Cricket commentators.

Best

Ian Chappel – He is by far the most knowledgeable. He is never afraid of to voice his opinion which concerns the game. He always calls spade a spade.

Tony Grieg – Ahh I will always miss this man’s voice. Sharjah – Tendulkar – Tony Grieg best combination. He was sometimes critical of Indian and Indian cricket but always did with good spirit. “Whadda player, lovely elegant drive all the way to the boundary! “ . Sachin hits McGrath for a six and Tony in the comm. Box ‘The little man has hit big fella for a six’

Tom Moody – Some may not agree with me to  have him in the best but I really like him because of his shrewd knowledge about the game. His voice is also very sound unlike other.

Harsha Bhogle – No words to describe Harsha. If cricket is a gentlemen’s game he is a gentle voice. Because of him cricket viewing is much more interesting, he never let the dull moments come in when he is behind the mic, where it is about cricket or Indians in general or the life of a cricketer, he knows all. He always comes with new words and phrases which are refreshing to ear.

Sourav Ganguly – a lovely addition in commentary box. His pitch report and captaincy tactic are good to listen. He often sites past memory of him with past legends and really good anecdotes which make the atmosphere very lively.

Above average

Naser Hussain – He is good when he is talking about what is happening in the field, sometimes he over analysis which doesn’t go well with some listeners as we are interested in what is happening currently on the field. But none the less he is strong in his views and never hesitates to voice his opinion.

Shane Warne – Another good addition in the commentary box. Love listening to him as he brings different dimension to the game.

Rahul Dravid – Ahh can never get enough of Rahul Dravid. Whether he is in commentary box or anywhere, behind the mic he as cool as he is with the bat. Always sober and no nonsense.

David Llyod - Haven’t heard much of him but what I have heard is really refreshing

Pommi Mbangwa – Coming from a country which is struggling to have its mark on international cricket, he is always modest and his antics sometimes lighten up the atmosphere. He is someone who doesn’t come with any prejudice and wears his heart on his sleeve.

Average

Alan Wilkins – Having done commentary for Tennis and Golf, he doesn’t fit in cricket, though he had played cricket. He doesn’t analyze the cricket much but talks the condition the venue and the crowd most of the time. I love him though with Vijay Amritraj in tennis, best duos!

Wasim Akram – He is one who always keeps going to past. He always brings two legends Sachin and Imran Khan and tries to tell why Indians have good batter and Pak have good fast bowler.

Sanjay Manjrekar – He is someone who comes prepared I guess. He doesn’t respond to situation very well. He often makes mistakes in fielding position as well fielders but never tries to correct himself. He thinks it will get unnoticed but viewers want accurate analysis especially when you are on in video commentary.

Ravi Shastri – Lots of noise but no insights can summarize Ravi Shashtri in commentary box. He is good at times but over pitched. His lack of coining new words and depending upon same cliché makes it boring.

Sunnil Gavaskar – Being a great cricketer doesn’t mean you are a great commentator too. For him Sachin Tendulkar is everything. He is without a doubt best but why to bring him in everything. Sunny is biased towards any Mumbai Cricketer. If sachin takes a single he goes all gaga but if Kohli or MSD hits a good cracking shot he doesn’t say much on that. Though I love when he imitates Jamaican’s accent.

Ian Bishop – Really a humble West Indian, when Windies were loosing game after game against India he is someone who still retains his composer. He doesn’t go overboard and doesn’t shout like many others.

Navjot Singh Sidhu (English) – I put him in the category for his English commentary but we hardly see him in English Channel.

Danny Morrison – He is good only with IPL which matches his ability. He is much towards entertainment side than the cricket side.

Worst

Ramiz Raza – I am sure this will be the first name. He literally kills the game. He tries to use phrases but they always backfire him. One of the few ‘Misbah looks cool from exterior, don’t know about interior’

Kapil Dev – Without any disrespect to this legend, commentary doesn’t suit him well. He does speak what he wants to but not in the manner viewers want to listen.

Simon Doull – Again a very dull commentator.

Laxman Shivramkrishnan – Worst of the lost if I can say. He is not biased towards Indian cricket but towards a league. For him CSK is the best team. For him if CSK need 40 of last over, he will still be hopeful.

Navjot Singh Sidhu (Hindi) – I am often surprised why channels hire him to do the commentary. He rarely does cricket commentary but speaks everything except cricket. His jokes after every ball are too boring. It can offer a few laughs but then after 5 minutes or so you will see him repeating all over again.

Rafael Nadal, a year of glorious uncertainties!

It was 28^th June 2012, 4^th day of Wimbledon championship, Rafael Nadal to play his second round match against no 100 Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic. Nobody would have expected this result that the great Spaniard and 11 times Grand Slam winner will go down against a no 100.  But somethings are not under your control, he was limping in final and fifth set and may be Rosol took advantage of that but Nadal did not make an excuse and congratulated Rosol after the loss. Many joked around then that Nadal’s is only a clay courter and not good in grass or hard court?

Well that really was a shocker for many of us as he had never lost to a player of 100 or below rank in any grand slam events before. To get his mind right he took few days off from Tennis and went for holidays. He was still good enough that he was chosen the flag bearer of Spain for Summer Olympics in London but citing knee injury he withdrew from London Olympics. As the date drew closer for US Open he announced that he is withdrawing from the tournament as he hasn’t fully recovered. So 28^th June was the last time he played a match in 2012. Many of us believed that it will be hard for him to make a comeback and will be even harder to reach at the top as Andy Murray has also started winning slams but as you look back now it is nothing less than a miracle.

He started 2013 with ATP tournament in Vina del mar in Chile in his favorite surface after 222 days injury lay off since his defeat in Wimbledon. He participated both in singles and doubles event there, doubles with Argentinean Juan Monaco. He reached the final in both the events before losing to Horacio Zeballos in 3 sets in singles and to Lorenzi/ Starace in straight sets in doubles. He bounced back and won Sao Paulo, Acapulco, Indian wells (Hard court). Then he lost to Djokovic in Monte Carlo in clay and failed to claim his 9th Monte Carlo title. He then won Barcelona, Madrid and Rome and then came his first slam of the year and the favorite one in May. To get his 8^th French Open title and defend his title he has to get past top ranked Novak Djokovic in semifinal which wasn’t an easy one. But then nothing comes easy in life. He won the semifinal in style beating Djokovic in epic 5 sets where fifth sent stretched to 9-7. And after that beating David Ferrer wasn’t that difficult against whom he had 19-4 record in his favor and became first man to get 8 French Open titles.

Now Rafael Nadal was winning almost everything but then came Wimbledon. This time he lost in the very first round to 135 ranked Steve Darcis of Belgium. Before coming to Wimbledon he hasn’t played a single grass court match and may be he wasn’t prepared well enough and that led to his first round loss, worst than that of 2012. Tennis pundit started saying that Nadal’s 2013 season is over as there are no more clay court events. But that man never looked down. And he won Montreal and Cincinati (Both Hard court tournaments) and everybody started looking Rafael Nadal as hot favorite for US open which he missed in 2012. He won that in style dropping just one set in the entire tournament in the final against Novak Djokovic.

Just after winning his second US open title he flew to Spain to help his team in Davis Cup. Then in China he lost to Djokovic in final of China Open and Juan Martin Del Potro in semifinal in Shanghai Rolex Masters. Before losing to Djokovic in final  in China Open he defeated Fabio Fognini in 3 sets and if you have seen this match you will know how fierce fighter Nadal is. He came back once from 2-6 0-3[15-40] and then 2-6 1-4[30-40] when Italian was serving really well.

Before heading to the last tournament (World Tour final) of the season he lost to compatriot David Ferer in Semifinal in BNP Paribas Mastes in Paris but these results ensured that if Nadal wins two matches at year ending World Tour Finals he will be ranked 1 in the year end. Nadal defeated all 3 in his group ( David Ferrer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Thomas Berdych) and then won the semi final against arch rival Roger Federer and he just dropped one set in all of these 4 matches before losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final. It would have been a fitting end of the glorious 2013 but then some things are not meant to be.  This single trophy is still left to be kissed by him and in a way is good to keep him motivated and hungry to do well in this event in the future.

When in the start of the year he himself wasn’t sure whether he will be able to make a comeback, he finished the year with 75-7 (91.46% winning percentage) with 10 titles including 2 Grand Slam titles. That says a lot about this man’s commitment and passion for the game.

2014 is going to be a good year as Roger Federer has shown some class at the end of the year and 2 times Grand Slam champion Andy Murray will be making his come back as well.

Waiting for Australian Open’14. Till then Vamos Rafa!

So who are US open favorites now?

So the debate has come alive once again after Rafael Nadal trumped local lad Milos Raonic yesterday in just 68 minutes. Well to be precise it was not the final but the semifinal that caught the eyes of every tennis pundit when Nadal defeated the best hard court player Novak Djokovic in epic semifinal. Nadal wasn’t the hot favorite for US open after his first round loss to Belgian Steve Darcis in Wimbledon but this Rogers Cup seems to have changed the equation completely.

I am not saying that Nadal is equally capable in hard court as he is in clay but after beating Novak, Janowicz (Montreal Master), Federer, Gulbis, Del Potro, Berdych (Indian Wells) he certainly is eyeing for the big year end trophy. And to those who keep saying that Nadal is clay courter, he is keeping 100% record in hard court, above clay court.

The talk of the town is certainly Rafael Nadal but before the US open, there is Cincinati as well and all big four (or big six I should say) are playing. Novak will be dying to clinch this one to become the first man to win all 9 ATP tour masters 1000. Roger Federer will be looking to get his second title of the year (which is really a poor record for the big). Rafael Nadal would like to carry on where he left in Montreal and Murray would ride high in confidence despite his third round loss to Ernest Gulbis. It does not end here. We have Del potro who would certainly love to repeat his 2009 heroics and you can never discount on David Ferrer. He can surprise you anytime.

So as 26^th August is drawing close, we are eager to see who shines at flushing meadow this time!

Beggars and begging in India..

Last month we planned a trip to Agra with this Dutch friend of ours and what I saw after we came out from Red fort was quite astounding. Bunch of guys were pleading to our Dutch friend to buy something from them even if he was not interested and none of them were  approaching us to sell their items. There were some beggars as well who just didn’t want to go away from the sight even after making them realize that he is with us. Finally our friend had to give in and bought a couple of items from one of them. But it does not stop here, as he buys memorabilia from the guy, fellow sellers barged into the car and started pretending that they are selling the items in much lowers prices than they usually sell to other ‘foreign’ travelers. Now one thing was quite amusing to me was their accent. They were speaking in rather much better accent and were directing to him only and none of them cared that we were also there. Now this tells that money can make you do anything, yeah anything. This is just a small example.

Now, that just got me thinking, how does a foreigner attracts more sellers than fellow Indians who understand the language better? May be he is a better customer, may be they can fool them? They start a 50 rs item in whopping price of roughly 1500 and then the buyer tries to half it thinking he is clever. But is he?  And doesn’t it tell you a thing or two about our culture.

Now coming to the begging part, what I think is, that foreigners accentuate the problem of begging in India, because for them giving a rupee or two or sometimes a ten rupee note is not a big thing (and this entails them to deride Indians by deducing that India is still a poor country and full of beggars) but what they don’t realize is that they are breeding an unpopular culture here. This problem can be abated if not eradicated if foreign travelers are advised at the airport itself not to give any money to beggars and if they are so interested in throwing largesse they should rather donate in some NGOs.

Few days back I saw a kid at metro at around 10:30 PM stymieing a lady, he was coming in her way when ever she tried to walk ahead putting her in an embarrassing situation. We rebuked the kid then only he left the lady and later we found out that he was drunk.

Begging has become a profession in some families who just want to continue their family business despite having resources to make their own life. May be this is easy or may be they don’t want to work hard.

Beggars operate in a very organized manner; they have a certain territories which they can not cross. And that is why you might have noticed that if you don’t give money they will accompany you to certain place and then will walk away and will find another victim.

If you didn’t know, begging is a crime in India but then isn’t drunk driving also a crime? But who cares the law as long as we can get away with it. We should wake up to reality sooner than later.

The offense of begging comes under prevention of begging act. It is a state law and differs from state to state. In Delhi The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959 is applicable which deals with the penalty or detention of beggars for the offense of begging. Not just begging but if you are giving money to the beggar it is a crime too.

So from next time whenever you see a firang giving money to beggars just stop them there and then.

It really hurts seeing infants begging, teenagers working in hotels and innocents getting trafficked.

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Good Morning, Have a nice day!

Nature’s fury in Uttarakhand

You can never defy two things: Nature and death. Absolute truth!

Isn’t it? Rather you should be better prepared and equipped to tackle these calamities. After more than a week people are still stranded at the sight. Isn’t it blow to NDMA? Why to make a body if their job is just to give speeches? We wake up only when the damage has already been done? Shouldn’t rescuing people be their top priority and they can do the post mortem (politics) later? And like always finally we have to ask army and they never ever disappoint us, they are the REAL heroes. Whether it is Mumbai attack or this, they are the ones who never show the back!

Also this incident tells a thing or two about us. I heard that locals were selling a bottle of water at rs 250 and a packet of glucose biscuit at rs 400. This tells that we Indians never let any opportunity go away even in hardest times! Politicians also come from the same society. Now you can very well understand what I intend to say here.

One more thing I would like to say about journalists. While I respect their coverage (at times because of them things/operation get expedited) but shouldn’t they be little sensible in reporting? We do empathize with the bereaved family but there is no need to be sensational all the time and talking with people who are in grief. This is not the time to score points but to shave people that are still stranded at the sight. You can also do your bit apart from reporting.

With little bit of interest in politics I have understood that ki “Har cheej ke do pahlu hote: Congress pahul and BJP pahlu”.

If tragedy happens in Chhatisgarh Congress and BJP will have different view point and if it happens in Uttaranachal, BJP and Congress will have different point of views! Let’s keep this for some other time.

I really pray and hope that those stuck in there are rescued and no more lives is taken.

Wimbledon roundup..

Here we are again, it is Wimbledon time it is grass time!

Wimbledon announced its seeding on Wednesday, main draw will be announced on Friday and real action starts from Monday.

Though I didn’t understand how come a 12 time Grand Slam winner could not find a place in top four. If the rule needs a tweaking it should be tweaked to make the game more interesting. It off course doesn’t affect Nadal or anyone who plays any player in Quarter or Semifinal because one should be able to beat anyone participating in the tournament to finally lift the coveted trophy but it does affect the spectators. Nobody will want a dead rubber in the finals. Had Rafa and Novak played in French Open finals rather than Semifinals wouldn’t it have made a better viewing for all the sports lovers? As we say that at the end of the day every sports person plays for their fans and spectators.

Also if Wimbledon doesn’t follow the ATP ranking for its seeding why did they seed David Ferrer above Nadal when the latter destroyed the former in straight sets just a couple of days back. Ok, that Nadal got ousted in the second round last year by a 100^th ranked player but hasn’t he already won 2 trophies here and a very handsome 43-2 record (9 out of 9 finals with 7 titles) this year after his 7 months injury lay off and also has winning record against all top four Novak, Roger, Andy and David.

In the French Open as well where he had 7 trophies (Prior to Rollan Garros’13) didn’t get any favor so he had to win Rome and also had to beat Ferrer in QF which he did by his own to get seeded ahead of him in French Open.

So all said and done about seeding, who is it going to be this time to kiss the Wimbledon trophy? Will it going to be the world no 1 or the defending champion or home favorite boy or lucky 13 for indomitable Nadal?

Action begins on 24^th, so let’s sit back and enjoy the tennis in coming 2 weeks.

Questionnaire..

I have been missing my questionnaire round so here I come again.

Q: What are your thoughts on Kejriwal’s movement?

A: I have been watching recent political developments very closely. What I have seen very fascinating about this moment is the kind of response it is getting across the nation. Hope Kejriwal and co doesn’t loose the focus and Kejriwal doesn’t develop certain amount of love for grandeur.

Q: Do you think the politicians made irresponsible comment by choice or they are like that only?

A: Sometimes I do think that they make these comments to hog some attention but I also concede that sometimes they are misquoted and media, social media does the rest.

Q: Is Dhoni the best captain India has ever had?

A: I don’t think so. If you consider in periods then may be he is the best in recent times but what Dada did to team India and infused confidence in younger lot is very noteworthy. His leadership was inimitable.

Q: Should Sachin Tendulkar have played little longer in ODI format?

A: I certainly think so. He should have played against Pakistan but then this is His decision and we can question that. But as a player he has more to offer to Indian cricket.

Q: Do you think players don’t perform on purpose?

A: Now that is baseless. You can’t question one’s integrity. We can comment anything sitting outside but what they go through after loses is surely not a happy feeling.

Q: Whom you are putting your money on in coming Australian Open?

A: As Rafael Nadal is not there so will be cheering for Roger and Maria.

Q: How tough or easy it is from Kolkata to Gurgaon?

A: Just too cold, freezing cold but good to listen Hindi all around.

Q: Are the reactions from celebrities after every unfortunate incident just for a minute or do they genuinely care about common people?

A: That I can’t say, but it does feel good if they also voice their opinion rather than keeping mum.

Q: How to make the world a better place to live in?

A: Live and let live, help others and smile.

Q: What are your ambitions?

A: I myself don’t know. May be to own an IPL team :D

Q: Which party is better, Congress or BJP or do we need a third option?

A: I have seen it from close quarter, No party is best or worst, there are some individual in both the parties along with media who make it good or bad. Aur jaha tak third front ki baat hai I think it will never happen.

In the hopes of reaching the moon, never fail to see the flowers that blossom at feet.

 

Have a nice day :)

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all blog friends a very happy and healthy new year. Had lovely New Year with family after a long long time. On this New Year day let’s pledge to work for better tomorrow, free of corruption and crime. Hope you do something good that will make you proud, your family proud, your Alma matter proud and your nation proud. 

May you get what you want and may all your wishes come true!