Paddle Sweep Wrong’un #1
As mentioned in the post in which I requested you to don the role of KKR Coach, this is the first in a set of questions for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Last season, John Buchanan proposed the multiple captain theory, something which was rubbished in principle by many experts and fans around the world. It was scrapped of course, and McCullum went on to lead the Knight Riders in their worst season ever.
This season, under the guidance of Dav Whatmore, the team from Bengal look to do things the proper way. With Saurav Ganguly back as skipper, things are looking good on the fan-following front as well.
Which brings us back to my preseason question:
Should Saurav Ganguly have been made skipper for IPL 2010? Support your answer with reasoning.
If you believe that yes, it is a good move to bring the stalwart back as skipper, let me know.
Or, if you feel that McCullum or Gayle or any other man would have brought in more perspective for the job, just say it.
The comments section is waiting for your replies. Here is something to keep in mind though. This discussion is open only to those of you who have registered at the KKR contest site here. Just mention your first name used in the registration before answering the question. To register, click on this paragraph. Its free, easy and takes less than 30 seconds. You can do that.
Expect the next wrong’un on 10th March
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The thing about hype is, if you screw up and disappoint, people are generally a lot more disappointed that what they would have been had you not made such a fuss about it in the first place. It’s like making a huge blunder in an argument and then getting defensive when you are challenged.
IPL time is coming closer and, there has been surprisingly little hype considering all the “new” aspects that will be brought in this season. 3D, elephants, fire dancers, free screenings, rocket ships….okay, I made most of that up, but you get the point. Aside from the standard “this will be the best yet” mumbo jumbo, it’s all been pretty hushed. Unless, of course, Lalit K Modi is planning some crazy marketing campaign with strippers and champagne and private lap dances for all the fans.
This is pretty unlikely but the reason I am going on about this and why I am trying to “warn” Mr. Modi is that I went to go see one of the most hyped movies of the year thus far, Alice in Wonderland, and left with my childhood destroyed and a feeling of being robbed and even a little violated.
My whole afternoon was wasted – a beautiful summery, sunny Cape Town afternoon, wasted. I would not recommend anyone to watch this movie unless you have nothing better to do. And I mean, nothing. Like, unless it’s winter and it’s snowing and a nuclear bomb has just hit.
Movies seem to think that a 3D element automatically makes things cool these days, not so. Let’s hope Mr. Modi knows this…
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Ever felt the need to be in control? Ever thought that you had the perfect antidote to a strategic problem during or before an important cricket game? Kolkata Knight Riders and Nokia are going to give you that opportunity come this IPL.
Yes, you get the chance to voice your expert opinion on matters of team strategy once the season starts. You also get to be sure that those are heard. Of course, you get to win a lot of prizes. Take a look at this:
Interested? Here is how it works:
- You go and register at the contest site here
- You accumulate runs on the contest site by either cheering for KKR, answering a trivia question or by suggesting solutions for the teams strategic questions.
- Each run scored will lead you closer to the elusive prizes, which include Music Vouchers, KKR Bags, Memorabilia, Match Passes, all of them leading you to a grand prize of a Red Carpet Welcome to watch the Final Game.
- To know more about the game, check out the rules page, or visit the contest site.
And that is not all, there is a very unique competition running here at paddle sweep itself. Its called the Paddle Sweep Wrong ‘Un. I would be putting up questions regarding match situations and the best answer would win. Expect the first question on 8th March.
Do remember, that the Nokia Main Bhi Coach contest is valid for Indian Residents Only. I know that is an inconvenience for those outside India, but that is where the Paddle Sweep Wrong ’Un comes in. All you have to do is register here, and you are good to go to participate in any one, or both.
The prizes and recognition is yours to be had. So get cracking.
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First take a look at these pictures:
When Virender Sehwag stepped in to bat today, little did he know that inspite of it being a belter of a track, it was not his day. When a person is blessed with a miracle, he seldom gets to share the accolades with others.
That actually did not turn out to be the case as Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni would also be hailed for their efforts today.
Today, 24th February 2010, is the day Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to score a double century in all of Limited Overs Internationals. Ever. That’s almost 40 years of cricket. Viv Richards, Gary Kirsten , Saeed Anwar, Sanath Jayasuriya, MS Dhoni, Saurav Ganguly, Matthew Hayden and Charles Coventry could only come close.
There are loads of people claiming that if anyone deserved it, it was Sachin. I disagree. Not because he did not deserve it, just because saying such a thing oozes empathy towards the person in question. Sachin Tendulkar needs, nor wants any empathy, sympathy or any other relevant pathy.
He sets his own targets and goes about achieving them. He attains almost all of them, then hunts for more. 3 and 3 quarter hours on the field batting, and the hunger to be a part of the game was still there, he wanted to field for the remaining 50 overs. He is still fielding.
35 years and 10 months old, this man is not getting any younger. Aptitude wise, and apettite wise, he is not getting any older as well.
From the moment he middled his first ball, I was sure this was one of them special innings. I woke up my roommate when Sachin was on 40, and shouted that he was playing the innings of his lifetime. Just because the innings was not for the cause of chasing a huge total does not undermine the romance in it. Not one bit.
From that point on, it was a treat to find new adjectives to describe his fluid strokeplay, brute power, maraduring instinct, and gazzele like running. Batting on 190, he almost outran MS Dhoni.
The Journey from 194 to 200 was a study in temperament. He knew that he was this close, that us fans were not able to breathe because of the tension. He did not take the Sehwag route. No, that would have been too risky. Instead, he ensured that all our prayers went answered. That is how god functions. In our words, that is how Sachin rolls.
Twice this year, he came close. After the innings against NZ in NZ and against Australia at Hyderabad, all he did was learn from the apparent mistakes. His mistake? He got out.
Batting on 199, he got a gentle half volley 4 feet outside his off stick, and he guided it to third man for his double. For our double. One ball later, Dhoni hit a ball to the boundary and called for a single. Sachin refused.
God created the world in six days, and then he rested.
Sachin scored the 200 in 147 balls, and then he rested.
Amen.
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