Its not an unusual sight to see slight winds at 11:30 PM local time, in a country which is always regarded as one of the most hottest places on planet Earth during the Summer.
Its not an unusual thing to feel sweaty and want more cool stuff inside your body and your legs drag you to the refridgerator looking for just plain cold water.
Its not an unusual thing to dream about rains when its actually 39 degree celsius outside the home and +1 inside the home.
Eventually, I stepped out outside the home. Then was the real unusual feeling of cold air passing by me, dust which usually, is on the cemented streets is all up in the air and there is this tiny thought of the dream about rains turning to reality….
I stood there, standing a few metres away from the street light spot, fearing that it might just fall down due to the heavy wind then, but then, this dream. I thought “Was I ‘Incepted‘ that it is going to rain now ?”. At 11:40 PM, at this time when it usually feels hot enough to just lie down on the floor and try to sleep?
Then… there it was, it was not a dream, as i felt a drop of water pinch my arm, and then more drops, and more.. Looked up the Sky, I was not dreaming. I watched the Rain.
As Tamil Nadu and few other states are gearing up for their respective State Assembly elections I hope the “aam aadmi”(common man) teaches a lesson to every corrupt politician not only in the states that are going to poll, but the entire nation. Over the past there have been so many scams and corruption. They were ignored and we (you and me are responsible for voting them to power) voted for the same bunch of rogues(there may be exceptions, but still majority are rogues). And what was the result of our negligence? Politicians who started swindling tens and few hundreds of crores have started looting many thousands and lakhs of crores. Absolutely shocking to see one man ending up looting 1.76 lakh crores, his party leader says that person is being hounded because he is from lower caste, the PM says he wasn’t aware. There is this another person who almost brought shame to the entire nation, on international stage but thank God that was averted. After putting enough pressure, the government finally ordered CBI inquiry into these issues and hopefully they will spend good amount of this decade in prison. But will they? There are so many loopholes in the existing law. Led by one great man Anna Hazare, citizens have woken up to join him in the fight to bring changes to the existing Lokpal Bill with tougher penalties to punish the corrupt and more power to Lokpal. But the government attitude is indifferent. The panel they formed comrpises of criminals and goons!! Okay the opposition are supporting Hazare but does that mean they are clean? With may be few exceptions the answer is NO!!
Coming back to Tamil Nadu, we have two prominent parties, the two parties that have come to power using their so-called Dravidian idealogy. One comes to power, loot money, the other cries foul, and come the next election they switch sides. The latest trend is offering TV,laptops, grinders etc. WTF!! We see children without education, youth without employment, low pension, no proper housing for the poor, poor roads and water supply etc. When our people don’t even have access to some of the basic needs, are these TVs and laptops really important? They loot crores of common man’s money, strike a deal with some manufacturers to provide “free” stuffs to people and make more money. If you think they are doing good and vote for them it you who must be punished for your ignorance!! Now you will say you have no choice. But have a look at the list of candidates contesting from your constituency. There surely will be one person, may be an independent or any other smaller party (like Lok Satta – Makkal Sakthi Katchi, just a suggestion) that fights against corruption. The worst excuse is “Why should I vote for that person when that person is not going to win?”. Imagine what happens when some 40-50% of the people in each constituency think in the same manner. Obviously that person will lose. But change the way you think, change the way people around you think. Only if we change there will be a change in our politics. Even if you cannot find one incorruptible person, vote for the person who is the least corrupt. This will serve as a temporary solution. And of course there is no point in not going to vote, you will just end up helping corruption. So think before you go the polling booth on April 13th.
I request all the visitors of yusuf.in to cast their vote and also encourage other eligible citizens to do the same. I hope every eligible person have their name on the electoral roll. Okay that was the first step.The next step is to know the candidates stading from your constituency, find who they are, their backgound, education etc.You can visit http://myneta.info/tamilnadu2011/ to know some basic details like name,education, declared assets,liabilities and most importantly the criminal cases that are level against them and cases where they were convicted. Please spend few hours during the weekend or on any other day before election day researching about the candidates. These few hours can change your lives and our lives for not only for the next 5 years, but for years to come. Do not see party, caste, religion, sex etc. Their character alone must be taken into consideration. DO NOT WASTE YOUR VOTE!! VOTE FOR THE RIGHT PERSON!! IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!! JAI HIND!!
PS: I do not support any of the major political parties. And do not forget to lend to your support to Anna Hazare. He is doing all this for us and our future generations.
Since 1992,these teams have met 4 times in world cups(50-50), and every time the same team won.No matter what team plays the world cup finals,this game garners the huge attraction.Every cricket world cup craves for this match.In 2007,with a fixed schedule the tickets of this match were already sold out,the teams failed to qualify and the two teams did not meet for the first time in world cups since 1992.The t20 arrive and these teams competed in the finals of the first edition of te02 and still the same side won.Be it t20’s or odi’s only one team won and that was India.By this time the other team would have been guessed easily by you .It’s Pakistan.
In 2011,these teams contested in a game in what would earn the team that won , a place in a world cup final to face another sub-continent giant ,Sri Lanka.For the first time in 10 editions of the world cup two sub continent giants would clash for the coveted trophy.A team other than Australia for the first time would lift the world cup since 1999.The whole film fraternity of India were there,both countries Prime Minister were there,BCCI was there ,ICC was there.And possible talk resumptions between the two coutries after this game,an India-Pakistan clash could not get any bigger.
Pakistan were the dark horses while Indians were the hot favorites to win the world cup.The way Pakistan played the world cup,it was reminiscent of 1999,the last time Pakistan completely dominated.With a loss to Newzealand providing the exception,Pakistan were the team to beat.They put an end to Australia’s winning streak.The bowling attack of the Pakistan is the best bowling attack this world cup.With captain Afridi ,being the highest wicket-taker ,he lead the way for the team.On the other hand,India did not have a smooth ride in group stages.The hyped batting line up’s middle order continuously failed and the bowling with exception of Zaheer khan continuously failed to perform.But in quarters everything changed.The game against Australia saw everyone raise their game.Yuvraj singh excelled with bat and ball,Raina ,Kohli proved their mettle with the bat and Bhajji started to regain the form.The favourites tag started to re-emerge.Now lets get on to the game.
India won the toss and choose to bat.The battle was about to begin.Pakistan bowlers vs Indian Batsman.But it did not begin all rosy for Pakistan.Umar Gul,pakistan’s best bowler was smashed all around the park by sehwag.India’s 50 was brought up in under 7 overs and was starting to flourish until wahab riaz struck and sehwag was gone.Tendulkar on the other end was scratchy,survived a lbw with help of a referral and a stumping chance.He survived 2 dropped chances before reaching his 50.It was not tendulkar in his element.In the other end ,Gambir was getting on his stride before he fell to a off spinner trying to give the charge.Kohli and Tendulkar stabilised and tendulkar was let off 2 more times and Pakistan were wilting and memories of the match against newzealand where the dropped chances of ross taylor came back and haunt them in end started to refurbish.But Wahab Riaz,who was bowling exceptionally well came back and produced a double strike ,Kohli and the in-form yuvraj.Dhoni and Tendulkar had to keep it tight and do not let Pakistan to rout the Indian line up which they had managed to do to other teams.Just when tendulkar was seem to get his stride,Ajmal finally got the man.Dhoni also got out quickly to another wahab riaz delivery .And with score at 6-205 ,250 seemed far.But Raina took the responsibility and with bhajji and zaheer khan playing some tailender shots india managed to get to 260-9 in 50 overs.
Pakistan’s batting line up was not in its best with their highest run getter being Umar Akmal(212 runs).Yet when it comes to india,they have to perform.The opening partnership og Akmal and Hafeez smashed india’s premium bowler Zaheer Khan all over the park.He was taken of the attack after 2 overs and brought back in the 9th over.And voila he got the wicket of Akmal.Asad shafiq ,emerging youngster of of Pakistan joined hafeez and runs were starting to flow in smooth way until hafeez played the worst shot of the tournament trying the dil scoop(pepsi ad) and getting an outside edge.This turned out to be the turning point of the match.Younis khan who had a poor run in the tournament except for the srilanka match took too much time to settle and put pressure on youngster shafiq,who in pursuit of getting runs fell.Misbah another slow-coach joined younis and just upped the required run rate and against the run of play Younis Khan fell.Umar akmal played some blazing shots before he was undone by a faster ball from bhajji,Abdul razzaq was done in by a beautiful slower leg cutter from munaf patel.Afridi came hit some shots and fell to bhajji.
With misbah continuing in snai’ls pace it was curtains for Pakistan.What seemed to be a high octane clash was turning into a lopsided contest.The powerplay which had to be taken when razzaq , afridi were in crease was finally taken in 45th over or forced upon them.Misbah tried to bring back memories of 2007 t20,but he had ran out of too many partners and the task proved too much.Zaheer khan fittingly took the last wicket .And pakistan were yet again outplayed by Indians in a world cup game,this time by 29 runs.
A high octane contest turned into a lopsided contest courtesy-younis khan and misbah.The man of the match award went to sachin tendulkar and he was all smiles as he would probably playing is last world cup match in home ground and with world cup at stake and his 100th international century ,we would not be able to witness a better farewell for the person who has only brought only laurels in his 20 year journey to the country.
The champions of the past three world cups, winner in one and runner up in second of the world cups held in sub-continent.A powerful history indeed.But good history doesn’t mean a pleasant future.Australia are not even close to the team they were once.With many senior players retiring after 2007 and injury worries ,there is not a smile in punter’s face.He has many questions to answer.After losing ashes to England 2-1 last year his place as captain has seriously come to doubt,but with world cup around the corner Australian selection board was not prepared to take a chance by giving clarke the captaincy who is not in good form recently.But Ponting too is not .Anyways let us have a look up,whether the team has the skill ,the ruthlessness the Australian team of the past have carried into world cups.
Shane Watson ,a player who has won the Border award for the second year is in supreme form but has the tendency not to carry the good form into making huge amount of runs and instead failing to cross 50’s .Yet he is one of australia’s few good batsman.His opening partner Haddin is always the ship crossing the tip of iceberg.He may survive it and go onto play a great innings or may just get hit in the iceberg and falter.Ricky Ponting’s career has never fancied the indian pitches and always comes a cropper in very good spinning wickets.yet he is the player who has shown signs of good form in the practice matches and has a huge responsibility of producing innings that he produced in 2003 world cup finals.The middle order of the Australians is brittle.The recent form of cameron white has turned worrisome and clarke though shined at the end of the england series is till not dependable as he was years ago.With newbies like callum ferguson , david hussey yet to get accustomed to spinning wickets,they are not in for a good time in the sub-continent.
The bowling department is slightly better.Brett Lee is back to fitness and with Tait ,Johnson and Bollinger to support him they have a good fast men going bang against the opposition in the first 15 overs.John Hastings ,a recent addition to the team also has bowled well.It is a very good spinner they lack.Jason Krezja has showed signs of getting the loop he needs and with michael clarke being a successful spinner in spinning wickets ,Australian have little to worry in bowling department compared to batting.
Everything said,the weakness of Australia is lucid.they lack hard hitters like symonds ,matchwinners like hussey and bowlers like mcgrath and warne.They would make past the group stages as the no of teams they have to worry about his less,it’s when the super8’s gets going they should start worrying where they will have to play against quality teams.My advice to them win as many matches as possible in group so that the super 8’s wont be that tough.
As a Australian fan i pray that they never face India or srilanka in the semis or the finals ,because they possess the two great spin attacks in present cricket generation.*
*-should they get that far.
Ah the chokers .that’s what the cricket world calls them ,the team that is bet upon to win every world cup yet haven’t reached finals of a single world cup for the last three times.Be it t20 or odi or test ,they are a team to reckon with.the first team to beat Australia in Australia for over a decade.This world cup,they have the least number of players who know the pressure that the tournament puts upon them.They have a farewell to give to the world ’s best all-rounder – Jacques Kallis over 20,000 runs and 500 wicket summing up all forms of international cricket he has played.Well do the Proteas finally have the chance to make their dream come through .Do they have the team .Let’s find out.
Graeme Smith ,the captain of the South African team for the past 7 years after the great debacle against srilanka in 2003 world cup due to a duck-worth lewis miscalculation.He is captaining the side to his final world cup after which he resigns the post.He had successfully taken South Africa to the semis of 007 only to get mauled in the hands of eventual champions Australia.He is not in the greatest of his forms yet he is threat to any opposition if he gets going.He opens with calm and cool Amla who has the compusre to bat from over no-1 to 50 and allow others to go against the attack.The southafricans have one of the strong middle orders ,only next to India.They have got an all experienced kallis,good stroke players in de villers and duminy .It would be interesting to see who gets the nod between mone van wyk ,faf du plessis and colin ingram.All three of them have shown promise but do they have the substance to step up is a question to be asked.
In the bowling department they have the world’s best opening bowlers combo at present in steyn and morkel.They would be ably supported by tsotsobe,a very good bowler who extracts bounce from any kind of pitch he has faced till date.They have three spinners in fray ,while Botha would be a automatic selection for his outstanding bowling skills and good batting he provides at the lower order.It would be a toss up between Robin peterson and Imran Tahir,who has waited for 8 years to finally get a nod from south african cricket board.
With all this said south africa still have their weakness.They dearly miss Klusner or Pollock who had provided them with the great all-round option in the last three world cups.they had the power to up the tempo but the present south african side lacks that player which would be crucial at the end stages of the world cup.They would surely make it to the super 8’s even to the semis but it’s the last 2 hurdles that they needed to cross which would be damn tough.With Kallis sidelined from bowling at the world-cup and talks that he may never be bowling , southafricans have additional pressure if one or two of the regular bowlers in the team get a bang from the opposition.
Truth be told southafrica have the team and all the confidence in them but there is a serious question hanging whether they would be able to give a proper farewell to the most prolific player south africa has ever produced and a very good skipper who took the responsibility when he was just 22 ?
Lankans were the champions last time when the world cup was held in the sub-continent and 15 years hence they are still one of the strongest teams in the sub-continent. They are a tough nut to crack in home conditions and with opportunity presenting that they have to play away only should they reach the world cup final they are in the position of control.
They do not have Matara Mauler(Sanath Jayasuriya) in their line up this time who introduced to the world how to bat out the opponent in the first fifteen overs but they have Tillekaratne Dilshan who is as good and could for the job. His opening partner upul tharanga has been in prime form in home. So they make a good opening setup which would make srilankan stalwarts kumar sangakkara and Mahela jayawardane.The presence of samaraweera,chamara silva and chamara kapugedera who can step up when needed also strengthenes the middle order which can be a final free stroke by Angelo Matthews-a fine allrounder the srilankans have discovered in the past 4 years.
It is the bowling department which possess a great challenge to the other teams.With the three M’s (Malinga ,Muralitharan.Mendis) it proves a great challenge to the opposition to get that great start nor the final onslaught .They do have a great bench strength in Kulasekara,Fernando(only one of them could make the final 11),thissara perera and rangana hereath .
With the world cup being held in the own backyard srilanka have a great chance to win it one more time and bid a great adieu to Muralitharan.
