Mad for AIT

TONIGHT, as I was taking my post dinner walk, I thought suddenly; I am absolutely crazy in AIT. It's a thought that often crosses my mind. Someone or something is always going loopy, and quite often it's me.

Like, I was trying to score good marks for the last 4 years, but poor me, could never score above 55%. The result comes and I feel sad just for a moment and with that sad-facing I am heading to Mayur. I have been here for the past 4 years, and we call it "home away from home". It is a strange beast, this AIT. It hugs me, so tightly sometimes that I can't breathe, then it turns and punches me hard in the face, leaving me stunned. Then it hugs me again, and suddenly I know everything will be all right.

It was my choice to come - I always wanted a career in engineering and AIT was the only college where I could get Computers - and I wanted a change. I needed something new, exciting, thrilling, terrifying. And AIT gave that to me in spades. To outsiders, AIT has a particular kind of impression. We are approached like "You are in AIT? My God, really !!! Subah PT hoti hai kya? And do they teach you how to fire guns?" I thought, who in AIT would bother to get up from his/her bed to go for PT or pick guns to fire them. AITans don't know much, but can give you an answer for anything you ask. Who would know better than me? I being a PR have seen inventions of new languages in that 15 minutes of technical interview. Others have searched and sorted like none could do before. Mechanical people make it through software companies more easily where Compies find it difficult to crack. Being in AIT is like being in a very intense, extremely dysfunctional relationship. AIT and I fight, we scream, we argue, we don't speak for days on end, but really, deep down, we love each other.

AIT wonders why I don't just "know" how things are done, why I argue with it about everything, why I judge, why I rail at injustice and then do nothing about it. But at the same time, it has taught me things. It has taught me to be brave, bold, independent, sometimes even fierce and terrifying. It has taught me to walk in another man's chappals, and ask questions a different way when at first the answer is no. It has taught me to accept the things I cannot change. It has taught me that there are always, always, two sides to every argument. And it is kind enough to let me come and stay.

AIT didn't make my stay easy though (but then, why should it?). It does not allow me to drink peacefully and not even in a corner of it (volleyball court). What costs you 100 rupees one day might be 200 rupees the next, I am talking about the fine that is imposed per day in case you get late, plus that extra effort to go to the Bank. What you didn't need to bring yesterday, you suddenly need to bring today and no one would tell you why. The registrar can ask you to come back tomorrow and see him again just because he is too busy on phone or chatting with other staff members. He will never answer to your queries (even when a simple 'yes' or 'no' would do the trick) but will give you a lecture for 5 minutes and then ask you to notice the notice board. Notice boards are also a funny thing in AIT, some change hourly (registrar), others change yearly (mag board).

It's not easy being here, although I am spoiled. I abuse, I drink, I smoke. I have long, boozy brunches in restaurants and not to mention, I prepare for it (skip a couple of meals prior to it). I have very little to complain about. But then I have been ragged, stripped, made to propose, sometimes compose too, fill bottles, do assignments sometimes my own and sometimes that of others, teased, given less term work and been made fun countless times. I have lived more than I have ever in my life, out of frustration, happiness, anger, loneliness, excitement and the sheer hugeness of being here. The longer I stay, the more I seem to relax.

But I do often wonder why I'm here, especially when I'm tired and homesick. I am technically zero, I have a job that I don't deserve, I have an aggregate equivalent to what has compelled so many IITans to hang themselves. But then a willing ride always comes along, and I'll turn a corner and be suddenly in the midst of some banging, online gaming, outdoor sports and crashing mad parties, where everyone is talking to someone specific in 'English' about someone 'specific' and reciting, when 'she' first smiled at him, and I breathe out and think, really, my God, this is fantastic. This is AIT! I live in AIT! It hugs me, it punches me, and it hugs me again.

Yet I know after a while I won't ever belong here. It will hurt and will stay within me forever. I will remember when my friends gave suggestions like: "Lets go to the graveyard. Time....ahhhh...its 2 am." Some eatable when falls of his hand, he'll eat it, beacause he knows that he won't die. I feel proud to be called an AITan because being a true AITan is in my DNA. I marvel at how incredibly good scorers, many of them are (up to 90 plus in both board exams), they start at 45 in first sem here and improve it to a mere 50 by the last sem. There are hundreds here who speak 3 languages. We have Gultis, Mallus, Biharis, Jats, Nepalis and god knows everything that you can think of. We fit ourselves so easily, be it a train or a bike.

I've done things of which I am ashamed, things I never thought I would do. I am sorry since mentioning them might get me and my friends into deep trouble. Let secrets be secrets. I am kind and I am cold-hearted, I am fair and I am mean, I am delightful and I am downright rude. I am all of these at once and I distress myself wildly over it, but somehow, AIT accepts me. It has time for everyone, you don't need to fight here for survival; it will just shove everyone along a bit and make room for you. It just keeps moving along.

And then, theist or atheist, but you go to temple. Don't know whom do you pray for, but yes an AITan can love more than anyone else. He thinks of his friend, sides his meanness and does justice to every relationship he is asked to, be it fanticism or friendship.

In short, I have been among the luckiest of the lucky. It keeps me on my toes, AIT, and I have been blessed that you let me stay for a while. Thank God, it was a while, because at a stage, it was asking me to extend my trip for 5 years. It wanted me to succeed here and it gave me grand opportunities and endless second chances. It willed me forward like a stern parent. It welcomed me. And when I leave, because I know I will one day, I will weep, because I will miss it terribly. And because I know it won't even notice that I am gone.

Bleed Blue

Winning and losing are part and parcel of cricket. Right? Yes, but when it is an Indo-Pak affair, you can throw this cliché out of the window. The much anticipated encounter between India and Pakistan of the cricket World Cup would be one of the most exciting matches of the 14-team quadrennial event.


The importance of this match can’t be stressed enough. A defeat in this high octane clash would be a bitter pill to swallow for the people of both the countries. The semi-final match between the two cricketing giants of South Asia is much more than just a match. It has been labeled as “THE WAR OF THE DECADE”or “THE JUDGEMENT DAY”. Pakistani players would be very eager for this match to get underway because they have a point to prove and some unfinished business with the Indians to take care of. I being an Indian support India and wish my team good luck and I know that defeating India in India would be an impossible thing for Pakis.

"Final haarna manjoor hai, lekin yeh wala toh kabhi nahi (India vs Pakistan)!!!", says one of my friend's facebook status. So, one can estimate the intensity and the hunger to win than an Indian has when it comes to a win over Pakistan. Interestingly, both the arch-rivals have won World Cup title once, India in 1983 and Pakistan in 1992. The encounter has already warmed the temperature in the two nations.


India in India are favorites, there is no doubt. But as a unit the Pakistan team has been very composed in this World Cup, so the team which attacks more will win. Pakistan have regrouped themselves in the current edition of the ICC Cricket World Cups from a turbulent past year of controversies leading to a ban on three of the top Pakistani cricketers by the ICC. India kicked out Australia from the World Cup 2011 after Pakistan ended their 34-match winning streak at the World Cups in the group stage. Pakistan literally thrashed West Indies by 10 wickets in their quarter final. So, none of the both teams can dare to underestimate the other.

One thing is for sure, if you are a cricket player and want be remembered in history, an Indo-Pak encounter is an ideal opportunity to reach stardom in a flash. But be ready to feel the pain if you lose it or become immortal if you win it. Take Chetan Sharma for example, great cricketer of his time, bur few of us know that he was the first one to take a world cup hat-trick but all of us know the six that was hit to him by Javed Miandad on the last ball of a match when just 4 were required.

India Pakistan encounters have always been a treat to eyes. India had defeated Pakistan in the quarter final by 39 runs at Bangalore, a match which is renowned more for Aamir Sohail-Venkatesh Prasad tussle (videos of which are very frequent on facebook). Current coach of Pakistan cricket team, Waqar Younis can never forget that match in which Ajay Jadeja blasted him to all corners of the park. No one can understand the agony better than Waqar, and he is lucky to have another chance to erase the bitter memories. Lets see what does Pakistan team do under his guidance. Akthar will be a player to watch out for, a team man with a lot of aggression and zeal. Though he wasn't given a chance in the previous game, but it will be an interesting contest for sure when Sehwag and Sachin come out to bat and if Rawalpindi Express is asked to open the attack.

The Pakistani players have got a point to prove if not to their nation, at least to the franchises of IPL teams. After the Mumbai attacks in November, 2008, the tension between both the countries rose very high due to the Pakistani players were sidelined from the 2nd ,3rd and 4th edition of IPL. Elimination from participation in IPL and a series of some unfortunate events will be a great motivational factor for the men in green. And similarly the hopes of billions of people will boost the Indian team to outwit their rivals from across the border. People of India would hope that the roar of “MASTER BLASTER” might prove to be too much for the Pakistan team to handle. India is playing at home and are odds on favorite to win but playing in front of your home crowd with the expectancy of a win would definitely add some extra pressure on them. Certainly counting Pakistan out and taking them lightly would be the biggest mistake men in blue will ever make.

Alongside the fierceful Indo-Pak encounter, a window of opportunity has opened up to put relations between India and Pakistan back on track. An editorial appeared in the News International Sunday, a day when Gilani accepted the invitation from Manmohan Singh to watch the match at Mohali on Wednesday. Even though the cricketing contest will bring much of the patriotic fervor that marks all contests between Pakistan and India, it could also help create the friendship that is so badly needed. In more ways than one, this is vital for the future of both countries and their people.

Welcome the Incredible match (you creeds of cricket) because this encounter is being accompanied by a lot of talent to watch out for and that too from both sides, world class bowling attack (Zaheer, Bhajji, Umar Gul and Akhtar hopefully), world class batting (Sachin, Sehwag, Misbah) and some of the best all-rounders (Yuvraj, Afridi, Razzak). And one last essential thing without which a cricket game is no fun and that is sledging, and to which 'Hindi' language adds a unique flavor. The battle will be more in the minds than the field itself. It will certainly be a battle of nerves. Who will come out on top? Something that we will just have to wait and watch! Only time will tell. 

Till then you keep bleeding blue because that is what Indians do.

Why D?

If you are reading this, then you know me. If you're reading this, then we're friends -- though some are better friends than others. One of you helped me recently by making me aware of the bitter fact that I suck at choosing title for my blog posts. And probably, he was right. Sometimes I do injustice to the title of the post. Like, talking of the the previous post, there was hardly anything there pertaining to LOVE. But for those who accuse me of writing long posts, I am sorry guys, I can’t help it. I know, after reading the title of this post, you must be thinking that probably I failed again, but not to worry, I’ll prove you wrong. I know it sounds absurd, "Why D?". But, I know that this title is quite fearsome, for AITans at least. For others, let me introduce to this term YD (Why D), which stands for year down or its generally known as year back in other colleges, when you have to sit back home and take a drop for one year to clear your subjects. People in AIT don’t like to face results, 66% of my batch is below 60% and hence gives enough reason to why people don’t like facing the D-day. Last year, I was standing at the gateway of this so called YD. Eleven theory exam in a span of 21 days and three practical examinations is hell of a reason to get a YD. But somehow, I made it through and cleared all of them. These are the words of a man, who didn’t see a single sunset in AIT last semester, not because he was busy studying in room, but because he didn’t want a reason for a YD afterwards and regret. Believe me, it was height of pessimism, I spent half of my time thinking period aftermath YD. My parents still don’t know about my critical stage, but their blessings were always with me, and now I don’t care, even if they come to know of it.

I was not the only one who was on the verge of getting year down. There were others too. Most of us were fortunate enough to make it through, some could not. Some people played a great role in each of our's success. Apart from parents and relatives, there is a third kind of relationship that I can’t stop praising since they helped a lot by providing me with moral support throughout the semester. There were people around me providing me with all sort of help, and I call this category of people, “friend”. Believe me, getting out of such a situation (YD) requires a lot of mental balance, and I bet you can’t accumulate that all alone. I have seen people getting ripped off with mere six theories. I remember people coming to me regularly and asking me to study. Some of them, came drunk some sober, but all of them were worried for me undoubtedly. It’s not just about clearing exams, that make me say that, but there are many more reasons to support the call.

A Football Match

Sounds like another home assignment to a 6th class student, I know that’s what you must be thinking of. Being an Indian, I do not expect more than that from an Indian. A football game is limited just to his fantasies and fake essays and stories where he himself chooses which side to win. But here it’s none of those fake essays that you might be thinking of.

Recently I got a lifetime opportunity to watch the National team playing a friendly match against Yemen in the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune. I could not afford to miss this one. Match was scheduled at 7:00 pm on 13th of October. We reached there in time, got ourselves tickets (Rs. 300, the most expensive available). There was a different entry for people with different tickets. There was a board which asked people with 300 wala ticket to enter. We entered and took the stairs which went upwards to the top of stands. I was left a bit behind, when one of my friends, who had already reached the top, came back and held me tight and told me that I was about to witness something which will leave me spellbound. So, I got an idea, that I was going to confront something stupendous and sensual, I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I took a deep breath before I could grasp that scene into myself. As I stepped further, I could see floodlights flooding the stadium with light and making the green look bright green and red, bright red, in short it was unbelievable. My limited vocabulary hinders me from explaining the feel further. It might not sound a big deal to you, but for me it was.

The stadium on a whole appeared like a 3 year old child’s den because it was splashed with bright colors all around, but in a regular fashion. We went and accommodated ourselves in the best seats available. Since, we had the costly tickets, so the view from our seats was very much clear and we could see the whole ground in horizontal (F6 view for those who play FIFA). There was one Ghati commentator, who was trying his best on mic. In front of us we had the Yemen dug-out and beside us there were some odd 30 supporters from Yemen. Everybody was waiting for Sunil Chettri to appear on the ground, his hat-trick in the previous match against Vietnam added to his fan club. Soon both the teams came in the center with their respective flags and a FIFA flag of course. National anthem of Yemen was played followed by Indian National Anthem. Game started with Yemen supporters cheering for their team and yelling at the top of their voice, soon Indian supporters started too. Game had hardly started when Yemen hit a goal, taking a lead of 1-0. I will not go into the details, or it will not be different from the 6th class student’s homework. Apart from hits and misses, there was lot of drama, including an own goal, bookings and other stuff.

That stadium has a capacity of 20,000 and I guess the attendance was hardly even 3000. Most of the stands were empty. Had it been India vs. Kenya cricket match, I am sure the tickets would have been sold 2 days back. Indians are crazy about Cricket. World's most popular sport Soccer is not much preferred in most parts of the country except West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Punjab, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya & a other few states. Quite expectedly, when FIFA.com wants its followers to name their countries all-time best football XI, not a single entry is found from our country. If we are asked to select nation's all time Cricket XI, it is blatant obvious that not less than hundreds of thousands of entries from India would jam the website. Our country has definitely produced quality footballers of highest international standard, but still the audience support is missing. Even that day, as always the crowd was part of the supposedly rich “yo” and “dude” generation (the ones you see in “youngistan” and “fastrack” advertisements).

Is it so, that football is considered a poor man’s game since it requires such limited infrastructure that you can start playing anywhere and anytime. The entire professional kit, shin-guard , socks and shoes would cost not more than 2-3 k, on the other hand the cost of a good bat alone surpasses everything that is required in football. But Indians(read people in the sub-continent) usually have the tendency to buck worldwide trends, here mostly it’s the street urchins playing cricket, almost always with a rubber ball while a piece of wood from a broken down piece of furniture serves as the bat. There is no luxury of wickets and a bunch of items usually serve as a replacement for the batsman’s wicket, a two wheeler perhaps , an abandoned wall sometimes, unused bricks from construction site or on many occasions the stump of a tree(mostly in the countryside). As for the bowler’s wicket a chappal or a piece of stone usually does the trick.

I can think of several possible reasons why this is so, but all of them appear as weak and lacking in evidence as the next one. One may also say that Indians as a whole tend to be less sporting and prefer to hide their bodies under tons of clothing and sit inside a house. This is partly true as our Olympic record till date shows, but there’s no reason it should apply to Football in particular. Most of the Arabian countries share our passion when it comes to hiding your body under clothes and not participating in sports but they still have good Football teams none the less. Then there are the usual accusations about Cricket being a lazy man’s game (a game where Tea is served in between sessions!!) and how no other country plays it, but people obviously choose to overlook Golf in this argument (The laziest game in the world, which also happens to waste a lot of precious real estate), which in-spite of it’s lethargy is quite popular worldwide. So no reasons seems to satisfy enough, if you have any please do mention below.

I think that I can easily categorize football fans in India into three categories, one “The true blue fans”,  two “The wannabes” and three “The don’t cares”. People who belong to the first category, like one in the picture on the right regularly follow football, whether it’s local, international or club and at times may have played themselves. The “wannabes” wake up to football during times like these and watch the game because everyone else is watching it, their knowledge of footballing talent is usually limited to well-known names like “Messi”, “Rooney” or “Ronaldo” which they like to profess to others by wearing cool t-shirts. There is also the desperate need to appear “cooler” than the guy next door who only knows about the “desi” cricket and it’s other “desi” avatars. Then there’s the last category who would happily watch a Bangladesh-Pakistan encounter during the world cup finals, these are the die-hard cricket fans whose hatred arouses when he comes to know of the fact that no one bothers to report news about the Santosh Trophy when the World cup is going on.

Things like these intrigue me and convince me that the lack of popularity of football has in fact nothing to do with any of the things listed above and has in fact more to do with the fact that cricket in India is subjected to the grants and donations of a benevolent organization like the Government of India and soccer is not. The condition of buses to take the two teams back to their hotels after the match, said a lot about the arrangements made for the team. I bet I travel in a better bus than that one carrying the players. After a good finish in the Commonwealth Games, I hope that Govt of India should concentrate more on sports(other than cricket) and its players rather than flooding out money to corrupt people like Kalmadi. 

How long cricket dominates other sports is a question only time can answer. Hopefully the beautiful game(soccer) will indeed take its roots in India.

Before I Graduate

One sided love, silent mode mobiles, bus stand comedies, gatherings at BABA, walk on the MG road (AIT) to catch a glimpse of 'her', those embarrassing defeats in lan games, night long Aakriti practices, crossing fence, the height of water tank, bribing Rodrigues, sleep on roof after cut outs, canteen foods, escape from lectures, birthday treats, last minute preparation, night long bakar sessions, random plans to trip to Lonavala Khandala Lavassa Singhad, wait for the torrents of the new episode, feel of being an Indian when people go crazy in world cup matches in Raman Theatre, group studies when a single book is split into 6 pieces unit-wise, taking away attendance registers from teacher's drawer to increase your friend's attendace to save him from fine, taking 2 hours to sip that 500 ml packet of milk in front of the girls' volley court, overnight study for next day exam, late submissions, term work problem, waiting for 14^th February, crazy trips in search of food at 2 in the morning, standing in a queue in front of registrar office for forms, shortage of pocket money and attendance, will all become things of past.

The college experience flies by so fast that we’re often stuck standing in line for graduation wondering where the past four years went. One vaguely remembers meeting his best friend when he held your back after your first daru party and you kinda remember that all-nighter you pulled to get 3 term papers done in one night. And the rest is all a blur of arbit parties, walks of shame, and begging your friends for money.

Before one realises it, he’s out in the real world, working a real job alongside real people, wondering what happened to no-class Saturday and OMR at Mayur and I know very well that it ain’t fun.

It gets pretty easy to get caught up in it all and unfortunately we forget to be young and crazy. That’s why, with only a little time to go until we hit the pass out parade, I’ve put together the ultimate list of everything that a fun-loving and fearless man, should accomplish before he or she graduates.

1. Do an illegal drug :- You spin my head right round, right round. When you go down, when you go down down !

2. Confront a fear :- Doesn’t matter if it’s a fear of heights or a fear of ragging, figure out a way to face it head on just once.

3. Apologize to someone you were mean to in school or college :- A quick Facebook message apology will brighten his/her day. You have seen my doing so, believe me it feels good.

4. Make a real girl friend who is really just a friend :- Let me be clear, it should be like as you don’t want to ever see her naked and she doesn’t ever want to see you naked. No points if you’re related.

5. Get a job :- Something very essential. To unplaced friends, I want to you to be positive. You weren't hired doesn't mean that you weren't qualified. It was not your loss, it was their loss, that they missed you. It's impossible to know why exactly employers choose one candidate over another.

6. Figure out what kind of drink you actually like :- Guys, life is beyond Mayur. You should be so mature and adult that you can tell your date, why you prefer one over another.

7. Take a road trip with friends :-The destination doesn’t matter. Nothing brings friends closer than an endless road trip.

8. Try an exotic food you can’t pronounce :- I don't have an explanation as to why did I include this in the list. But recently I had gone to a restaurant, “Marakkese”, and this name made me include this in the list. Please comment below in case you know of any such exotic dish.

9. See a band show :- I am not talking of usual band performances that almost every AITian must have seen. I am talking here for something big, some known band.

10. Go 24 hours media-free :- Try this, the most difficult thing to do. That means turn off your cell phone and shut down your computer. With the exception of getting tagged in photos of nude children, that you can’t de-tag right away because one of your friends has done it, you won’t miss anything.

11. Run for a cause :- You’ll have an awesome time and feel really, really good about yourself. Do it, after a 12 hour nap, of course.

12. Learn to manage your own money:- It will make that transition into real life and make it smoother.

13. Take your parents out, probably for a nice dinner, because they deserve it.

14. Start a blog about your life and update it regularly :- Sure it seems self-centred now, but you’ll be grateful ten years from now when you can reflect on your life when you were really living it up.

15. Learn to drive :- This is the easiest in the list, I guess and most of us already have already accomplished it.

16. Donate blood :- There were only 15 in the list, but this was suggested by one my my close friends. AITans very well know the reason, but its a humble appeal to all reading this blog post, donate but do not get caught in any awkward posing photograph, but in case you get caught, please do not let your friends analyse the photograph, and if they do so, please stop them from editing it and make some weird marks on it. Till now it was acceptable, you still are safe, but please stop that daring guy from uploading it on some social networking site, because my dear friend after a while you are about to get hurt very bad. For those who don't know what I am talking about, that is a long story, could eat up the whole blog post. But dear readers, If you think donating is scary, imagine being the person who needs it during a blood shortage.

I myself can boast of completing 11 of them, eagerly waiting for my first salary, to take parents out for a dinner. Haven’t run a marathon yet, going media-free seems impossible and there are some others in the list too, yet incomplete. I would love, if people respond by sending their scores.

P.S :: Dear readers please feel free to add to the list, I know many things are left that one should accomplish at least once before graduating. Comment below and I would add it to the list, if it is worth it. This blog post seems incomplete and yes it is. But sincere thanks to all those who contributed to this post. Many were approached, but few turned up for help. If Sood can help, so can 'you'. :P

Thank you...

Sportsmanship

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.

~Napolean Bonaparte

Yesterday I was reading a newspaper, when I came across this News. Some great minds had rated the cricket players on the basis of their consistency and their contributions to their country. 5 Indians qualified for this race namely, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Virendra Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. Believe it or not Sehwag was placed higher than Sachin Tendulkar in terms of the value of the runs contributed.

Here is the URL of the same. http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=170861&cid=26

The same day, a shameful incident took place at Dambulla, which will probably rock the rule-forming committee of ICC. Sehwag was just 1 run away from his well-deserved century, when Mr. Suraj Randiv bowled a no-ball (“deliberate”, as they say) to deny Sehwag a century. Though Sehwag managed to hit the ball long into the stands, but all in vain. The question is, should Sehwag be denied a century when that particular ball is being counted in his innings. This was an act of shame and that too coming from a player of a country like Sri Lanka which can boast of having won the “Fair Play Award” 2008 and 2007. Sri Lankan team for sure, does not deserve this award, if this is the spirit that they play with.

In a post-match talk, a livid Sehwag accused Randiv of doing it deliberately. More importantly, it wasn’t the first time that a Sri Lankan has done so, earlier the victim was Sir. Sachin Tendulkar when he was playing at an unbeaten score of 98 in Cuttack. More importantly, Sehwag celebrated his century and India achieved what they were searching for, that is a bonus point and a win.

Why do people give so importance to records? Aren’t records mere figures? Do records speak? I have been accusing Sri Lanka since the starting of this post. Can anyone recall, if India has ever done so, for a record. Let me help you.

Recall, the match against Pakistan in 1998-99 at Feroz Shah Kotla. The second last over, Javagal Srinath was bowling far wide off the stumps, so that the batsmen does not get out. The image on right is the scorecard of the same, see the extras given by Javagal Srinath. India wanted Anil Kumble to complete his record of 10 wickets in a single innings. Was India maintaining the spirit of the game? I guess your answer must be, a big NO. So fighting either for one’s own record or not letting other make a record is equally competitive in my view. If you gave away records, just like that, a hat-trick would have been a cakewalk. The pressure from fielders, and the best ball from the bowler can only fetch him a hat-trick, it’s not easy as it seems.

And if we talk of that no-ball to be deliberate, I am sorry, I am not with you. Sehwag said that Randiv had not bowled a single no-ball in the whole test series, then why now? If a class player like Sachin can get hit-wicket out at the end of his 17^th playing year, why can’t a newcomer like Randiv bowl a no-ball after a gap of a series. Let’s manipulate the situation a bit, we know Dhoni got to play the latter 3 balls of the second last over. Suppose if he would have scored even a single run in those 3 balls. Sehwag would have come to play the next over and remember that ball which went for a 4, passing by Sangakkara’s gloves. The match would have been over at that moment. There would have been no discussion either on Randiv, Sangakkara or Sehwag.

All that happened might be deliberate, but you cannot deny a coincidence as well. If running on the pitch in the line of sight of the wicket, to stop fielder’s throw from hitting the stumps is intelligent running, then throwing a no-ball at such a moment is what I call, “Intelligent bowling”.

IPL fever- R U Ready?

Nothing grips India’s imagination the way cricket does – no, not even the lovely Aishwarya Rai – Bachchan. Even as the common man gears up to spend hours glued to the TV set, games are never any good without some fun first! With less than a month to go, it's nice to see the fever rise in each of us. What better way to manage the fever than by spreading it!!

So, if you are an ardent fan of the modernized cricket and you enjoyed the glamour and excitement that came along with the Indian Premier League – Then you have a reason to cheer about. The much awaited IPL is back to make the country go crazy in 2010.

There were 97 players who had registered for the IPL 2010 auction. The list of players includes a maximum of 26 players from Pakistan. Several individuals and companies have shown a growing interest in owning IPL teams, such as actors Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, and the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.

So are you ready to feel the heat? Though, last time the great Marathas could never capture the crown of Delhi in their proud history. But, this year the Chattrapati – Sachin Tendulkar is a whole new form and seems to be in a mood to show every ball, the fence. This year was one of the best, just 2 months have passed and he has already added five centuries to his account. Sachin's greatness can not be expressed in words, its his bat what has been reminding us of his clout. 20 years of international cricket, 17000 international runs, most number of centuries, almost every record is on Sachin's profile.So, we need to wait to watch his bat shine in shorter form of the game as well. He is also blessed with a whole troop of warriors recruited from the South (Karthik, Maharoof and Sanath).

On the other hand, the dudes are from the Delhi middle-order with the exception of Dilshan and Gambhir. Till now I mentioned big names only, but minnows can not be ignored as well. I hope there is no need to remind you of that. The team, Deccan Chargers finished last in first edition of IPL went on to win the 2nd edition. How can we forget the army ward, Manish Pandey who created history, becoming the first Indian to hit a century in IPL.

Its not just about big shots and bowling into the block hole. This form of business demands good analysts and managers. Like I have a word of praise for Mumbai Indians Management. Getting Dwayne Smith and Andre Nel as late additions in the last IPL proved to be a boon for them, though they didn't win it, but brought home some respect for sure. Then is our own Dhoni bhaiya, the super cool captain. Chennai Super Kings were either super lucky or simply super cool in pressure. They managed to win all of their tight games.

The IPL 2010 will begin on 12th March and the final match will be on 25th April, 2010. The final schedule of IPL 2010 which is to be played in India rather than an international location has been announced. The first match will be held between the defending champions Deccan Chargers and the Kolkata Knight Riders. A few new venues – Vishakapatnam, Ahmedabad and Dharamsala have been added.

This huge amount of money was never seen in the history of cricket. The prize money announced was three times the prize money of a cricket world cup. IPL has managed to squash everything in its way and create history in the world of cricket. This is the main reason why the cricketers from all around the world are trying to make their place in the Indian Premier League.

How does India benefit from it? BCCI should also keep a close watch on Shane Warne. He continues to get the best out of his guys. Kamran Akmal and Pankaj Singh came in for this game and made their skipper proud. Employing him in some capacity with Indian Cricket should be priority number one. And make him the coach when Gary Kirsten gets sick of the Indian board. If anyone can make India true world beaters, it is Shane Warne. He has managed to get even Munaf Patel motivated and kicked up.

IPL has also witnessed a few unfortunate incidents, be it from ethical point of view or personal ire. The bhajji-sreeshant slap episode, then politically influenced protests against the cheer leaders, then racist attack on one of the cheer leader and the latest being the ban imposed on Rajasthan Royals team all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Such incidents are very much unfortunate and are not expected in a country where cricket is considered to be more like a religion than just a sport. So it’s going to be yet another season full of enthusiasm, excitement, glamour, &ample fun. The pre-IPL craze says it all. It is going to be a success story all over again. So gear yourself up and get ready for IPL 2010. You surely wouldn’t want to miss it, would you?