After a loooooooooooong gap… Busy with work. So didn’t get time to blog.
This IPL was a feast to all the millions of cricket fans throughout India. 45 days of nonstop play and around 60 matches. Yes, T20 doesn’t give opportunity for the players to settle and then start their games. But for a cricket fan, it is really a big entertainment. and moreover for the players, it DEMANDS their adaptability. They cannot waste even a single ball. From the first ball itself they have to start hitting. Some time back, Ponting told that, “In T20, every single ball is like gold”. Its 100% true. Lot of people complains that anybody can play T20. I don’t agree to that. That doesn’t work always. Even in this format of game, players has to bat sensibly. With less overs to bat and less overs to bowl, the batsmen and bowlers and fielders have to give 100% of them.
Apart from few controversies, Bhajji hitting Sreeshant, and the issues with Cheer leaders the tournament was good. In one way, I would say, Mumbai should thank Bhajji. If that incident had not happened, they would not have got a captain like Pollock and there would not be a competition for Delhi to enter the semis. While such experienced players(Pollock, Jayasurya) are in the team, I don’t find any reason for making Bhajji the captain. Is it ONLY because he is an Indian?
And I dont find a need for cheer leaders in T20. What are they doing there? Almost 99% of the fans come there to watch the match. When people are watching one days and test matches without cheer leaders, why not T20s? Moreover T20s are more exciting than the other format of games.
One of the things I didnt about Sony Max was their camera angles. In some matches, they have angled the cameras in such a way that we could not watch it with a family sitting around. At the beginning, seems like they have employed amateurs to cover the match. Even I can follow the ball. The camera was showing somewhere else. But it got Okay towards the end of series.
Enough -ve points. 🙂 Now positives.
What I liked the most of IPL is the concept of bringing the players from different countries to play for a team. As everybody knows, this gives an opportunity for players to get to know about each other better. If this kind of things happen regularly, I don’t think sledging will last long. It will become obsolete.
One more thing is, Gilly, Warne, Pollock, Jayasurya, Albie Morkel, Shane Watson, the Hussey brothers, Maccullum, Mark Boucher, Tanvir, Ntini, Shaun Marsh and a loooooot more have never got this much of claps or support so far in India. I can assure that. Indians will be scolding them whenever they hit sixers or get a wicket or stopped a boundary. Look at the effect now. Each and everybody will have been praised by thousands of Indians for their game. Any objections?
Along with that, this provided an opportunity for the young Indians a very good opportunity which they might have never dreamt of. They were playing with some really big guys. (In Tamil, we call such legends as Jambavan. A character in Ramayana, Indian Mythology). Those seniors have given loot of good tips to the players. I have seen Warne talking to Yusuf Pathan during some critical part of the game and instructed him about how to bowl and all those things. This is like Geetha Upadhesam for them. (Oops!!! Again an example from Mahabharatha, another indian mythology. In it, at the battle field, Arjun will hesitate fighting against people he respects most. And Lord Krishna will convince him to fight. This is the abstract. Google for more info 🙂 )
India has found looot of fresh talents. Yusuf Pathan, Goswamy, Ashok Dinda, Ojha, Gony, Shikar Dhawan and lot more… With these young talents, India can form two teams:) These players are known only from one IPL. Donno how many such players exist?
Not only in India, there were a few new guys from other countries played in a really amazing way. Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, Tatenda Taibu (the way he fielded!! oof!!! amazing !!!)
The one person I admire here is Warne. coz, initially, Rajasthan was considered the weakest team. But look at the end. They have snatched the cup and moreover they won the leagues with a huge margin. He used the right players at right time. Instructed the players as and when needed. Hats off to Warne.
Another guy is Dhoni. He played very sensibly in most of the games. The thing I liked most about him was, he kept his cool at all the situations of the game. Even after loosing the game, I have never seen a team doing a get together like they did.
To sum up, waiting for the next IPL for tonnes of entertainment and the day sledging will become a forgotten concept. 🙂