The IPL - PG's Tag

I must say, vacations at home, even if they were theoretically your last, are infinitely boring. For the first few days, you visit people, attend weddings, hang out with a couple of friends who are in town. And then, you -

• stumble upon an interesting kangaroo video, inadvertently [not work safe]
• look out for the latest in computing
• reaffirm your belief, in humanity, computing and womankind.
• google stalk Lekha Washington, at the same time wondering what the lovely Ms. Bedi is doing, not hosting Extra Innings. Last heard, she's MCing a stupid reality show on Star Plus. We want her back!
• and of course, slog the IPL

which brings me to PG's tag.

On the IPL and its popularity

Yes, sure. IPL is the in-thing. Instead of wasting a full 7-hours on an ODI, you get ten times the excitement, thrill, emotion, whatever, in just ~3 hours. It's like a family outing - similar to going out for a movie.

Players from different backgrounds share the same dressing room. The domestic players and the U-19 players, also get an opportunity to prove their mettle. It does provides real good exposure to the youngsters.

Cheerleaders, Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, big money, swanky stadiums - the IPL's got 'em all.

In the long run though, this *bikini* version, is going to prove detrimental to the game. The batting is no more technically correct and elegant. All you have is hoiks and slog sweeps and cross-batted agricultural shots! The bowling concentrates more on containing runs than attacking the batsman. 'A dot ball is like gold', says Shane Warne. Someone ask him what he considers his best delivery to be - the Mike Gatting dismissal, the Jacques Kallis 'round-the-legs' dismissal or a delivery in the final overs of the 1996 WC which didn't go for any runs.

Forget elegance and the rant above. Steve Waugh, in his autobiography, says that he would rather have in his team, someone who has character, than who is technically correct and elegant. In case you belong to the same breed, do you think this format of the game is going to instill character and the famed 'cricketing spirit' in youngsters?

It is the longer version which does so. You open the innings for your team. Within half an hour, you make the slightest of mistakes, and off you go. You realize that you've let go of an excellent opportunity to bat on a fresh day-1 wicket. You realize that you are going to cool your heels for another three days in the dressing room/on the field, before you get another shot. That long walk to the pavilion, builds character! You open the innings for your team, on a bouncy track that has moisture enough to make clay-models out of the soil. You need to bat through the first session and make sure your middle order is not exposed. You get close-ups of the varnish on the ball every over. Those three hours, my friend, build character!

The other side of the story is that the BCCI is dishing out absolutely lifeless, flat wickets for these games. Perhaps the main reason why the T20 world cup was a success, was that the surfaces had life in them. The bowlers were not non-contributing members of the team. In the ongoing tournament, barring a few instances, it has not mattered much if you had somebody like Chaminda Vaas or someone like Napolean Einstein, in your ranks. High time, bowlers got their due on subcontinent LOI tracks!

My favorite

My money is on the Delhi Daredevils. Look at the top-three batsmen - Virendar Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan - all three in prime form. They are currently placed third, but a victory against the RoyalChallengers would take them to second place. Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals are forces to reckon with. CSK is by far the tightest outfit.

On Bhajji and Sreesanth

It happens. Things get ugly. You go overboard. I remember the first time I captained my club. No, no. Not because I used to play really well or anything - a whole bunch of lads, including the skipper, were unavailable. We lost three three-day games in succession against top notch Lucknow clubs. At the end of the third match, I broke down. If someone had tried taking the mickey out of me at that time, I would have murdered him.

What more, the news channels have made a complete mockery of the entire deal, with runs and re-runs of clippings showing a sobbing Sreesanth. Plain embarrassing, I tell you!

Funniest moment of the IPL

Sehwag, Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan tearing apart Hyderabad's bowling and Mpumelelo Mbangwa getting all excited, 'Shikar Duwaan goes ballistic. It's into the stands. Daredevils are flying high'.

Heights of stupidity

The goddamn presenters. Unaware of any adjectives other than 'cool' and 'fantastic', the lack of cricketing knowledge and with their idiotic expressions - they only make laughing stocks of themselves. Someone should tell them to go take a hike!

SET MAX's coverage is absolutely appalling. The advertisements start before the over finishes and sometimes appear in the middle of overs, when a third umpire decision is pending. Then there is that annoying Vodafone popup, which sounds as if two people are making out.

Enough said. Let's get back to live action.

Khuda Hafiz,
Sultan of Samarkand.

Footnote- Was I supposed to pick five things that caught my attention or rant about the five topics that were already there? Anyhoo, the post has more than five things that caught my attention!