Overdose of Cricket?

One of the most scary parts of playing continuous cricket is the weariness factor. The players are being put through 9 months of continuous cricket and this is not doing them any good. Few of the key factors of consistent performance are good rest and regeneration of body stamina and strength. On watching Champion's League T20, one thing is clear. The players are struggling and they are struggling big time. There is no punch, there is no vibe, there is no kick to any of the matches that has happened so far. Playing for the sake of playing is clearly seen and it hurts to see them play this way. Cricket should be played from the heart and not from anywhere else. A player would be able to give his beat only if he is totally fit and his mind is totally into the game. If that is missing then the soul itself is missing.

Gambhir, one of the most lethal player India has seen is struggling. He is not able to time the balls well and his shot selections are shaky. He needs to go get some solid net sessions and that is not going to happen if he spends the whole of the month playing T20 cricket. In the name of entertainment, I feel that T20 cricket is being overdone and the players are not getting sufficient net practices and healthy recuperation time.

Gambhir is just one example. There are many such players who are not in their elements right now and this will be clearly seen in the test series against England starting this November. If the team is not fresh and all ready for the season, it will be clearly seen in their performance and the overall performance of the team and that is something which the BCCI and the selectors have to think about before bundling the players off to play for the Champions League.

Shane Watson was called back by the Australian Cricket Board to practice and get accustomed to the bigger format of the game as Australia will be taking on South Africa next month. Though I felt bad that I would not see him anymore in CLT20, on thinking hard I felt that the decision to call him back to practice for the upcoming test matches was a well thought out one and it will obviously help him and the team in the larger format of the game.

Everything is not about T20. It is a format which came up recently and it is a format which needs no foot work, no book shots, no well laid out plan, no strategy. It is a format which needs hard hitters. Though it has become important in today's world, test cricket will remain the true representative of the Gentleman's Game followed by ODI cricket.

-Aishwarya Kumar

2007, a year of /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

If you are, by any chance wondering what that weird title means, you don't have to anymore. It is basically the line which runs across the screen of a heart rate monitor. Up-down, up-down, up-down.

Though this post might be highly irrelevant at this point, I somehow remembered 2007 today and a wonderful feeling crept over me. Though it was a disastrous year at the World Cup ( One day International), the first thing that came to my mind as memories of that year flashed before my eyes was the T20 world cup at South Africa.

India was thrashed and made into an ugly batter at the ODI world cup in April that year. Rahul Dravid's men had to sneak back home at the dead of the night because of the shocking first round exit at the world cup. The whole world had expected them to perform, had expected them to step up and the team was studded with diamonds as rich as the Kimberly itself. Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, Yuvraj, M.S, Kumble. the world's best and most celebrated players failed to deliver and India was packed home at the first stage by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Many things happened at once. India gave away its super eights spot to Bangladesh,  Australia lifted the biggie, World T20 World Cup was announced to be held in South Africa later that year.

After India came back home, all hopes were lost. Indian fans were so heartbroken that they did not follow the game with the same vigor or enthusiasm. The BCCI took some rather drastic measures. The players' right to act in advertisements was plucked from them and they were asked to train more vigorously. It was obvious that the BCCI were feeling the heat and they were dumping it all on the players' heads.

T20 came and all the biggies stood aside to give the youngsters a fair chance. This was well received by the Indian fanbase who also felt that the shortest format of the game needs hard hitters and young blood. An entirely new squad with M.S.Dhoni as the captain/wicket keeper was announced. There were hard hitters like Uthappa, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh who could topple the game in India's favor if given a chance.

The team travelled to South Africa with the least of expectations. There were no pooja's performed for them, there was no big send-off, there was no hype, there was nothing. They were leaving for the World Cup and there was calmness around them. The huge burden of pressure was taken off them. All they had to do now was stand up and perform, show the country that they were still the most lethal team in the world and that is exactly what they did.

The young team was a delight to watch. Right from the Group D match against Pakistan, there were two things that were predominant- Determination and unity. The group match against Pakistan ended in a tie and the umpires called for a bowl out. Three bowlers were chosen from either of the team to bowl to the stumps and the team with the maximum hits was to be the winner. Uthappa, Sehwag and Bhajji came out for India. The ball turned and spun beautifully. The boys were so eccentric that it was contagious. Soon I was jumping up and down my seat, praying for our victory. Uthappa's bow to the audience after taking out the middle stump was the highlight of the whole bowl out. The Indians clearly looked more comfortable and even superior to the Pakistanis in the bowl out arena.

After taking the bowl out and subsequently the match, the Indians went ahead to the super eights. They had to face the likes of South Africa, New Zealand and England to have any chances of going in to the semis.

The memory of the India-New Zealand encounter is rather hazy. All I remember is that India did not make it and lost by a small margin of 10 runs. The chances of India qualifying to the semis now depended on two wins in the two matches that we had and it was against the mighty South Africans and the unpredictable English.

We clashed against England first and the whole of India was overjoyed. The Sixer Singh was out in the crease and he was thrashing the England bowlers. Stuart Broad was the bowler and Ravi Shashtri was the commentator when the almost impossible thing happened.

6 off every ball. 2 of them were on the off side and 4 were on the leg side, if I am not mistaken. The mid wicket sixes made me feel as if I was eating huge chunks of vanilla ice cream at the same time. That chilling sensation deep down in the stomach was all that I felt after Yuvraj responded to a provocation by Flintoff right before the over.

"Its six, six, six and its balle, balle, balle." Ravi Shashtri was commenting like he was egging Yuvi on for more. It was a pleasure to watch Yuvraj bat and Ravi comment with such intensity and dedication.

The match was won and all that was needed was a victory against the chokers. The Proteas were in brilliant form and Greame Smith was leading a potential team. Indians batted first and put up a decent 153 on board. The blitzkrieg started then. R.P.Singh came out and bowled beautiful in-swingers which bamboozled the Proteas batting order. They collapsed and before long, the Indians were celebrating. It was euphoria in Durban as the whole of the Indian camp danced in jubilation-they had made it to the semi finals, they had proved themselves.

I was on my way to Chennai for my quarterly holidays when the Australia-India semi final was slated. I could not handle the pressure. I still remember watching the match in every station possible. I could not sleep the whole night and kept tossing and turning. There was an elderly looking man who was listening to the radio alerts of the match. I just could not hold myself and asked him for the score update. When I heard that Yuvraj had scored a wonderful 70 off 30, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew then that we had a chance and a very good one. India had raced to a 188 after Yuvraj's innings. The Australian team fought valiantly but simply could not get past the Indian score.

We had beaten Australia, in Jo'Burg and we had beaten them smart. I reached my Gramps' place and was so exhilarated that I could barely wait for the finals. The Pakistanis had made it against the New Zealanders in the other semi finals and were looking strong.

The day of the finals came. I was clutching my granddad's hands and I was praying so loudly that he kept giving me weird looks. All through the game I kept hitting him and punching him for every wicket, every boundary, every six. Misbah reverse swept the ball to deep leg and Sreesanth took a shaky catch to give India it's first T20 world cup victory.

I was awe-struck, I was over joyed and above all, I felt happy that we had proved ourselves. The critics had to stop their non-stop criticism about the Indian players. We did what I call the "undoing act." After September 2007, people forgot the ODI world cup debacle, the fans never once questioned the cricketers' capability. The underdogs had performed and performed like legends.

-Aishwarya Kumar. 

Abundance of bounce, spin and swing at Centurion

The ball was scything past the batsmen, the in swingers were hurting their unprotected body parts, the Naraine spin was just baffling their minds into believing that they were in India, rather than in a hard core South African cricket ground.



The Delhi Daredevils' bowling was a delight to watch as they sliced through the defenses of KKR and made them look petty. Pathan's in swingers were dot on while Balaji was bowling way outside the stumps and hardly causing any concern to the Delhi batsmen. His full tosses lower down the innings gave 61 runs in the last few overs for the Delhi Daredevils, ensuring a comfortable and determined target of 161 for them to defend.





The bowling by DD was spot on as the balls swung, spun and danced in front of the batsmen's eyes. All they were able to do was stare at the variations in the deliveries with surprise and amazement. The delhi Daredevils had it very easy as they reduced KKR to a mere 108.



Pathan was given the MoM for his brilliant bowling. Unmukt Chand stepped up and showed that he is a force to reckon with. I know that these are early days, but I get the feeling that there is a Kohli in him, which, if unleashed, will prove to be costly for any team playing against him.



- Aishwarya Kumar. 

Jumbo's jumbo role!

Anil Kumble was one player who you knew would deliver for the team. Your mind would automatically go into that "happy buzz" mode when you know that Kumble is there on the field, to take care of our country, to win the match, to make it work for us. He was always this silent, yet formidable force in the team and it was during his captaincy that my craze for cricket grew. I remember even today the Sydney test match between Australia before the tri-series in the year 2008 and there was half an hour left for the match to end. Kumble was batting consistently for India and we even looked comfortable enough to take the game. That was when Steve Bucknor happened. Two ugly wickets, Ponting's repulsive attitude and the game was lost. The gentleman's game became a revolting portrayal of  bitterness and a disheartened Anil spoke about the team's inspiring performance in the match. I also remember his supreme batting form in that Border-Gavaskar series and how we went on to thrash the mighty Aussies in the bounce queen of the world- WACA, Perth. Then I knew that all was not lost. We had won respect. We had won hearts. And this man was behind of all of it.

In 2002, when India was playing West Indies in the 4th test match of the series, people were amazed to see Anil coming out to bowl with bandage all over his face nursing a broken jaw. He walked out and bowled 14 overs straight and took the wicket of Brian Lara before retiring for the day. If this is not dedication, I do not know what is!

The 10 wickets in a test match innings, the many centuries at the time when India needed it the most, the hard work has produced a legend in the making- Anil Kumble.



Somehow, whenever I think of Kumble, I remember two things. The first one is the 2008 Border Gavaskar series and the second is his wife and family. The vibe and the humility that he has and portrays warms the hearts of millions.

He is now the Chairman of the ICC cricket committee, taking up the post from Clive Lloyd. I do not see anybody more deserving than the man himself. I am sure that he will work towards fairness and eradication of spiteful practices followed in the game by some nauseating players and umpires.

Aishwarya Kumar.

The correlation is quite amazing

6 International umpires were named to have reportedly been engaged with bookies in fixing international matches. I was too shocked to even react. Cricket fans and addicts around the world will be heartbroken, people who believe in good over powering the evil will be hurt beyond repair. The earth shattering truth will awaken many people from their happy bubble in which everything is good, in which wrong doings are not possible, in which righteousness is the way of life.

I parked my bike outside my granddad's house and the first sound that I heard was the noise of a reporter screaming in the mike about the match fixing scam which astonished the cricketers and the fans alike. I looked at my gramps in surprise. He looked back at me and shook his head, telling me silently that he has given up, that he no longer wants to have anything to do with the game and its disgusting and twisted ways. Back in the 1930's everything was simple, everything was peaceful and everybody was honest. Cricket matches were won and lost, not because of money, but because of the hard work and the commitment of the players. gramps used to wake up at 4 in the morning just to see his boys batting or fielding their hearts out. They did not get much money but they were happy, they were content. The equation was very simple.

Play well --> win the game.

Now life is complicated. The equation is complicated.

Play your heart out --> wait for the umpire to play their game --> wait for the franchise/board to play their game --> after all this, if you have it in you, win the game.

I was disappointed. I was hurt. But when I was riding back home from my grandad's house, a theory formed inside my head. The theory of cricket and all these allegations about match fixing, if you observe closely, is very similar to copying methods used by students to clear examinations. Let me explain in detail.

Exams are conducted to check how much we have understood the subject and how we are able to reproduce it. So obviously techniques like copying and googling stuff in the exam hall are prohibited. Now, compare this with the game of cricket. This game is played to see who is the better team and which team delivers on that day. So, naturally unfair practices are strictly not allowed. Just like how the students find innumerable ways to copy in examinations, the game of cricket also sees many alarming predicaments like match fixing, umpires playing unfairly because of the temptation called money and so on. But no matter how many students try to copy, in the end the student who has been fair and who has prepared and presented well will be the one who scores well and makes herself and her parents proud. The same case applies to cricket as well. No matter how many people try to fix matches or rob the game off its beauty, truth eventually wins, hard work always pays off, talent over powers malpractice.

There might be people out there fixing balls, paying the umpires to support one team, but in the end, cricket is an unpredictable game. Nobody can control a wide ball, nobody can change a mid wicket 6, nobody can call off an LBW. That is how the game is and that is how it will always be.

Aishwarya Kumar. 

Champions League T20 is here!

As South Africa gears up for one of the most awaited tournaments of the year, The Champions League, this preview will provide you with a comprehensive view of the tournament in a bird's eye view with all the details and and huge loads of spicy information for you!

To all the Indian fans out there, there is lots of cricket coming up in the next few days as the top 4 IPL teams fight it out with the other league teams in the championship. Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils are the four team which made the cup.

World T20 saw some tough competitions by players from all over world. Now all these players will have to gel together, develop the bond and play as a team in the next month.

Australians are found in plenty this tournament and Sydney Sixers boasts players like Watson, Nathan McCullum, Mitchel Starc who will all be arriving after their stints at the IPL.

Sailkot Stallions is another team which made the cut in this edition. The Pakistanis are making it and making it big this year. Having made the Semis of this year's World T20, the Pakistanis are in the top of their game and many new faces have emerged and emerged with a purpose. The team will give their best as they have nothing to lose.

Trinidad and Tobago is another team which, on getting the combination right, will fire and fire big this tournament. Ravi Rampaul, Denesh Ramdin, Samuel Badree will arrive at Jo'Burg after their scintillating performance at the World Cup this year and after the awe inspiring performance, this team will click and it will click big time.

Players to watch out for this Champions league: 

1. Shane Watson



This is the  man who is the reason for Australia's success this season. He was declared the Man of the Tournament in the recently concluded ICC World T20 and has in him the fire that keeps burning and never is or can be put out. 419 runs and 11 wickets is no small feat and this man was the portrait of humility as he collected the Man of the Series.
If you are a Sydney Sixers supporter, Jump up in joy because this man is a diamond in the making. Otherwise, you have quite a difficult hurdle to pass.
His supreme form both with the bat and the ball makes him the lethal all rounder anybody could ask for and I respect him for his commitment and hard work.
He is Number 1 in my list of players to watch out for.

2. Keiron Pollard



Hard hitter of the ball, handy right arm medium pacer, dangerous fielder, Pollard is a gem worth a million dollars for the Mumbai Indians. Right after a world cup win, Pollard's spirits will be high and his presence in the team will boost their spirits and will make them a complete team.
Mumbai Indians will look to Pollard for inspiration, a bit of happiness and a little Gangnam Jig now and then to boost their morale.
He is definitely the Number 2 in my list!

3. Unmukt Chand



Captain of the Under 19 Indian Cricket team which brought back the cup this year, Unmukt is a plyer to look out for. His batting style, his rhythm, his placements are top notch and he will do a wonderful job in getting to know the top guns and learning to survive in the bigger picture. Delhi Daredevils will benefit quite a bit if he clicks and puts across his fresh thinking and strong inputs for the team.

There are other promising players like A.B.De Villiers for the Titans, Imran Nazir for the Sailkot Stallians, Pat Cummins who will make this tournament a nerve wrecking event.

Cricket fans all around the world, sit back and enjoy quality cricket for the next month.

Aishwarya Kumar. 

Oppan Gangnam Style it is!

It was a low scoring match and both the teams gave their best. The fielding was impeccable and the bowling was spot on. Sri lanka choked in the end. That was all. The West Indians pulled the greatest victory that their country has seen in the last few decades. They showed the world what honesty is, what team spirit is, what compatibility is, what the right attitude is, what the winning formula is and above all, what the right thing to do is.

Marlon Samuels came off brilliantly and scored both with the bat and the ball. Malinga had tears in his eyes when the game was done and dusted, when the world cup was lost, when the hope of winning was gone.

The West Indians proved that attitude and timing are everything that a team needs to pull off a T20 victory.

Oppan Gangnam Style played in the background as the adrenaline pumped Windies received their World T20 cup.

They all broke into the Gangnam dance and all we could do was..Join them, of course!

The birthday boy Dwayne Bravo was over the moon and this has to be the best gift he has ever got for his birthday.

Shane Watson has to be mentioned here. He was announced the man of the tournament for being the highest run scorer and the highest wicket taker in the tournament. He was at his charming best as he collected the trophy for his 249 runs and 11 wickets.



The world T20 2012 concluded with pomp and joy as the West Indies lifted the trophy in style.

After all the predictions, pre-match reviews, post-match reports and analysis as to who will win the tournament, the West Indies have the last laugh!

And in all this, we forgot one important thing. It was Simon Taufel's last match as umpire. He collected his medal with his baby girl on his shoulder. He is one of the best umpires the world has seen and he will be missed.



That is all for this T20 world cup. Keep reading for more analysis and reports on the up coming tournaments and series.



Aishwarya Kumar. 

It is the game, and nothing else.

....and he drops the catch. Kulasekara misses it." screams Ian Chappell, in the finals of the T20 world cup, this year. My heart says,"Wow amazing effort by the fielder there." Never once did I doubt the intent behind the dropped catch. He tried and he couldn't take it. That was all there was to it.

But there are millions of people whose mind immediately says,"this match is rigged. The team has taken money. This is going to be a stale meat."

Inside of me, the idea is ridiculous. I know for a fact that fixing is a huge word and throwing it around when a team is giving its best is something very hard to listen to and keep quiet.

I know that IPL has put money ahead of the game. I know that the possibility is very much there. The temptation of riches might very well have influenced many players but the fact that they will put money ahead of the game is a scary thought.

Belief is something that I very much have on the game and its players. There were instances were there has been rumors/ speculations and even charges against players for match fixing. But I think that those players do not deserve to have anything to do with the game. They are the ones who have been given the national cap and if they do not know how to cherish it, how to take the game forward, how to play every game with diligence and responsibility, I don't know why they even took up the game in the first place, to be honest.

In the end, it all comes down to what the heart says. If your heart wants to believe the game, then go ahead and believe it, truly and never once doubt it, no matter what.

But if your heart says that Gambling/ Fixing and rigging is the way of life, then I cannot help you.

I will, till the end of life, believe in the purity of the game and the honesty of its players.

Even if Sachin comes to me and says that the match was fixed, I don't think I have it in me to believe it.

That is me and that is who I will remain to be.




Aishwarya Kumar.

That dread, that fear, that angst.

I know that there have been millions of articles, thousands of blog posts, infinite features on this great man. So many people have penned down their feelings, opinion and views about his game, his attitude, his personal life, his social life and every other aspect of life that is humanly possible. No aspect has been left untouched when it comes to this maestro.



Even after all this, there is always something more to write about him, something more to explore, something more to contemplate on.

There has been a lot of critical analysis of his future after the series against New Zealand. He was not at his elements and this was observed by many. "If I had failed in a series at the age of 25, nobody would have looked into it too closely. Since this low patch has happened at the age of 39, there are many people raising eyebrows. I cannot complain. With age comes all these speculations," Sachin said in an exclusive interview with Times Now's most acclaimed journalist Arnab Goswami.

He was grilled with some harsh questions by the latter and he came out and beautifully answered all of them, never once losing his cool, never once lashing out.

"I will take the decision when my heart says so,"he said when asked about the R word.

His passion for the game, his hard work, his confidence, his charming smile, his personality is something I admire and learn from every day. He is one person who has shown me that a person can rise, even from ashes, to become as magnificent as before. When he was detected with tennis elbow, in the early 2000's, the world feared that he wouldn't be able to make it, and that his career was over. But he refused to let that get to him. He worked and he worked hard and came back with such strength that I was awe-struck. There was a flicker of doubt in me that he would not make it. But don't get me wrong. The doubt was only because of the injury and not because of his ability to play or deliver.

The day when he makes the call will be a hard one. It will rip my heart apart. I have grown up watching him play. I have grown up seeing his smile. I have lived my life thinking Sachin is there to score the runs, he is there to take India through. But this might not be the case soon. I know that he is human and it is only natural that he will call it a day soon, but he has been the God of cricket too long for me to think that he might not hold the bat anymore.

The leg glances, the upper cuts, the cover drives are all etched in my memory forever. But to think that I will not see anymore of it is something I shudder to even think. I can buy the cassettes of his performance and watch it any day. But it will never be the same. There will always be a hole inside of me which cannot be closed, a chasm so deep that it will engulf me.



There are many people out there who call him selfish, who say that he is no longer required, that he is a waste of space. I feel sorry for all of them. I feel bad that they cannot see what a wonderful player he is and above all, what an amazing person he is.

If there is one thing the world can do, it will be to let him play till he thinks that he can deliver. If there is one thing I can do, it will be to hope that he will play and play till the sun rises in the west.

He knows what is reality, he knows and accepts the fact that he is no God and he will have to retire one day. But he also knows that he wants to play and play well now.

Aishwarya Kumar. 

And the feeling continues

Two days have passed since the day of India's results and it still seems unreal. It still seems impossible. That turmoil, that intense feeling in the stomach, that feeling where you feel like you got punched in the guts, is still as strong as the brightest of fires. I see Pakistan playing and I can feel this deep loathing, intense hatred and anger inside of me.

I know it is my fault. I know I am too invested in the game. I know I take things personally. I know that I treat my team as family. But I also know that what happened at the world cup this year is not fair and questions the very meaning of humanity. Cricket is one thing which filled me with positive thoughts, with hope, with burning brightness, with joy, with love. And when that game makes me question the very basis of my existence, it scares me to no extent. I am more scared than angry. If Pakistan wins, if they lift the trophy, then I know that Humanity is lost, that the bad has won, that good was not good enough.

I spoke to  my mom after the match. She is one person whom I can speak to about cricket and who will listen an understand and empathize. She has seen worse. She has seen evil. She was once a die hard fan of cricket and to some extent, still is. She has cried over matches, she has stayed awake just to see Kapil Dev bat, in the middle of the night, she has heard the running commentary of matches in radios when TV was a dream. She even had a scrap book of all the series and all the matches played during the 80's. I still don't forgive her for letting it go. I still don't understand how my grand mom could throw something that precious away, just because my mom got married. That thought plagues me day in and day out. I will preserve my scrap books for ever, for my children and theirs and most importantly for myself. Those are the memories of what happened in the past, of times when India won, of beautiful occasions like the World T20 2007, World cup 2011 ans so on. When I am upset or angry about something, I will look at it and with tears, feel happy that we once won, we once showed the world who we truly are and what we are capable of.

I know I got this love for the game from my mom and I can't thank my mom enough. I will for ever cherish the memories and happiness that it has given me.

The time will come when good wins over the evil and when justice is sought. There will come a day when Cheating will not fill the purses. There will come a day when humanity will take the front seat. I will wait for that day, for ever.

I hate talking about the game or anything that happened in any match to anybody. I know it is my short coming but I am happy with that. I feel that it is too personal for me to talk about it. A protective feeling takes over when I try to talk about it. Very few people have actually heard me speak of the game. And now you are one of them.


Aishwarya Kumar. 

And humanity takes a back seat

I do not want to review the match. India wins by one run. They gave the game their best shot. And they won the game of cricket. That is all that matters. Yes, mind games won. Yes, dirty strategy over took the gentleman's game. But the game of cricket is what matters and India made sure that they played well and they played like proud cricketers, proud Indians.



I know, it is disheartening. It is mighty disappointing. It is so crappy that we might even question the sanity of humanity. But what matters is that Indians played fair and they played like true gentlemen.

Virat Kohli rubbed off tears from his eyes when the score board read 121. The sight of him actually losing it and bursting out like that brought out immense feelings in me and I know this is the same for many Indians and many lovers of fair cricket.

"Overall disappointed, but not because of cricket. We can't have any control over other teams and their wins or strategy. Nut over all, I am quite satisfied with our performance," said M.S. at the presentation. I know what he meant. He meant the wonderful display of filthy strategy by the infamous Pakistanis.

India will take their flight back to India keeping in mind that Australia, Pakistan and India all have 2 wins each in the super eights and they did not make it ONLY because of uncontrollable factors and not because of cricket.

Yuvraj Singh was awarded the Man of the Match for his 21 runs and 2 wickets.


No matter what happens now, I am proud to be an Indian. I am proud of our fair ways. I am proud of the cricket that we played. Nothing else matters.

With a mighty heavy heart,

Aishwarya Kumar.

Mind games much?

scoring 149 in their 20 overs, Pakistan knew one thing very well. They had to play big and play strong. Are you thinking about playing "cricket" by any chance? If that is the case, then you are wrong. What they went on to play was the game that they were legend-wait for it-dary at. All they played was mind games. They attacked Australia early on, made them struggle and when the statistics came out, they slowed down. It said "Australia will go through to the Semi-finals if they go past 112." And the Pakistanis let them achieve that. After this amazing show of sportsmanship, they went on to win the match by 32 runs, giving India an almost non existent chance of entering the Semi-finals.

The statistics is out and India needs to win the match against the South Africa by 31 runs or with 24 balls to spare.

The toss is done and India was put to bat by South Africa.

The pitch is on the slower side and ball might slide on to the bat later on in the innings.

India is going into the match with no changes in the squad, a decision which could very much back fire because of the lack of spinning option.

Will Yuvraj and Ashwin deliver?

Will Sehwag and Gambhir click?

Will India go out there and perform when it is needed the most?

These are the questions which needs answers.

The equation is simple: We need to win and we need to win big.

Until later tonight,

Aishwarya Kumar.