Our very own soap opera !!!

Hi all... back after nearly a month's break... realized how long it had been since my last post when I forgot my user id and password on blogger.com :-)

I finally am writing about my (and probably that of everyone else) favorite topic - Cricket !!!.. Resisted that for quite a while but then there is nothing much else to write about.. and like any Indian worth his salt, I have my four cents to add :-)

Anyways, the last few months in Indian Cricket reminded me of a soap opera.. infact all the characters in it look remarkably akin to soap opera characters.. the once-hero turned villian, the Mr Nice Guy waiting in the wings, the supposed schemer behind the scenes and what not... and in all this the media is having a blast.. the icing and cherry on the cake was the story from Pakistan in which the team manager was (apparently) shown on news channels calling a member of his own team the slowest fielder, lazy et et... and mind you, this was not some sting operation.. he was sitting in broad daylight in a garden and facing the camera.. next thing you know, the manager comes up with a statement that the voice on the tape was not his !!!!!!.. I mean, how ridiculous can things get ???

On the field though, the action has been a sort of anti-climax.. Bowlers being driven to helplessness.. Batsman helping themselves to hundreds as if they were avaliable on a buffet menu.. and this was supposed to be a series that the world was watching... The Men in Blue, though, look a different unit, much of it the coach's doing.. it was a good decision (though not widely appreciated throughout the country) to go into Faislabad with 5 bowlers (not that it helped though but both RP Singh and Zaheer turned in good performances, if only Pathan can find his bowling form now :-) It proved that the management is following the 'horses for courses' policy and picking the best 11 suited to the conditions and the 11 that gives them the best chance of winning.. in Dhoni, India have discovered a genuinely good hitter of the ball.. Dravid, of course, has been the wall and the rock of Indian batting for the past few years now (this coming from a Mumbaikar who loves the 'God').. however, and it saddens me to say this, the 'God' seems to be a different person now-a-days, how I wish the clock be turned back to 1998 and those halycon days.. But overall though, the future looks sound.. the first test though will be the one-dayers against Pakistan.. if India can overcome that challenge, then they would have genuinely thrown their hat in the ring as the contenders for the big prize next year..

Thats all from me rite now..
Cheers
Amit

2006 !!!!!

So, the year 2006 is upon us !!!! As I write this (10.15 am IST on Jan 1), more than half the world will have entered the new year with the usual fervour, boisterous new year parties et al.. All over the world, new years resolutions would have been made (an article in todays paper talks about how gym's across the country see a 20% rise in membership around the new year), and then broken promptly (abt 60% of the joinees in December vanish after mid-Jan :-)). But then, this is the time to make new promises. After all, there is always the hope that a new beginning, new year brings. Somehow, the morning of Jan 1st feels different. Feels like the start of not just a new day, but a new beginningaltogether. A day to get over the past and look at the future with optimism and hope.

So here's wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year !!!! May 2006 be the year that all your dreams and aspirations become a reality !!!And yes, dont forget your new resolutions :-))
Signing offAmit