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.