The search for India’s Michael Clarke

At the outset it seems a premature topic to write upon. A lot of you might think, why so soon..? Considering what Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done over the past few years some might think this is outright rubbish. But in the midst of enjoying a "Captaincy Calm" phase and a bright set of youngsters knocking on the selection door, we must not fail to realize that barely any of the bright young talents are captaincy materials. India must do similar to what Australia did with Michael Clarke. They have to find a good player who can also be a captaincy material and groom him. As much as captaincy is about instinct, a lot of it can be thought as well. Let’s look at the options.
He has been handed the ODI captaincy in Dhoni’s absence, but Suresh Raina has not showed great promise as a captain. He is more of a text book captain and lacks imagination to improvise and create a result out of tense situation. He needs to play and captain in domestic games to convince every one of his leadership abilities.
He might be credited for changes the fortunes of the Kolkata Knight Riders but Gautam Gambhir still has so much to prove as a captain. His temperament resembles more like that of a manager in a software company. Bossy, Orders, always angry and always complaining. The emotions that he shows on the field are quite not Gangulyesque as what some might think he is. This was on full display during the IPL where KKR rose and fell with his temperament. Plus his age is against him.
So that pretty much leaves with one choice and that’s Virat Kohli. He is young, confident and brash much like how Clarke was when he started. A lot of experts feel he has what it takes to be captain. His attitude is a problem although he has worked on it significantly. He did a fair job as a stand in captain for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. But then a lot more needs to be done and this is where BCCI can help by giving him more responsibilities and making him change his attitude to suit the needs of the team.
Personalities like Saurav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are excellent captains and outstanding leader of men. India has been extremely lucky that they had and still have an outstanding set of senior batsman and led by capable men. But its time BCCI realize that may not be third time lucky to get a brilliant leader out of nowhere. They have a mould one.
Will BCCI do a Cricket Australia..?

IPL4 – Champs all the way

Let’s face it; this has been the boring of all IPL’s. It proved that not even IPL can top a World Cup Win. But beyond the Cricket overkill and the seemingly unstoppable no of lop sided games (Including the final) the real reason for the IPL flop show is the lack of quality in the teams. So it’s ironic that season 4 is won by the team that processed the best of all round qualities, the Chennai Super Kings.

Bangalore relied too much on Chris Gayle, Punjab left too much to do in the end, the newbies threatened for a bit and faded away, Mumbai and Rajasthan were inconsistent and Kolkata rose and fell with Gautham Gambhir’s temperament. Delhi and Deccan… Well… No comments. Perhaps Chennai’s victory is best summed up by Harsha Bhogle’s tweet after the match

“Eventually the best team, the best organized, the best selected and the best led won the IPL and that is how it should be”

An in depth analysis will reveal that CSK is also the team that had fewer distractions from their job of playing cricket. No controversies, No spotlight grabbing owners, No glamour. They won because they played Cricket and one that is of the highest quality. Their batsmen and bowlers did not top the list yet contributed collectively. The fielding was of the highest standard and led by a magnificent captain and a shrewd coach. In fact CSK’s victory was sealed in the transfer market (I prefer the term to the much cheaper sounding, auction) when they bought most of their own players back. I had predicted that it’s going to be CSK all the way and that’s exactly it turned out to be. This is what happens when you have team owners who are involved in Cricket for the past 60 years. It feels proud to be a CSK fan.

Much of IPL’s lack of quality is because of the organizing. Four years running and there is not a single defining rivalry in IPL. The quality would be much better if they let clubs (Again, a better term than franchisees) build their own teams through transfer market rather than stupid auctions. Only then we will be able to see a healthy rivalry and contests like Manchester United-Liverpool or Real Madrid-Barcelona in the IPL. CSK showed that IPL can only be won by quality, not glamour and glitz or star studded players. It’s about time other teams follow suit. Until then IPL will continue to be a grand circus.

Short and Sweet, The best team won IPL Season 4… Period..!

CSK ku Wistle Podu

India the World Champions – Reflections of the monumental triumph

“He (Sachin) has been carrying the burden for 21 years, it time we carry him”

(Virat Kohli sums up what’s been an emotional world cup victory for India).

The best team in the tournament won the World Cup. Make no mistake about it. Along the way India huffed & puffed against England, choked (!) against South Africa but peaked at the right time to beat 4 former world champions on the trot to win Cricket’s most coveted prize, giving India’s greatest cricketer what’s been his due for a long time.

It wasn’t an Australia like domination from India but a very determined one, much like how they are holding on to their No.1 spot in tests. And who would want an Aussie like domination anyway? I find it boring. India played with so much resolve and their biggest motivation was most rightfully, Sachin Tendulkar. After what he has done for the team for 22 years & after 6 world cup appearances, team India gave him the ultimate prize.

The batting was always going to be the strong point. But it didn’t quite set the tournament on fire. Yet it was so strong that the slips ups didn’t cost much. The bowling after being under so much criticism improved leaps and bounds. Zaheer led the way and well supported by Yuvraj. But yet, Harbhajan needs a lot of improvement and a Yuvraj like treatment needs to be given to him. The fielding took an entire different picture once Raina came into the team. Some of the ground fielding in the final was outstanding to say the least.

The transformation of Yuvraj Singh from a mercurial basher to a matured all rounder has been the talk of the World Cup. No wonder its Sachin who’s behind this transformation. I also liked the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni handled him. Dhoni the captain has to be given a good share of credit for the win. His methods and decision hasn’t been very popular, but he has led by instinct and backed his players completely. He soaks up all the pressure that he relieves his team mates off it. The best example is his innings in the final and he chose the perfect stage to showcase his talent. World 20/20 triumph, taking India to No.1 spot in tests, IPL & CLT20 victories with CSK & now a World Cup winning captain of India.., he has been the man with the golden arm.

After all said and done, the real contest starts now. As experts would say, India is now the hunted team. Every team will breathe down their neck. How well they perform in the next 4 years will determine how worthy they are as champions. I reckon with the kind of steel, determination and resolve they showed it will be worthy. But just because they gave Sachin what he dreamt, doesn’t mean that they can let it go.

Go on India..! Show the World what you are Capable of..! For now, enjoy every bit of the moment..! You deserve it thoroughly...!

Transit hubs' likely to be developed in 3 MTC depots

The Hindu : Today's Paper News : ‘Transit hubs' likely to be developed in 3 MTC depots

Regular users of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus services will soon be able to drive into the nearest bus depot in a car or two-wheeler, leave the vehicle behind, and take a bus.

The MTC, which caters to 56 lakh commuters every day, is in the process of preparing a project report to study the feasibility of developing ‘transit hubs' at three of its depots — Thiruvanmiyur, Vadapalani and T.Nagar.

A senior MTC official said that the Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMCs) are aimed at addressing the “last-mile” connectivity problem faced by a majority of the city's residents. Once the “park and ride” facilities are provided inside depots, a greater section of people would be able to access public transport options and MTC ridership would improve, he said.

The scheme will be modelled after a similar programme currently being executed in Bangalore, where 10 such TTMCs are under construction. The hubs would be all-in-one centres, equipped with facilities such as a bus station, mini-shopping centres, medical assistance, food courts and ATMs. Each hub is expected to cost between Rs.10 crore and 15 crore.

Since funding through the JNNURM scheme has dried up, officials said that a public-private partnership model, employing a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and transfer (DBFOT) model, is being explored. According to the official, while the ground floor area would be retained as a depot, extra amenities and commercial space would be provided on the first floor.

“Once a private partner is identified, efforts would also be made to streamline traffic movement in the vicinity of the depots. Dedicated pathways would be provided and the moving space within the depot complex would be better utilised,” the official added.

IPL Auction – Chennai Super Kings Retrospective

Successful sports clubs in the world have one thing in common, players who stand by the clubs for a long time. Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes (Manchester United), Paolo Maldini (AC Milan) & Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) are famous examples. But in a goat market that is IPL, it’s always going to be tough. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was arguably the most disappointed team as they had the best dressing room atmosphere among all of IPL’s teams. Thankfully IPL had player retention policies. So CSK did what they could do best at the recent IPL auctions. First, they retained 4 players who would have commanded high prices at the auction. Second, they went after the same players who formed the crux of the team for 3 years. Yes they lost Murali and Balaji but most importantly they retained 7 players of the original team. This combined with the services of new recruits like Dwayne Bravo and Scott Styris is sure to help the cause.

1. Michael Hussey 2. Murali Vijay 3. Suresh Raina 4. Subramaniam Badrinath 5. Srikkanth Anirudha 6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni 7. Albie Morkel 8. Dwayne Bravo 9. Ravichandran Ashwin, 10. Doug Bollinger 11. Sudeep Tyagi

Check the line up again. 6 batsmen, 2 all-rounder and 3 bowlers along with a captain cool makes it a well balanced and formidable team. You’ll almost miss the fact that Dwayne Bravo is a new recruit and not a CSK player before. The same old, happy dressing room is back. No settling down business here. It helps that CSK’s owners, India Cements, is involved with cricket for more than 50 years. So while other team members would be ‘getting to know each other’ CSK would be gunning for glory from day 1. My money is on CSK, not just for this year, but at least until the next auction. Chennai Super Kings ku whistle podu!!!

Michael Jackson 'Tribute' Show

" 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson Dead "

When I first saw this as a breaking news on TV, I stood staring at my window for a couple of minutes. Not that I'm a huge fan of MJ. I've never been one, but then he's been a master entertainer that anybody would be shocked to see the news. So when I had an offer to go to MJ's tribute show I jumped on it to grab my ticket.

First of all, I must say that I was pretty taken aback by the stage design of the show. LCD posters of MJ dotted the stage and videos of MJ in the background was complete with fire sets. Because Chennai was viewed as an orthodox & conservative city, it was a pleasant surprise to see a world class stage. Leading singers from the film industry of the country were there to celebrate the life of Michael Jackson by singing his famous hits. Beat it, Dangerous, Smooth Criminal... U name it... I must admit that I was surprised by the quality of the so called 'Southern' singers'. I mean if MJ was present there, he would have been happy.

What irked me throughout the show was the crowd. First of all, the crowd was sparse. Second, they gave the least audible responsible to the songs which were very good. The front rows would not applaud hiding in its 'Executive' screen. The last rows were on a league on its own. Can u imagine looking at a crowd performing 'Kuthu' dance for Dangerous? It was horrible. I mean, HEY, we are celebrating the life of the moonwalker with celebrity MJ fans like Simbhu, Gowtham Menon and we end up watching a 3rd grade crowd watch and cheeer for the female singers' boobs rather than the song. Damn...

I feel for the organizers. I mean here's a team that recruited the best of singers, designed and executed an amazing stage, put up really good special effects, but failed to market the show properly. It was like giving a garland of beautiful flowers to a monkey. The result, a great tribute show that went unnoticed.

Election Turnout – A Cause for Concern

Indians continue to astonish me… Where else do we find citizens find every opportunity to scrutinize its government, yet seldom turn up for voting its new leaders? Too much corruption, slow government machine, too bad internal security, blah, blah, blah… But when push comes to shove, do we put our hands up and be counted? Honestly, I don’t think so. A glaring example for this is the 15^th Lok Sabha elections. Coming at the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks & even such incidents & with so many campaigns urging people to exercise their right o vote, did we do justice to ourselves? 50% turnout in Delhi & Mumbai and 60% in Chennai. Are these good numbers for the world’s largest democracy? For those who treat Election Day as another holiday, you guys don’t deserve anything. I feel these democracy killers need to be stripped off their basic rights & deserve to be treated as 2^nd grade citizens. Pardon me if I sound like a dictator. I strongly believe that India needs an ambitious dictator like Singapore’s Lee-Kwan-U to change itself. If we closely observe, majority of the non-voting public are from the urban areas. Sure it’s not a matter of merely educating people to vote. I feel something is fundamentally wrong with the mindset of Indians, something the whole country should be ashamed of. You need something, you got to EARN it. Asking the government for aids in almost everything is equal to begging. Think about it.