Test Cricket

For a lover of test match cricket, the just concluded test between India and Newzealand was a rare visual treat. Despite the fact that the test didn't last five days, it had enough to give me pleasure. There was correctly played 158 runs by the youngster called Chateswar Pujara. Unlike in the one dayers and twenty twenty cricket, a century in the tests has to be built on technique and temeperment and this youngster had both. Then there was spin bowling at its best. I was able to see an off spinner bowling what appeared like a ball which spun from right to left, a kind of reverse googly and and another ball which skidded through like a top spinner. This remarkable bowler who goes by the name of Ravichandran Aswin may be our next Chandrasekar who got our first test wins abroad some forty years ago. That the oposing side had to suffer this excellent performance didn't matter. I was able to watch some great batting and bowling and also some excellent catching as a bonus.

Under 19 Champions

Normally, in the present day India, good news is rare. But two items of good news is indeed a luxury. India won the test match against Newzealand at Hyderabad and the under 19 world cup in Australia on the same day! I was fortunate to watch both. The boy with a strange name of Unmukt Chand led the under 19 team from the front and beat the favorites Australia to lift the cup. The juniors doing well augers a bright future for Indian cricket.

Much ado

Our 80 odd Olympians returned with six medals and none of the six was gold. But the way these second class winners were feted and awards showered on them left me wondering. One sports writer felt it was a great performance as we had only four medals in the last Olympics! One of the most populous of nations, claiming to be an emerging economic and technological power house could produce only six medals should be a matter of concern and shame, but we celebrated. One of the medal winners, an army man demanded to be promoted to the officer grade!

Every thing is wrong with us. Our priorities, policies, programmes, delivery systems. You name it. We have become experts in not doing it well.

Except in cricket as it happened to day!