It’s been over two years since the cash-rich Indian premier league showed us the trailer to the movie of what was to come. One thought the trailer was flattering to deceive. However, that wasn’t the case to be. The Indian premier league has charged forward and is now in some eyes second only to the World cup which happens once in four years.

The fans/ cricket lovers/ the players just can’t seem to have enough of the IPL and want it to come and stay for long. Well, the good thing for them is that the IPL unlike the world cup is there every year. Many players have been seen trying to focus on limited Overs cricket. The big question is had the Cash rich IPL not been there would competitive 30-34 year olds make that decision; would they step down had the cash rich IPL not been there?

The most recent of all was Brett Lee, who at the age of 33 stepped down from test match cricket to prolong his career in the shorter formats of the game. In the past year, along with lee several notable cricketers have stepped down from the test level and are either doing the freelance role or playing the shorter formats for their respective countries. Players including the likes of Oram, Styris, Bond, Flintoff and now lee have done so.

Mind you, all these players are not overly old and are well under the retirement age—under 35 (if there’s something like that). A lot has been spoken about how lucrative the league has been and its exploits. What’s more is there are another two franchisees to be added for the fourth edition of the IPL. There will be a fresh auction, all players will come into the pool again and even iconic players can be traded. The league never ceases to amaze me. The 3rd edition of the IPL is less than a week away and the excitement is mounting with every hour.

People across India are counting hours before they get to see their favourite players on the grand stage. Now, delving into what the 3rd season of the IPL has in store for us, which are the teams that look good to bag the stunning gold embedded Indian map. Teams have been training for over a week now, and managers have focussed more on player availability rather than just player name.

Deccan chargers

Deccan chargers: After some controversy whether the chargers would play the tournament or not due to division of the Andhra state, the news is they will be playing and look strong as ever. Under the inspirational captaincy of former Australian vice-captain and wicket keeper, Adam Gilchrist the Deccan chargers on paper at least look the strongest unit of them all. The champions of the last edition the chargers, wouldn’t raise an eyebrow if they go on to win this edition of the IPL as well.
Owner: Deccan Chronicle
Captain: Adam Gilchrist
Coach: Darren Lehmann
Game breakers (batting): Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Dwayne Smith.
Knock over’s (bowling): Kemar Roach, Fidel Edwards, RP Singh, Ryan Harris.
Fielding: Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Dwayne Smith.
The chargers look a good side all round and seem to have all aspects covered. Their only concern would be their dismal record at their home ground, but the good thing for them being they don’t have a lot of matches to play there.

Bangalore Royal Challengers

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Finalists of the last year’s edition, the challengers showed the world a new side to their cricket after a dismal performance in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Labeled as the “Test team” by critics the challengers showed their true worth by showing everyone how dangerous they can be and proving that T20 is not a game that can be decided on paper.
Owner: Dr. Vijay Mallya
Captain: Anil Kumble
Coach: Ray Jennings
Game breakers (batting): Manish Pandey, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen, Cameron White.
Knock over’s (bowling): Dale Steyn
Fielding: Roelof Van de Merwe, Cameron White, Steven Smith.
Their new look squad doesn’t look the “test team” anymore with White, Taylor and Pietersen who can each give it a fair whack. Along with the blend of youth they have good seniors in Rahul Dravid, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and Anil Kumble. They shouldn’t be underestimated as they showed how dangerous they could be. Loaded with South Africans, perhaps that’s what perhaps was their undoing last time—chokers. Jokes apart the royal challengers do have one of the best spinners in the tournament in their skipper Anil Kumble and also the Best ODI bowler in the world, Dale Steyn. A sure team to watch out for.

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings: Finalists of the first edition and semi finalists of the one down in South Africa, the Chennai super kings have been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL. They have the best set of all rounder’s and a good blend of youth and old with a very ‘calm’ captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Owner: India Cements Ltd.
Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Game breakers (batting): Matthew Hayden, Albie Morkel, Jacob Oram, Justin Kemp, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina.
Knock over’s (bowling): Makhaya Ntini, Muttiah Muralitharan
Fielding: Suresh Raina and Justin Kemp.
A very strong team overall, a very strong opener in Hayden and good players to nurdle and take the neck by the scruff if required. Their only shortcoming is their bowling, they need to strengthen it if they have to make it to the final four. A team filled with all rounder’s (and good ones at that too), it would be very interesting to see which or how many out of the four will be selected. You’d like to think that Albie Morkel should be an automatic choice however the same cannot be said about Jacob Oram due to his inconsistent performances in the last season. Justin Kemp has been in good form for the cobras and he should get a nod ahead of the tall black cap all rounder.

Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils: The daredevils like the Chennai super kings have been a very consistent side in the IPL too. They made the semi finals in both the editions and looked good to go further. Somehow they seem to give the South African image about them, they lose/ choke in tense matches. On paper they are second only to the Deccan chargers and look as if they are capable of overpowering any unit. A change in the head was seen with Virender Sehwag stepping down from captaincy as he wanted to concentrate on his game.
Owner: GMR Holdings
Captain: Gautam Gambhir
Coach: Greg Shippered
Game breakers (batting): Virender Sehwag, Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB De Villiers, David Warner
Knock over’s (bowling): Dirk Nannes, Daniel Vettori
Fielding: Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB De Villiers, David Warner
A very good unit and like the chargers have got everything they could ask for in the T20 arena. If they get on to a good start in the tournament there could be no stopping them. They would be hoping to go one step further and win the league. It will be very interesting to see who the 4 foreign players will be considering the nick Warner is in, it would be very tough to leave him out. However, Dilshan, de Villiers, Vettori and nannes all have been very successful for the daredevils. Surmisably, it could be a toss up between Dilshan and Warner or Vettori and Warner considering the other spinner Mishra will play.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians: The side of the master— Sachin Tendulkar. The great man has been in tremendous form for India for a long time now. He’s seeing the 51/2 cherry as the size of a football. The Mumbai Indians failed to make it to the semi finals on both the previous occasions. However, a lot seems to have changed since then, and the odds are in their favour this time round. Mumbai’s biggest and most recent pick is that of West Indian giant buy Kieron Pollard. The West Indian was sold for over 6 crores. If he does justice to half the price he was brought for the Mumbai Indians should pick up the trophy.
Owner: Reliance Industries Limited
Captain: Sachin Tendulkar
Coach: Robin Singh, Jhonty Rhodes
Game breakers (batting): Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Abhishek Nayar.
Knock over’s (bowling): Lasith Malinga, Zaheer Khan.
Fielding: Kieron Pollard, Abhishek Nayar, Dwayne Bravo.
With Jhonty Rhodes being their fielding coach you could expect the Mumbai Indians should be from the top draw. Mumbai Indians have a huge fan following (largely due to the presence of Sachin Tendulkar) and their fans will be hoping that they do come up with something special this year. Twenty 20 is not Sachin Tendulkar’s most preferred format but you can never tell with the master. If great players can adapt to any form of the game, then Sachin Tendulkar surely can and you wouldn’t hold it against to him to carry his team single handedly towards the title.

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab: The men from Punjab have a new king to work under. The managerial unit at the Kings XI Punjab have decided that it is best that Yuvraj Singh plays as player and not as captain as he is more efficient as player. Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara has been appointed captain and would be able to share a good rapport with Tom Moody as moody was Lanka’s ex coach. The men from Punjab would look to replicate their performance of the inaugural edition of the IPL if not better it and go all the way.
Owner: Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman.
Captain: Kumar Sangakkara
Coach: Tom Moody
Game breakers (batting): Yuvraj Singh, Shaun Marsh, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara.
Knock over’s (bowling): Brett Lee, Shreesanth, I Pathan.
Fielding: Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Brett lee.
For me, if the Kings XI Punjab have to stay in good stead they would have to ensure that ace pace man Brett lee is fit and raring to go. If that’s the case is death bowling and lower order striking will be invaluable and could go a long way in deciding the fate of the franchisee.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals: The champions from the first edition of the IPL. Looked one of the most ordinary twenty 20 side on paper when the auction first concluded. However, as I mentioned before T20 isn’t done and dusted on paper. Under the tactical and inspirational captaincy of Australian spin bowling legend Shane Warne. Warne showed that he can weave his magic on not just the cricket ball but also on people as he did here. Youngsters namely Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan and Swapnil Asnodkar owe their careers to Shane Warne as he identified their talent and helped them exhibit it on the world stage.
Owner: Emerging Media, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra.
Captain: Shane Warne
Coach: Shane Warne
Game breakers (batting): Graeme Smith, Yusuf Pathan, Adam Voges
Knock over’s (bowling): Shaun Tait, Shane Warne
Fielding: Adam Voges, Abhishek Jhunjunwala
Shane Warne’s tactical role as captain and coach of the team will have a huge role to play if the Royals have to emulate their first season’s performance. It is very possible for them to re do that especially with the royals having one of the fastest bowlers in the world (if not the fastest-currently) in shaun tait. Tait has been in brilliant form after his comeback into the Australian side early this year. His rhythm seems good and he had recently clocked over a 160 clicks in a T20 match against Pakistan. Warne along with this bowling will have to motivate the boys how he did so in 2008. A very well knit side and are certainly the dark horse of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders: Dismal performances in the last two editions of the IPL in spite of having a decent set of players leaves Kolkata as a ‘not-considered’ option amongst the people in India. Having said this, this might just be what the Knight riders may need as they have been the most popular and glamorous side ever since they burst onto the scene largely due to their owner Shah Rukh Khan being the Badshah of bollywood. A lot of controversies surrounded the knights which hampered them adversely. Racism rows, conflicts between the coach, captain and owner, and the whole strategy of multiple captains; all turned out to be KKR’s undoing in the end. Hence, SRK finally decided to re instate Sourav Ganguly as captain and replace John Buchannan with Dav whatmore. Kolkata will be without the services of Brendon McCullum this year due to his commitments with the national side.
Owner: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jai Mehta.
Captain: Sourav Ganguly
Coach: Dav Whatmore
Game breakers (batting): Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Chris Gayle.
Knock over’s (bowling): Shane Bond, Ishant Sharma, Charl Langeveldt.
Fielding: Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Angelo Mathews.
KKR bagged New Zealand quickie Shane bond, who after severing his ties with the rebel Indian Cricket League is now eligible to play for the Knights. He’s a pretty good buy and should reap his 6 crore worth returns. KKR are certainly my pick of the tournament and it is how Ganguly and whatmore function together will decide the fate of this wonderful side.

This year’s IPL has a lot to offer, in fact the IPL itself this year has a lot to offer. They have the Huge auction coming up later this year and also unveiling of the new franchisees mid way through the IPL. The IPL is back in its home nation and is set to thrill. With media playing its part in the form of hoardings and advertisements this year’s IPL promises to be an “enthralling” one to say the least.

Mitchell Johnson

It was Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris who were Australia’s heroes with the ball at the end of the second ODI. Australia survived a late scare from the new Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori after his he displayed a wonderful array of shots all round the wicket en route his innings of 70 of just 49 balls. Vettori exposed his stumps all day as he moved across his stumps and flicked for boundaries in the square leg, long leg region. New Zealand were in tatters before Daniel Vettori walked in with the score being 131 for 6 and the black caps still needing another 135 off 114 deliveries.

Earlier in the day ponting had called right for the second time in a row and surmisably Australia decided to bat first. The Australians failed to convert another good start provided by their openers Watson (47) and Haddin (53). Both the openers failed to carry on and were dismissed in an attempt to increase the tempo. Ricky ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke both fell to dismal strokes leaving Australia in trouble at 116 for 4. It was up to Cameron white and Michael Hussey to dig them out of the hole that they had created from themselves to a substantial total.

Call him Mr. Cricket or Mr. Fixit, Michael Hussey always comes up with the goods when the Australians need him. And so he did this time around too as he put on a game changing partnership of over a 100 with Cameron white. The duo were flawless and looked set to help Australia put on a score off over 300 before Cameron white holed out in the deep to Brendon McCullum. The wicket fell just against the run off play and halted proceedings for a while as Australia once again posted a below par score off 273.

White fell before hammering two consecutive massive sixes of James Franklin who later stretched his hamstring. He (white) fell in an attempt to clear the boundary on the third instance. The strategy seemed logic less as it was the 43rd over and Australia still had their batting power play in hand. Had they taken it white would possibly have carried on.

New Zealand started their chase with Brendon McCullum attacking Doug Bollinger. Bollinger really had one of his off days, perhaps his worst of the summer. Ponting was very pro-active throughout the day. He saw that, and immediately brought in a change he brought in Mitchell Johnson to bowl in the 5th over of the New Zealand innings.

The crowd with their ‘booing’ tried to put Johnson off his game all day but only inspired him to perform better. Johnson, on the day let the ball do the talking by picking up a 4-for. Before he started his spell, Johnson at the top of his run up turned, faced the west stand and kissed his Australian coat of arms and accounted for McCullum in his first over itself. Ponting in the post match presentation said that the emotional quickie was only spurred on “if anything” by the whole saga today.

Johnson was seen accompanied by a security personnel while fielding at the boundary. Ryan Harris struck with a couple of L.B.W’s off consecutive balls putting Australia in front before the rain finally came. The match was then reduced to 45 over one with the black caps needing 266 to win (D/L method). Australia were in the driver’s seat before Styris (Australia’s undoing the last time round), Hopkins and Tuffey all played well around their skipper Daniel Vettori who gave the Australia some butterflies.

In the end it came down to 13 off 11 balls as Vettori tried another of his flicks only to see his stumps rattled by Ryan Harris. How ironic it was that the match had to end with Vettori playing his, for the day ‘flick’. The anguish was etched on Vettori’s face after he was dismissed for a classy 70. Ponting later said that this wasn’t Australia best performance by any stretch of imagination and they had a lot of work to do. Australia do need to do some “fine tuning” before they go in to Hamilton’s fixture on Tuesday.

New Zealand’s hero was set to miss the match as he decided to rest his neck but was forced to play after Ross Taylor injured his leg during practice. With Oram also missing Vettori had to play. However, Vettori showed “A wounded man can still hurt you”—just.

England batsman Craig Kieswetter’s slammed his maiden ODI hundred as the Englishmen trounced Bangladesh by 45-runs in the third ODI at Chittagong. In the process, the visitors also completed a convincing 3-0 whitewash in the series. Kieswetter, who had struggled earlier on in the series, scored a highly impressive 107, which was chiefly responsible for England ending up with a formidable 284 for 5, batting first on a slowish wicket.

Kieswetter’s ton was well supported by quickfire cameos from Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright. In reply, Bangladesh were never in the hunt, ending up with a disappointing 239 for 9. Only Mushfiqur Rahim and Aftab Ahmed, who scored 40 and 46 respectively, put up some resistance.

Kieswetter began his match-winning knock in a rather sedate manner, looking determined to make up for his earlier failures. He just stood at the wicket during the initial phase and allowed skipper Alastair Cook to do most of the scoring. Cook reached 32 with the help of three boundaries and was looking set for a big knock when he departed, getting caught behind the wickets off the ever-impressive Shakib Al Hasan.

Following the captain’s dismissal, Kieswetter continued to struggle for a while, but did not throw his wicket away and over time began finding his feet.

Mind you, this wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on. Even the aggressive Kevin Pietersen struggled, especially against the spinners. Like Cook, he also got a start, but was trapped in front by Abdur Razzak when on 22. The story was no different for the tenacious Paul Collingwood. As expected though, he hung around with Kieswetter and helped him build a resurrecting partnership.

Even though he departed for 36, which included a solitary boundary, his presence seemed to have been the tonic that was needed to boost Kieswetter’s confidence. The opener reached a hard-earned fifty and from thereon he was a different man altogether. Runs flowed from his bat as he cut and drove his way swiftly towards his maiden ton.

Kieswetter eventually fell for a superbly-constructed 107, when an attempted cut off Razzak found his stumps disturbed. But, not before he and Morgan added a blitzkrieg 67 in the slog overs. Morgan gathered a lucky 36 from 29 balls, an innings during which he was dropped on more than one occasion.

And when was finally dismissed, Wright continued the destruction job. If anything, he was even more deadly, powering his way to 32 in mere 13 deliveries.

If Bangladesh hoped to chase down the total, they needed a solid start. However, that wasn’t to be. The home team lost the talented Tamim Iqbal in the very first over. Debutant Ajmal Shahzad had him caught by Tim Bresnan in the third man region. Imrul Kayes got a start and threw it away.

The only piece de résistance of the Bangladesh innings came in the form of a partnership between Mushfiqur Rahim and Aftab Ahmed. The duo looked comfortable out in the middle during their 56-run partnership. Unfortunately, just as the innings seemed to be coming on track, Ahmed was run-out for 46 in a frivolous manner and Bangladesh never recovered.

Tim Bresnan took full advantage of the hapless Bangladeshi batsmen, ending with a career-best haul of 4 for 28 as the match headed towards a dull, predictable finish.

The T20 world cup is the next big international tournament. The world cup follows the domestic Indian premier league which will have players from most part of the world cup. Just like the 2009 T20 World cup the IPL will provide a perfect foil for players playing in the T20 World cup. Players would get perfect match practice and would be in the right frame of mind before they head to the Caribbean to take on one another. Although T20 goes against prediction and the line of reputation we’ll have a look at the main contenders…

Australia— The aussies are looking absolute giants in this form of the game. In face the aussies are currently looking giants in all forms be it Test, ODI or T20 cricket. This is largely due to the fact that they have specialized squads for the different forms of the game. Talking about the T20 format the re-emergence of perhaps the fastest bowler in the world currently, Shaun Tait is a huge bonus for the aussies as he comes with not just raw pace but off late; he seems to be finding the right spots as well. He will come in very handy and has been in tremendous form ever since his return to the Australian national side.

Another of their T20 expertise is the small and compact power house, David Warner—the man has the second fastest fifty in T20 history and is capable of blowing away any bowling attack in the world. He has done so in the past and as far as the aussies are concerned they will be hoping he continues to do it for them. There is no better player who can build an innings in T20 cricket better than David Hussey.

Second only to Victorian team mate Brad hodge in terms of runs he at number 4 will be vital if Australia have to reach the knockout stages of the tournament. Australia have a perfect number 5 in Cameron white, his explosive batting with an uncomplicated technique is of great bonus and is one of their more experienced players at this form of the game. In Watson, Australia have the perfect all rounder they could ask for who could provide them with an explosive start. Along with them the aussies have Mitchell Johnson, their skipper- Michael Clarke, Hauritz and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.

Australia also have the pacey left arm seamer dirk nannes who is one of the skiddiest customers the game has ever seen. And IF, only IF, ace pace man Brett Lee is fit and raring to go—the aussies will have absolutely nothing to worry about as his experience and his class will be a big boost under a big stage like the world twenty 20. Australia have a very well knit unit under a new captain. They will be pressing hard to get their hands on the title they never have.

South Africa— The South African’s rest assured will play very good cricket and are probable to do well and reach the knock out stage. But, the problem with South Africa is and has always been once they get to that stage, they choke. They will be itching to prove all of that wrong and change how they are looked at in the cricketing world. They have a very good combination of both talent and experience.

In Graeme smith they have a crafty batsman who could pull out the long handle if need be. They have the young and electric bosman right at the top who could help the south Africans to a flyer. They have the ever dependable Kallis if they choose to pick him. The mercurial gibbs who due to his unpredictability could prove to be exactly what the Africans need on a big match stage. They have the best ODI bowler in the world in Steyn. But for me if South Africa have to get far into the tournament and far enough to win the tournament they need a particular man to shine and that man is ‘Abraham De Villiers’.

De Villiers has been in tremendous form over the last couple of years and he is now in the phase of entering the peak of his life as far as his batting is concerned. South Africa really need him to be firing on all cylinders if they have to stand any chance of putting up an impressive performance at this year’s World T20. South Africa seem to have a good combination but it’s important that they keep their past behind them and hope that De Villiers plays at his best.

India— India have a very good side and with Virender Sehwag in great nick at the top; they seem unstoppable. They also have the T20 man Yuvraj Singh who is as dangerous as T20 is to test cricket. The Indian team have one of the best batting line ups in the competition with Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina and pathan forming their top 6. However, it is their bowling that is a cause of worry. Presumably it would be Zaheer khan, Ishant Sharma, harbhajan singh and perhaps Nehra.

The Indians have a very unsettled bowling line up with Zaheer being the only formidable option after having good success over the past couple of seasons. India have bowling and fielding concerns. However, they are still in good stead mainly due to their batting. If India needs to make it to the final four they will have to dig deep and do something about their lack luster bowling and fielding as the latter is what primarily matters in a T20 game.

Sri Lanka— They made the finals last time round but were beaten by a very determined Pakistan team. They have a very good side with a devastating opening combination capable of tearing any bowling attack. Dilshan and jayasuriya on their day could win Lanka the match single handedly; if either one of them have a good tournament, it can be said that Sri lanka would make the final cut. They have two of the most elegant players in the modern era to follow in skipper Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Angelo Mathews a very promising all rounder and a future prospect for sure to look forward to. Their bowling is a good one too as they have the best spinners in the tournament—Muttiah Muralidaran and Mendis. Malinga, the slinger is capable of bowling 6 consecutive Yorkers and the opposition should be vary of that. Sri Lanka seem strong on the fielding department as well with Mathews and Dilshan right up front.

The others New Zealand, Pakistan (Although champions), West Indies and England do not seem to have the fire power and the lack of “consistent” game breakers seems to be their undoing. The above favourites are favourites only on paper and nothing can be portended as T20 is indeed a game of thrills and spills.

The Chappel-Hadlee series between the Trans-Tasman rivals has invariably produced thrilling cricket. And if the opening ODI at Napier was anything to go by, there is another humdinger of a series in store. The game on Wednesday went down to the wire, with a gritty lower-order effort by all-rounder Scott Styris making a difference in a rather tense atmosphere. The fact that the usually reticent Mitchell Johnson got into mortal kombat mode to take on Styris is ample evidence of what this series means to the Australians. But, they will need to do better than that to square the series at Eden Park, Auckland.

Although the visitors ended up on the losing side in the opener, there really wasn’t too much to choose between the two teams. And hence, all they must look to do is put up an improved batting as well as bowling performance, with the latter being more important. Luckily, they do not have any injury worries at the present moment.

Openers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin are in supreme form while the skipper himself can be expected to perform to keep his side in the hunt in this prestigious rivalry. The Aussie middle-order is as strong as any in the world today, with the classy Michael Clarke and suave Michael Hussey ably backed by the big hitting of Cameron White and James Hopes. What’s more, all of them have been among the runs lately, scoring heavily at that.

The Australian bowling suffered at the hands of Ross Taylor and co in Napier, but expect them to fight back strongly at Auckland. Mitchell Johnson won’t get a warm reception at the venue following his run-in with Styris. However, he shouldn’t mind it if crucial wickets come his way. Ryan Harris will find it difficult to repeat his heroics against Pakistan, but even if he is half as effective, the Aussies will be benefited amply. Doug Bollinger and Clint McKay have impressed more often than not whenever given the responsibility and whoever plays at Auckland will be expected to do the same. Ditto with Nathan Hauritz, who is slowly settling into his job as the side’s frontline spinner.

Unlike the Aussies, the Kiwis have a few injury worries, which will give them headaches despite the 1-0 lead, none more troublesome than the painful neck of their effervescent skipper Daniel Vettori. If the left-arm spinner doesn’t play, it would mean than Taylor will have to continue leading the team. And although, he did an admirable job in the opening encounter, the home side would want Vettori to be back as soon as possible, considering he has an impressive record against the number one ODI side in the world.

All-rounder Jacob Oram is another one on the hurt list. A tear of the patella tendon has ruled him out for one month which means additional responsibility on the seniors like Brendon McCullum and Taylor. Among the bowlers, spearhead Shane Bond will have to stand up and be counted once again.
The small ground means another high-scoring game is on the cards, but it should be a tight contest nonetheless.

Brett lee’s days in whites are over—Australian pace ace Brett lee has finally called it a day and has officially retired from test match cricket. Lee made this official in his statement to the media on the 23rd of February. Lee took 310 wickets in 76 test matches at 30. All of this with 5 ankle operations. A true testament to his character. One of the fastest bowlers in the world, Brett lee will be remembered for a long time to come.

Although he won’t be hurling in right between the members stand with white clothing on, lee still has a lot of cricket left him—lot of T20 and ODI action. Lee is 33 and would be a walk into any club team. The Australian selectors have shown faith in lee by picking him in the top 30 probable’s that would be going to the Caribbean to play the 3rd edition of the T20 world cup. His defining moment still remains when he was unleashed on the Indians in the December of 1999 and picked up a memorable 5 wicket hall on debut including picking up Rahul Dravid twice in the test. Brett lee always played with a smile and was one of those few Australians who won fans all over the world. One of the most defining moments of 2005 saw lee being consoled by Andrew Flintoff in the 3rd ashes test at Edgbaston after England won the contest by 2 runs.

One year on— Over a year now since the tragedy broke out on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore on their way to the gaddaffi stadium. Thilan samarweera who had scores two double centuries in the previous two matches was one of those who was gravely injured. Paravitharana and Mendis were amongst the others who were injured gravely. The memory still seems to haunt all those who were witness to it. Chris broad still speaks about waking up in the middle of the night getting nightmares about that particular day.

The IPL— The IPL is a week away and this time its back in India. The excitement seems to be mounting by the second. With the advertisements and sponsors already started their marketing, this season promises to be nothing short of amazing. As far as the players are concerned the Australian and new Zealand test players won’t be there right until the end or might even consider giving it a miss as their test series would be followed with the world twenty 20 in the Caribbean and the players would want some much needed rest. The first match of the season kicks off on the 12th of march in Mumbai’s DY Patil stadium where the Kolkata Knight riders will face the defending champions of 2009, the Deccan chargers. This season promises to be an enthralling one. So, sit back and enjoy…

Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris—Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris had more than a verbal exchange when the duo clashed in the 46th over of the innings of the 1st ODI at napier. The incident occurred when Johnson was hammered for two consecutive fours. Johnson was seen head butting Scott Styris. The duo were both found guilty, in fact both pleaded guilty in order to skip the entire hearing. Scott Styris was charged 15% of his match fee while Johnson was charged 60%. Perhaps Johnson must go and thank his mate Brad Haddin who saved him from losing some more of his money.

ICC Presidency— Former Australian prime minister, John Howard has been nominated for the ICC presidency post by both Australia and New Zealand. He has been extremely passionate about cricket since his childhood. What remains to be seen is that whether he will be able to win the votes of the sub-continent. Howard said he would be privileged to serve the ICC and would do it well if given an opportunity of doing so.

Muttiah Muralitharan— Veteran Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has decided that he will quit all forms of the game after the end of the 2011 world cup. He has been a tremendous servant to not just Sri Lankan cricket but also world cricket. He is the leading wicket taker in both test and one day internationals. Murali has faced a lot of controversies and has come out of it strongly. Often castigated by a lot of former players murali has fought the odds and come out on top. Whatever said whatever done, he will be the leading wicket taker for some time to come—it’s in the record books!

On the 24th of February 2010, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar added another jewel to his already priceless crown. Sachin scripted history at the captain Roop Singh stadium as he broke all records smashing the first ever double century in One day international cricket. It’s been nearly 4 decades since the format was recognized, Sachin has been there for nearly half its age and even the master took 20 years before he finally accomplished this humungous task. Shows the grit, the determination, the passion, the love for the game this godlike man still possesses in spite of being in the thick of things for over 20 years now.

The man is simply incomparable when it comes to career to career stat. As Australia’s skipper Ricky Ponting neared Sachin’s test record, the tiger was out of the cage. Sachin was roaring again. 4 consecutive test centuries and he’s back with an 8-ton lead. The stats said it when Ricky Ponting was voted by some websites leading player of the decade. This did not seem to go down to well with the master as he has been seen amassing 3 of his highest scores in One day internationals in the last one year and 4 consecutive test centuries to go with.

The innings was reminiscent of Sachin’s 175 a few months back against the visiting Australian side. The trailer to the movie to be shown was seen there. It would take a lot of courage to call Sachin’s 175 a trailer but, if only a man knew what records were; the ease with which the man breaks it. Not a single South African bowler was spared as Sachin Tendulkar smashed them to all parts of the ground. His cheeky innovativeness along with superb cricketing shots, that can be seen only from the bat of the master.

The current number one ODI bowler in the world, Dale Steyn also couldn’t prevent a hammering as Sachin pummeled him for 89 in his ten Overs. But, it was all okay as the South African’s were to witness what in some eyes was the greatest one day innings of all time.

Critics did raise their point about there being 55m boundaries, an ordinary bowling attack (barring Dale Steyn) and a placid wicket. But, critics are critics—if it’s one man who knows how to answer them, the man is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin endorsed his sponsor (Adidas) beautifully after his mammoth 200 knock proving that indeed ‘Nothing is impossible’.

In spite of all this critics still seem to be shooting their arrows at him comparing him with ponting. Sachin is the greater batsman without a doubt. If a comparison can be made it has to be a decade comparison with ponting being the superior one from 2000-2010. But, the day when Sachin gets a 100 international centuries, he will seal the debate as the best batsman to have played the game.

It was truly an innings of master class an innings which can never be replicated or matched (except by the master himself), the greatness of the man all in one innings. Indeed, Nothing in this world epitomizes god more than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Three games, three heroes

It was a disappointing end to the one-day series for India. They had a great chance to score a whitewash against the South Africans for the first time, but they preferred to rest their key players and tested out the bench strength, which resulted in a rather one-sided victory for the Proteas. Yet, the matter of the fact was that India won the series rather handsomely and there were some memorable performances even in such a short series. Presenting a rewind of top three performances of the series.

Game 1, Jaipur

Jadeja’s all-round act (22 and 2/29)

In a high-scoring game, where most of the batters were at ease, it was Ravindra Jadeja’s tight left-arm spin that made the difference. The Indian pacers, Ashish Nehra and S. Sreesanth went for plenty, and though they did pick up three wickets among themselves, they also ensured that South Africa stayed in the hunt. On the contrary, Jadeja not only kept the runs down, but also picked up two wickets, crucial ones at that, to derail the Proteas’ chase of 299. He cut short one-day specialist Herschelle Gibbs’ promising knock and later cleaned up AB de Villiers, who was also looking dangerous.

His cameo with the bat towards the fag end of the innings also came in handy, considering that India ended up winning by a solitary run, thanks to a late surge by the African tail. Jadeja is certainly turning out to be a good utility player for India.

Game 2, Gwalior

Sachin makes history (200 not out)

This was Sachin Tendulkar’s show all the way. Virender Sehwag fell early after India won the toss and batted. But, that did not deter the Indian master. He went on the rampage from the word go and the carnage did not stop till the very end. Come pace or spin, Sachin had an answer to every trick of the South African bowlers. He cut, pull, drove and lofted the bowlers with disdain on a ground that seemed too small for the Indian giant.

Dale Steyn, who destroyed India in the opening Test, was despatched for 89 from his quota of overs. Worse, Wayne Parnell went for 95. The others weren’t spared either. Charl Langeveldt went for a somewhat respectable 70 while Kallis and Duminy combined to leak over the 80. The Sachin magic was very much at display in Gwalior.

There were other handsome contributions in the game as well. Dinesh Karthik registered his highest ODI score of 79 while Dhoni slammed a hurricane like 68 not out. A B de Villiers too impressed with his sublime ton, but the match with undoubtedly be remembered for the indelible Sachin Tendulkar touch.

Game 3, Ahmedabad

de Villiers winning ton (102 not out)

The series was gone. However, the South Africans still had a lot to play for. After all they had never been blanked by India in a one-day series. And that record will stand, albeit with a little help from India themselves. They decided not to field a full-strength and de Villiers decided to take full toll of the inexperienced Indian attack. His 59 ball 102 included 11 hits to the fence and 3 over it. It was as if he was avenging the humiliation meted out to them at Gwalior, with great support from skipper Kallis.
The Indian bowling figures read similar to those of the Proteas in the previous game. Here was Sreesanth’s chance to lead the attack, but he failed miserably, conceding 83 in nine overs. As such, much couldn’t be expected from rookies Sudeep Tyagi and Abhimanyu Mithun. All were slammed. The de Villiers magic was in full bloom and the Indians had no answer to it.

There are cricket stadiums and then there is Eden Gardens. Yes, a match at the Lord’s of India brings along with it humongous expectations every time, that of a historic Indian win. Mohammad Azharuddin always scored runs here — even when he batted with his eyes closed, his protégé of sorts VVS Laxman has scored four hundreds and over a 1,000 runs in nine Test, and Harbhajan Singh would die to play cricket over here game after game.

Undoubtedly, this ground at Kolkata holds special memories for India. Can we ever forget that miraculous turnaround in 2001 against Australia? It was only fitting then at India retained their numero uno status with yet another superlative performance against the chief contender for the throne, South Africa.

So what is it about the Eden that makes cricket viewing such an amazing experience? The main reason, without an eye blink, has to be the wonderful crowd (1996 being an exception of sorts) that turns up in huge numbers to witness a Test on all five days of a game. Rarely, even in India, will we see a full house for the traditional version of the game.

It happens only in Eden! Sad then that the venue doesn’t get a chance to host enough Tests, while lesser venues keep getting opportunities time and again despite producing dull draws. A lot of it must be due to the political battle between Bengal’s cricketing association and the BCCI in recent times. True, the crowd too isn’t the most sporting when India loses, but then that isn’t reason enough not to give the ground its due, at least not yet.

After all, the Eden Gardens has given us so many wonderful, unforgettable memories. It was here that VVS Laxman became Very Very Special and Harbhajan Singh turned into the Turbanator. Some of the shots Laxman played during that knock of 281 will be etched in our memories till time immemorial.

And for not one moment during that innings did he ever come even close to getting out. Once again, it was the Eden magic at work. The unbelievably high decibel of noise the crowd makes gives the opposition the illusion that they are playing against 60-70 thousand people instead of 11. Laxman has played many good knocks elsewhere, but it’s at Eden that he has always looked at home.

Same is the case with Harbhajan. This was the same ground at which he had resurrected his international career with a match-turning bowling performance against the Aussies. Before this game, he was miserably struggling to find his rhythm. But look what the return to his favourite venue did for the heavily under-fire off-spinner.

Not only did his performance lift to incredible heights, but the team’s fortunes turned around astoundingly as well, despite a Nagpur-like start for the South Africans with the bat. One is not sure if Harbhajan will repeat such heroics at other venues, but be rest assured that the next time he steps on to the Eden turf, he will deliver something out of the ordinary.

Yes, that’s the magic of Eden Gardens!

In a two-match series, when you are 1-nil down, it is next to improbable to make a comeback. But, the present Indian team, under MS Dhoni has made it a habit of constantly delivering the goods when the chips are completely down.

And the second Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens was no exception. India had been humiliated at home in the first Test, a rarity in itself, and two of their main batters weren’t fit for the Kolkata challenge. There was extreme pressure on Harbhajan Singh, in particular, to perform following the team’s miserable bowling effort at Nagpur.

Add to it, there was hardly a few days’ gap between the two Tests and there was plenty of pitch talk, pertaining to the grass on the wicket. Yet, when the moment arrived, Team India stood up to be counted.

The South Africans, who were ruthless in the opening Test, floundered with their batting after winning the toss, and it was just the window of opportunity India needed to comeback into the game.

Zaheer Khan, who unfortunately could not bowl much in the second essay, was brilliant in the first innings and set up the game nicely for India. He has had the knack of grabbing the big fishes, and did exactly that at the Eden Gardens.

For the other experienced bowler Harbhajan, it was almost like a do-or-die game. He hadn’t performed well in the recent past and was severely criticized in the media, some of it was fair and some rather derogatory.

But, the offie took things in this stride and answered the critics in the only way a cricketer can. He must thank his stars that he was playing at Eden Gardens, without doubt his favourite ground. Once he got a wicket, he was a different bowler altogether.

The manner in which he foxed Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy on the final morning reminded one of the carnage the Aussies were subjected to by the Turbanator at the same ground 9 years ago. Of course, he has lost a lot of the zip he possessed in those days, but if he can come up with more such performances, there is no reason why he still can’t remain India’s number one spinner.

Harbhajan’s lack of success has been attributed to the absence of Anil Kumble, who retired two seasons. While that’s a pretty fair assessment, the good news for him is that Amit Mishra proved he can be quite a potent weapon.

I am in no way comparing Mishra to the legendary leg spinner, but the delivery with which he took out Jacques Kallis was hint enough to suggest that he could be the next special thing in Indian cricket. That’s still a long way away though. For starters, he needs to maintain consistency over a reasonable period of time, and provide the requisite support to Harbhajan.

And while it wasn’t surprising that India put up an exceptional batting performance, they still need to be credited for it. After Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar played their part, India still could have been in trouble.

But, VVS Laxman demonstrated why he was so sorely missed at Nagpur. It was his and Dhoni’s ton that buried the Proteas. And though Hashim Alma and the tail kept India at bay till the closing moments, the magic of Eden had the final say.