India-Australia Test series 2010 to begin!

For those who have been eagerly awaiting another Ind-Aus cricket clash, the action begins tomorrow.

There are many questions that come to mind:

1. Will Pujara play? If he does, will he do better than this?

2. How effective will Gambhir be?

3. Will Dravid push the recent bogies against Aus away? The 2004-08 average is an alarming 24-odd.

4. Will Ishant rediscover his dream form against the Aussies? Will he get Ponting again? I certainly hope so.

Here’s to a few weeks of good cricket!

An IPL Semi Final at the Champions League – RBC vs. CSK

A cracker of a semi final awaits today where Kumble’s Bangalore will take on Dhoni’s Chennai. While much has been said about Chennai on paper, they have exposed some chinks this tournament.

Bangalore’s batting on the other hand has been a bit off color. Add to that a Kallis-shaped-hole, and the balance gets affected. Apart from Kohli and Dravid, the batsmen have not really lived up to their names. Uthappa has been a yo-yo behind the stumps.

One expects to see a decent match between two evenly matched sides!

Jai Bangalore!

Pujara in, Yuvraj out for Test against Aus

Finally the call has been answered. Pujara gets what he has been long due. I’m personally happy that Pujara made it without Dravid losing out – some were expecting that. Hope he gets into the playing XI and makes his mark.

Yuvraj on the other hand, deserves the ouster. The temperment has been off color and that added to his current form and fitness woes and other weaknesses, esp against spin must have played a role in the selector’s decision. While I have my reservations with some of Cheeka’s methods, this team is decent and there wasn’t a need for major amends (apart from Yuvraj). In the back on my mind, there is a slight bit of feeling for Yuvraj – it is the ODIs and T20 that have gone bad for him. The last 2 test innings weren’t too bad; but unfortunately, that ‘s how things work.

CSK vs. the Bushrangers – one heck of a match

Cricket is still alive! That was one hell of a match that went down to the wire, burnt the wire and proceeded to the Super Over. Chennai Super Kings’s tactics vs. the Aussies was a treat to watch. While many may take issue with Ashwin bowling the super over, I think Dhoni’s choice was a decent one. Maybe my choice would have been Raina, and yes, that’s a mighty gamble. But that’s the thing with gambles; if you pull it off it looks great, if you don’t it looks ridiculous.

Victoria Bushrangers did well to tie the match. Liked to see the spunk from Peter Siddle. The tournament is still alive for them as well. CSK’s aren’t in too much trouble, so this result opens up the table for their group a bit more. It’ll be interesting to see who makes it.

Having said all that, I think the tied result needs to stay that way even in a T20. It’s a significant result with a special meaning.

Champions League begins!

Amid the match fixing spot fixing scandal, we have tournament. It would be nice to see some good cricket.

Mumbai play the Lions today. Since Lions are a South African side, this should be a good match. It’ll also be a good test for the Dhawans and the Tiwarys.

Here’s to good cricket!