pics.. !! (havent been able to do much these days) :D :D

Would love to play cricket too... !! :D :D

11.Your fear?

my impatience.. ! :(

12.Where do you want to be in 6 years?

a lil more money... and a lil less weight... ! :D

13.Where were you last night?

home.. ! :

14.Something that you aren’t?

patient ! :(

15.Muffins?

well.. ok.. ! :P

16.Wish list item?

Right now a car...

17.Where did you grow up?

Mumbai, Jamnagar & Bharuch..

18.Last thing you did?

sent quotations to switzerland ! :(

19.What are you wearing?

boring trousers and shirt

20.Your TV?

BPL

21.Your pets?

no pets..

22.Friends?

Life !

23.Your life?

shaping up well.. !

24.Your mood?

happy

25.Missing someone?

Always missing Bharuch these days !

26.Vehicle?

Have a bike I hate.. and a Honda Dio... I m not a vehicle man !

27.Something you’re not wearing?

a cap

28.Your favorite store?

None really.. well if I had to pick one.. Reliance Big Flix... I rent DVD's from there !!!!

Your favorite color?

Blue

29.When was the last time you laughed?

actually last night !!!! at home !

30.Last time you cried?

dont ask... every emotional scene I see on tv I cry !! :(

31.Your best friend?

My wife !

32.One place that you go to over and over?

Corbett !

33.One person who emails me regularly?

Crafty !

34.Favorite place to eat?

Too many ! but right now I want to go to McDonalds... and munch a burger.. I forgot my tiffin too !!!!

Honestly I tag none... if you want you can take up this tag !!!!!!

---

now for Shilpa's tag where in I am supposed to write down my bucket list. I myself am a bundle of desires and I can never sit down to write this list... coz it means an endless list... !!! I just have way too many desires... I ll let you have 5 here.. !!

1.) Go trekking in Congo's rain forests with my biwi and bacha !! :D :D

2.) Leave home in my own car with my wife without any itineary and no plans of return... for a loooooooong holiday and go wherever it feels like and do whatever it feels like for atleast a month !!!!!!! without worrying about money !!!! :P :P

3.) Build a small farm house... if not in Manali or Corbett... in Bharuch... we have a lot of country side in the interiors, even forests and it seriously is a plan to buy some place and have a farm !!!!! :) :)

4.) Drive to Ladakh with friends on a Guys only trip for a 20-25 day trip !!!!!!! :mrgreen:

5.) Watch India vs Australia Test Match at Perth on a Green Hard Track where the ball flies !!!!! :D :D

Bhankas

2009-12-15T14:27:00.000+05:30

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjYga6QBu4&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

I dont know what is it about this song that I am always, almost perenially humming this song... !!!!!! It just is always around the corner of my lips !!!!!!!

SIGH !!!!! just listen to it... and I bet it wont leave your lips for the day !!! :mrgreen:

The star attraction of my blog is

2009-12-02T13:52:00.000+05:30

Header : courtesy Meera - Thanks a lot !!!!!!!

No its not Sushmita, so what if over 1500 hits on my blog have been people searching for her and not its not Angelina Jolie or Sharone stone either...

.

make no mistake about the fact that the biggest attraction of my blog are my tales with my biwi who is the biggest star for me !!! :D :D I have also seen that its these posts that get the maximum response !!!! :P :P

.

Tomorrow I complete 8 years of marriage with her and its been a fantastic journey... all along there are countless moments to treasure. Marrying your best friend in a way helps in a lot of ways but mostly coz you dont have to please her or impress her to win her over :P :P infact you can spend most of the time pulling her legs :P :P the flipside is sometimes getting your own pulled too... :(

.

The years have largely been fun and more often than not we are always trying to win points in conversations always trying our hand at dry sarcasm and humour... Make no mistake about it I have won way too many such conversations with her and my humour is definitely better than hers !!!!! and MOST definitely more drier !!!! :twisted:

.

the one disadvantage is you can't boast about your past to others with the best friend around as she can always foil your plans by telling ur friends that he is kidding :cry: Imagine the ignominy :( :( !!!!! (friends suddenly term you as PHENKU !!!! :cry: )

.

Anyways coming back to the point over a period of time I have always written my best friend, my wife coz I simply love her a lot and she is always in my mind. So I just want her to read a few of the old posts that were dedicated to her... !! ( also incase you have missed any, dig IN !! ;) )

.

I wrote poems for her too !!!!!!

1.) Love

simply the story of me and my best friend !!

2.) Lonely without you

rhyming while missing her and definitely not her housekeeping !!! (geez people never trusted me)

.

An Instance when the male insensitivites take over :

3.) Whats in the heart must be brought to the lips

apart from being a best friend, she is the most caring wife one could ever hope for..

.

Poems and love apart... our relationship is largely about Salt and Pepper moments of life !!! Its Spicy !!!

4.) tail firmly between the legs

about how dominantly this lady has been treating her poor husband

5.) his n hers

A few 55 word fiction stories to showcase our quibbles and dedication to winning over each other... :P :P :mrgreen:

6.) sniff sniff

marriage is not just about fun... its about tears... and how wive's squeeze them out of their husbands !!! :(

And least but not the least... my high expecations while marrying my best friend were about getting a fat Dowry !!! I mean pataoing a Senior Managerial post ka Aadmi's daughter must yield some sort of rewards dont you think ??? Bangla ?? Gaadi ?? Kuch to milna hi chahiye na ???

Well well well... this is one post about my high hopes of dowry and them crashing completely :

7.) The Dowry that went Awry

This is a sad post that most find hillarious... the world has no compassion I tell ya... !! Incidentally I have also entered this post as my entry in the Most Masaledaar Event - Humour category contest at Indiblogger. Suggest you guys also go and vote for it !!! I mean if you actually like it !!!! :P :P

Finally before I sign off here is a song for my biwi... I used to sing this a lot to woo her in the days of me trying to patao her... it worked... she wont agree it worked, she insists she pataoed me, since it was she who proposed me... but who will explain the lil kid that she was made to do every thing she did... She simply played into my hands !!!!! :mrgreen: :lol:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQAA_q9MgzM]

Thank God Man Ka Meet Mil Gaya !!!!!!

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart !!!!

The flame still flickers

2009-11-30T12:10:00.000+05:30

I wrote this poem last year on 5th December when it seemed India was very fast starting to cool off and starting to forget 26/11.

Darkness spreads,
moon starts to shine,
twinkling stars are the audience,

breeze brings chills,
the flame flickers,
wax melting,

the flame flickers,
fighting against over powering odds,
weakening as the breeze picks up...

More hands needed,
More cover needed,

We shall be the shields...
We shall be the knights...

One year has since passed but the flame in our hearts still flickers...

Fevicol bachon ke khelne ki cheez nahi...

2009-11-28T10:19:00.002+05:30

Beware before using Fevicol... Janmo Janam tak saath nahi chodenga.. !!!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJHnRNhdTgU&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

I absolutely love this ad... !! Fevicol always comes up with the best... and the background has been sung by some child artist... I m not sure who it is has a really really wonderful voice !!!!

this is specially for Nri' friends who cant see this ad !!!!

listening Sakshi ????

:) :D

p.s. - Awesomely busy so wont be in touch... !!! but will come back soon !!

temporary memory loss

2009-11-26T11:47:00.001+05:30

Almost all the times I am humming some tune or some song... many times I hum a song and it strikes I dont have that song... and I mentally make a note that I want to download that song.. !!

however whenever I reach a cd store or a download site I just cant remember which was the song I wanted... sigh..

just now I m trying to download a song that I was humming yesterday evening but now I cant remember... pah..

does it happen to you ?? or m i growing so old ?? :(

the other most funny thing is when discussing with friends or wife suddenly we come to a juncture where we can visualise a song but cant get the lyrics.. like this one instance with my friend...

he : hey do you remember that song,
me : which ?
he : that song its very nice..
me : which ?
he : arre... it was on the tip of my tongue...
me : whos in the movie...
he : vinod khanna...
me : heroine ??
he : arre.. I dont know her name... but not very famous.. she has hazel eyes.. ! :|
me : who else...
he : arre yaar... its a sad song.. it was ... shit I cant recall... !!!
me : :mad: who else is in the movie.. ??
he : cant remember... !!!

then 2 hours later that guy calls me up and tells me.. "there is asrani in the movie and shatrughan sinha tooo !!!!"

excitedly I ask, "is meena kumari also there in the movie ???"

he : yes yes... old lady...

Abe Saale.... pehla bolna tha na... Sun !!!

Koi hota jisko apna, hum apna keh lete yaaro... paas nahi to door hi hota... lekin koi mera apna !!!!!! from Mere Apne movie !!!!!

if this situation happens in front of me... Geez... I cant sleep or do anything till I remember that song !!!!!!! And this friend of mine is also like that... its like we lose sleep till we dont guess that song...

does it happen to you too ?????

Parsi dish called - "Akuri"

2009-11-21T12:16:00.000+05:30

This Sunday I donned the chef hat and fed dinner to biwi... here is the recipe.. that I had to share since long... I dont know if its common but still !!!

I come from a Jain family and hence cooking Eggs is not easy, while it was impossible in Bharuch with my mom, who would surely kick me out of her house if she knew I eat Eggs !!!!

The other police in my Indore house now is my son... I and my wife are terrified of the thought if he suddenly tells my mom about the eggs !!!!!

Neways... This is egg bhurji. I dont know if its something new or not, I used to think its pretty common but anyways... !! This is originally a dish that was first brought to Gujarat by the Parsi's !! They call it "Akuri" in Bharuch it is known as Bhurji !! I must her also claim that Bharuch Laaris (street hawkers) serve the best bhurji in the world. Also I recommend it to be cooked in oil and not in ghee or butter as that makes it sweet. Bhurji in Bharuch is a spicy spicy dish !!!!

here we go...

first get the eggs in a manner that my son cannot see... finally when my wife couldnt locate any space... she decided her purse is the best place to hide them !!!! :P :P :P

Then the veggies that biwi had cut in advance, normally I do it but since I chopped the salad in the morning she did it this time :) :) :

Then fry the onions, a couple of garlic flakes, ginger and green chillies in oil till golden brown on a slow flame... while doing this I broke 3 eggs in a bowl and added a spoon of milk to it and whisked them away to glory !!! I love breaking eggs and whisking them... there is a pleasure in it that is hard to explain :P :P :P

I just love doing this with a wooden then add the tomatoes and fry them with red chilli powder, salt, turmeric and garam masala as per taste... take my advice.. the spicier the better !!! :P :P :P

this is after adding the masala's !!!!

after adding the three eggs this is how it looks like... you gotta constant stir it softly and give it a feel like a scrambled egg !!

and than garnish it with coriander leaves !!!!!! tell me does it look delicious ?? :P :P :P :P

This is how I served it to her !!!!! You can eat it with Roti / Paratha / Bread / Toast !!!!

one more pic with the ketchup bottle although we didnt use it... the colours look nice in the pic.. !!

and finally the proof that we finished it off with the help of a few slices of bread that were roasted in butter !!! I loved adding lemon to most things and I did squeeze a bit in my part !!!!!!! :P :P :P ;)

A very dear friend of mine who is busy in her son's wedding sent me this recipe which is authenticated as she is a Parsi. This is her method :

plain egg akuri (its not bharuchi akuri).Chop 3 onions finely.

Fry them in 2 tbsp ghee/butter (or oil will also do) till golden brown.

Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 chopped tomato

3 chopped green chillies

few sprigs of chopped coriander

1/4 tsp red chilly powder

1/4 or less turmeric powder and fry all this for few mins

Cook till all of it is mixed properly on low heat.

Take three eggs and beat them in a bowl add salt and 3 tbs of milk if desired.

add them to the mixture and stir on low heat till desired thickness (like scrambled eggs)

Serve hot with plain bread or on toast.

Enjoy :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

go to sleep will ya !

2009-11-19T15:57:00.001+05:30

“Okay Okay its over now, I m going to sleep Good Night!!!”

“Arree… but we forgot long nosed tree snake, where does it live ?”

Now that is after telling him names of all animals that exist according to my knowledge in India, Asia, Africa, Australia, Amazon and America !!!

No don’t you think its easy, its not just animals, the names of the animals are to be followed by birds, reptiles and insects too for each destination. We are fair to all no discrimination between animals, birds, reptiles and insects tooo… !!!!!! :|

watch what u say... - they are hearing you !!!

2009-11-19T15:55:00.000+05:30

I couldnt sleep with this churning in my mind, I wanted to start this post with some choicest abuses and even wanted to title the post as something outrageously foul but the saner me or should I say the cynic in me or the coward in me was fearing. You never know you could be facing a law suite or even worse they would threaten me to tender an apology on my blog or else they would spam my blog (their rotten minds could well think of it)... they could even threaten me to beat me up and throw me out of my house if I did not tender an apology and hence I had to use the nicer or should I say the more milder language.

When big celebrities and definitely more powerful people than me like Amitabh's, Karan Johar's can immediately bow down and apologise for crimes they didnt commit... alas the common me has no scope to voice his opinion does he ??

When the whole world is busy singing Sachin's praises at his completing 20 years some lunatic journalist asks a ridiculous question to which Sachin gives a most logical and most simple answer is being dragged into a controversy by some idiot who thinks Mumbai is his property.

The biggest sucker of them all is the media who will now let the idiot have all the lime light in the world by highlighting this over and over again. No matter how disgusted Arnab is with the speaker on his channel he will still invite him and actually provide a platform for them to spit their venom.

Isnt this what is happening, the idiots arent that silly after all, they are using the celebrities for instant fame. Target or malign a celebrity, rake up a controversy, the suckers (read media) will then harp day and night about how and what happened. They will invite the idiots on their channel and give them what they desire the most, VISIBILITY !!

Ideally Sachin should not be responding to this, Sachin is as Maharashtrian as any Maratha man is and incidentally he is also as Indian as any Indian can be, the poor guy is just busy playing his game, but they wont leave him alone, coz he is their ticket to more limelight !!!!!

Elephants always carry on in their merry way worrying about their own job and never mind the barking dogs. But really some one needs to turn around and give these dogs a real piece of their mind.

How much is too much ??

ten of tendlya !

2009-11-18T13:44:00.001+05:30

Part - II

Like I said in my last post its impossible to list down all Sachin moments !! The joys Sachin has provided to Indian cricket lovers cannot be measured... they are simply way too many, however I am gonna try and point out Ten moments of Tendlya that are most clearly etched in my mind !

1.) He sledged too !!

As surprising as it sounds it is true and though not a lot of people know of this but at one point in life Sachin initiated sledging and the receipient of all people was none other than Glenn Mcgrath !!!!!

It was the knockout world cup in Nairobi with Ganguly the new captain and India was entering a new era, Dada always encouraged his players to talk back to the opponents. Mcgrath was bowling well in the opening overs and Sachin and Sourav were opening and Sachin told Sourav we need to unsettle him and Sachin charged down the track and hit Mcgrath for a scorching boundary down the ground and said something to him. This was unusual for Sachin to say something without being provoked. Next ball Mcgrath was treated again disdainfully and this time again Sachin charged him and the ball went soaring down the ground for six and typically Mcgrath went for a bouncer which was promptly & disdainfully hooked for a massive six that went sailing out of the stadium after which Mcgrath looked at Sachin & Sachin said "@#$@ off and bowl" !!!! I saw his lips on TV and I am sure that were the exact words in his mouth !!!

Mcgrath and Aussies were rattled... though Sachin scored only 37 odd runs but he did the damage psychologically, Mcgrath and Aussies were taken aback by this fiery attitude !!! All along they had only been giving it to the Indians suddenly they were getting it back. This match also marked the entry of Yuvraj who smacked a sparkling 80. But for me this match will always be remembered for Sachin taking Mcgrath by the Scruff of the neck. I have always thought Sachin needed to treat Mcgrath a lot like this. Those 4-5 shots in that match will always remain etched in my memory !

2.) Let me Open !

If ever an injury was a blessing this was it, 27th March, 1994 at Eden Park, Auckland it was Najyot Singh Sidhu who got injured and India were chasing a moderate 146 on a seaming track. Sachin approached Azhar and Ajit Wadekar, the skipper and manager on that tour and asked if he could open.

He also told them if he failed he would never come to them again !!!!

What followed till this day is hair raising for me early in the morning I remember the bold strokes and the mauling the Kiwi bowlers received. Sachin was on an express train and he demolished the Kiwi bowlers and an opener was born !!! Till day I can never forget the exhilaration I felt watching him open and tear the bowling apart !!! That was the beginning of a long journey for Sachin as an Indian opener, a journey that has been most exciting and spell bounding !

3.) The master v/s the wizard

The world has never seen anything like Shane Warne, a leg spinner par excellence a total freak a genius !!! Imagine if a guy who spins the ball 2 feet on any surface comes of all places to India where the pitches are slow and grip and dodgy with the bounce, it can be a batsman's worst nightmare come true.

The year was 1998 and Mark Taylor's Australia came to India looking for a test series win that eluded them since many years. In a tour match before the tests Sachin made a double century for Mumbai against the Aussies and Mumbai defeated Australia in a 4 day match !!!!

The first match started in Chennai and I remember how the contest was billed as Sachin v/s Warne and all Indians expected Sachin to smash Warne and in the first innnings Sachin hit Warne for a boundary off the first ball he faced and the crowd was in raptures... before the crowd could settle Warney had Sachin guiding one ball in the hands of Mark Taylor at first slip and you could hear a pin drop in Chennai !!

The wizard cast his spell.. it was ominous... Sachin was out for just 4 !!!!

In second innings India was 77 runs in the arrears, Sachin joined Dravid with India just 44 runs ahead and it was all resting on Sachin's shoulders.

This innings for me is one of the best I have ever seen against spin bowling. Warne couldnt get Sachin out early and Warne himself claims that he goes around the wicket only when he is in his most aggressive frame of mind. From around the wicket Warne was bowling in the rough in the second innings with the ball spinning almost 3 feet at times. But Sachin in his most aggressive mode would continuously slog sweep Warne over the midwicket fence. This innings was a sparkling effort and the shots in the match were breathtaking and nerve wrecking. I remember all the times I was at tenterhooks and nervous that he is going to hit one in the air and its gonna be all over... but amazingly he scored a 155 not out and there are no words to describe this assault on Warne. This innings won us the Test Match and the tone for the series was set !!!!

Important to note though is that before this match Sachin had practised with Laxman Sivramana Krishnan, former Indian legspinner, after digging up the area outside the leg stump and asking him to bowl in the rough. Just goes to show that inspite of the God given gifts and natural talent the guy is a thinker and above all a real hardworker who will put in all to serve his country !!!!

4.) A team man to the core...

While in Sharjah it was usual for India to lose to Pakistan ever since Javed Miandad struck that six off Chetan Sharma, this stadium was jinxed for India. It was in 1996 in an ODI match when Sachin batted magnificiently for a century and had a big partnership with Sidhu. In the end overs India seem to have lost its way with Sachin out and Sidhu run out.

The Indian skipper then Azhar was feeling very low and promoted even Srinath above him to slog. It was here that Sachin went and sat next to his skipper and reassured him and asked him to just go in and give his best and the pep talk seemed to have done wonders as Azhar went in and bludgeoned the hapless Ata ur Rehman and returned with a 10 ball 29 and India crossed the 300 mark for the first time in ODI's and finally the jinx in Sharjah was broken !!!! Again a Sachin Century !!!

Sachin was not just a batsman, above all he was a team man, even if you ask Sachin he wants to be remembered as a team man more than a batsman !!!! :)

5.) The inferno at Sharjah

This innings is one of the biggest memories all around the world about Sachin and I guess everyone knows enough about this. The way Tony Greig would scream when Sachin would pelt six after six of the hapless Aussie bowlers is now permanently stored in the hearts of all cricket fans.

Cricket is a team game... but amazingly these were two innings where an individual simply bludgeoned the opposition lone handedly.

6.) The World Champs Conquered

I dont know how many consider this as an achievement of Sachin, rather lots consider it a team effort. But I am sure for Sachin it was most special to win the Carlton and United series in Australia last year. Not just they win this series but Sachin scored in both finals and I feel this was a very very satisfying performance at the end of a tumultous tour.

The difference in this series though was apart from Sachin all other players in the team played above their potential under a young skipper who is most admired by Sachin himself !

The silver lining of this series was Sachin's century in the final where he shephered the youngsters around and did not let the hard work go down !!!!

7.) The blitz in Centurion

In the 2003 world cup we witnessed a match that was overly hyped, people didnt mind if India didnt win this world cup but they badly wanted team India to win the duel between the arch rivals. The atmosphere was electric the crowd was amazing and the stage set.

Set 270 odd to win Sachin and Sehwag tore into the Pakistani bowling, while Sehwag went early Sachin smashed his way to a match winning 98. For the masses this was a sensational innings as Sachin smashed the arch rival bowlers Waqar, Wasim & Shoaib was a treat that can be watched over and over again !!!

The celebrations that night were something that I have never seen till date !!!! :D :D

8.) Is the ground pretty of my innnings ???

One of the most pretty grounds in the world is the Newlands in Cape town with the table mountain as a back drop. India's performance in South Africa always has been pathetic however on one afternoon after lunch Sachin and Azhar set about taking the Proteas bowlers to task.

I must say I am yet to see such attack by batsmen in a test match on lead bowlers of an opposition team. While Azhar threw the bat hard Sachin was perfection always in perfect position matching stroke for stroke. Both the guys batted like a dream with each over leaking 2-3 boundaries and the rate at which the runs came with a team that was so much under the hammer in that entire tour was unbelievable.

Sachin in this innings just showed the youngsters back then Rahul & Sourav in the team that there was no demon in the Proteas attack. A fantastic innings on a fast track against 4 fast bowlers !!!

At the end I am sure people must be wondering if the innings was prettier or the ground !!!

9) There is a freak in me too !!!

If I think there is one thing that Sachin has not given proper attention to its his leg spin. He is a very very talented leg spinner and there is a lot of potential there but Sachin has always not given it enough time. As a legspinner Sachin is very very underrated !!!!

I still remember his two wickets in 2001 in Eden Gardens when the team badly needed it. Had India not won that match at Eden Gardens I am sure Indian cricket would not be where it is today.

Another instance was in an Odi at Kochi where Australia was at 203 for 3 in the 31st over chasing India's 310 run target where Sachin was introduced and he picked up 5 wickets to turn the match.

It was during this time that Warne said that Sachin gave him nightmares... I wonder if some Aussie batsman quietly thanked the fact that Sachin wasnt bowling enough ! :P

I immensely enjoy watching him bowl and unlike his batting where he is in total control of his emotions he shows a lot more emotions when he bowls. There is almost a small kid like excitement in him, he smiles a lot and he gets really hyper when he bowls !!!! :D :D :D

10) If we could bring a smile on the faces of people we would consider ourselves lucky !!!!

The England test match in chennai in a lot of ways was an unbelievably special moment in his 20 year career. The circumstances before that match with the November attacks in Mumbai and the match started amidst glum moments add to that India was set an unlikely 387 in the fourth innings on a fast deteriorating Chennai track.

The going was tough but Virender Sehwag on the fourth evening went hell for leather leaving the English bowlers worried. But when Sehwag fell the score read 117/1. Dravid fell and the score read 147/2 with Sachin walking in... It was Dejavu and it remined of that Match against Pakistan in this very ground when Sachin failed to get India over the line.

In my heart a sinking feeling that its not impossible but improbable, time and again we have been there and not achieved the same in the 4th innings but Sachin had different idea's and he along with Gambhir, Laxman & Yuvraj sealed the deal for India and chased down a near impossible target !!!!

After the match Sachin who was unbeaten at the end of the match dedicated the victory to the people who lost their lives in the attack in Mumbai. He simply said that if we managed to bring even a small smile on the faces of people we would consider ourselves lucky.

Just goes to tell you Cricket is much more than a sport in India !!!!

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These are my favourite 10 memories not in any particular order.

One must keep in mind when discussing Sachin Tendulkar as a batsman that cricket is a team game. Purely from a batting perspective he is the most perfect batsman I have seen. People must understand that for a guy who was born in the subcontinent this man has scored tons of runs in Australia, a true test of a batsman from the subcontinent. He is an excellent runner between wickets a very safe and agile fielder even today at 37, a medium pacer in his early days now a leg-spinner, a former captain and the most dedicated servant of Indian cricket.

There are not enough superlatives in my dictionary to describe Sachin. But I must say this Sachin is a batsman par excellence, the most precious team man and a son India prides upon !!!! May he score many more runs and end his career with the 2011 world cup which I am sure is in his mind !!!!

Image Source : Google

A joy called Sachin !

2009-11-14T11:39:00.001+05:30

The journey begins...

I was 12 years old then as I sat on the dining table of my Mama's house watching my cousin another cricket freak read the Indian Express and telling his dad, "this kid has just scored a century in the Irani Trophy Final, he will be in our team soon."

That was the first I heard of the marvel named Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. At 15 years in Ranji Debut he scored a century, in his debut in Deodhar trophy he again scored a century and ended his first Ranji season as Mumbai's highest run scorer. In the ensuing Irani Trophy final he again scored a century !!!!!!!!!

The writing was on the wall and Sachin was on the plane to Pakistan to play against the worlds best pace attack in their own den.

A 16 year old kid was off to live a dream it might seem but hey he was off to Pakistan of all places to face Wasim, Waqar and Imran backed with Abdul Qadir !!!! Whilst I honestly wasnt a very keen cricket follower then... I still marvel at the stories from that tour... the series was fought hard and in the last test at Sialkot it was 38/4 with India leading by 100 odd runs in their second innings. Suddenly the series had come alive... Pakistan could win..

In walked the 16 year old at 38/4... it was like being thrown to the wolves... Akram, Imran and Waqar let it rip. Sachin discovered fast that international cricket on the field was the last place to find friends as the pace bowling trio bounced Sachin constantly and one from Waqar found its mark, only Srikanth and Sachin in that match batted in a helmet without a grill and Sachin paid the price. He was struck flush on his nose and was bleeding profusely...

As the physio checked Sachin, Sidhu put an arm on Sachin the 16 year old simply said, "Paaji Main Khelenga !!"

That one line even today tells me that age is only a number, this 16 year old had a heart of a full grown man !!!! At one point the umpire Holder in that match had to warn Akram for persistent short pitched bowling. Sachin and Sidhu saved that match and it ended in a draw.

First test series ended with 215 runs at an average of 35 odd runs !!!

In the only ODI on that trip Sachin made a duck on debut... !!

That entire trip of Pakistan was marred by unruly crowd behaviour that would pelt orange peels and stones on the Indian players on the field. I particularly remember this one charity match in Peshawar where the crowd jeered and taunted Sachin and came with posters citing,"Sachin go back and have milk".

It was during this match that Sachin hit Mustaq Ahmed for 2 sixes in an over, this led to Abdul Qadir the mentor of Mustq Ahmed to taunt Sachin, "Bache ko kya maar rahe ho, hume maar ke dikhao"

Sachin didnt reply to Qadir, but when Qadir came to bowl, Sachin hit him for 6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6. Yes 28 runs in an over and that was it !! The kid had arrived well and truly. The champion legspinner from Pakistan had been hit and his ego badly bruised.

Incidentally this is when I fell in love with this magnificient game cricket for the first time in life, suddenly my hero Diego Maradona had just been replaced by another curly wonder boy Sachin !!!!!

As a kid I had always heard stories of Perth from my dad and my cousin about how fast a track it was and how bouncy the pitch there was. Sachin on his first tour of Australia made a century in Sydney in 1992 along with Ravi Shashtri who made a double century. Sydney though was the only track in Australia that came even remotely close to India in bounce. Everyone from cricket greats to a lil fan in me wanted to see how we batted in Perth, THE WORLDS FASTEST PITCH.

Australia was armed with Craig Mcdermott, Michael Whitney, Merv Hughes & Paul Reifel and they were raring to go on a green WACA wicket after the Australians scored 350 odd in the first innings Sachin walked in at 69-2...

For a player from the subcontinent this was his biggest test, the worlds fastest pitch against 4 pronged fast bowling attack this was the moment of truth for the guy and he smashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground. He made 118 of the best quality and till date I have not seen such square cutting by any player on such a lively track !!!!!

This led to Merv Hughes telling the Aussie captain Allan Border, "This lil prick is going to score more runs than you !!!!"

After establishing himself in the hearts of all Indians at the end of the Pakistan tour, it was here in 1992 where Sachin established himself as a cricketer that the whole world watched. The Benaud's, the Chappell's, the Richards, the Lawry's, the Greig's all took notice of the innings in Perth.

The long journey in international cricket which had loads of accolades and a few brickbats was just beginning for this shy lad from Mumbai, he had established himself and the next decade or two would be when the world would watch him !!!!

From that day to today Sachin has travelled a long distance giving us endless memories and hundreds of moments of ecstacy !!!

On Sunday, 15th of November, Sachin completes 20 years in international cricket with his 160th test match for his beloved India. Over the past 20 years Sachin has given us endless memories, endless reasons to smile on a day when things havent gone well its Sachin's batting that can lift your mood !!!!

Its almost impossible to list all of Sachin's moments but I will try to list a few more of his memories that I think are special but that will be in part II of this post !!!!

Contd...

testing...

2009-11-01T10:57:00.000+05:30

In walks the lil champ…

Mom : Hi !

Kid : Hey !!

Mom : how was you day ?

Kid : Good !

Mom : Good or very good ?

Kid : Very Good !!!

Mom : Why ? What happened ??

Kid : I was left out of the annual day dance Yay… !!

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The guy has totally taken mine & my biwi’s genes… he was thrilled that he had been removed from his school annual day dance… he finds it utterly silly to turn around and have hands on hips… he along with 5 other girls and boys were removed yesterday from the dance and the kid was just relieved !!!!

On inquiring today his teacher said… aiyoo… he just doesnt have a dancing bone in his body !!!!!

I couldnt help chuckling when my wife narrated this incident to me !!!!

Shifted to Wordpress

2009-04-03T10:22:00.002+05:30

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