Life is a Game…

When the T20 matches were introduced in the charity matches, it was written off as a one-off stuff. But what an impact it has made on the modern day cricket! Both the Players and the spectators have changed their outlook on the game thanks to the advent of T20.

Up until the late 1990s, 250 was a decent ODI target and if a team has posted 300 then it is rest assured. But come T20 and totals over 300 are frequently chased down with consummate ease. And to cap it off, South Africa chased a total of 434! 870 odd runs in 100 Overs – mind boggling stuff. The shorter boundaries and the broader bats may also be the reason behind this turnaround. But the role of T20 is too important to ignore.

Yes, it has won the crowd back and it offers a high entertainment value. But is it helping the game? The game is literally killed. Gone are the days when an exquisite cover drive would attract a round of applause. These days it’s hit, hit and hit! It doesn’t matter how you play as long as the runs are coming. The scoop over the keeper (“Dilscoop”), paddle sweep, switch hit, etc are catching up with the youngsters and they can no longer play to the merit of the ball. This may have drastic repercussions on the quality of the game.

If you have luck, you can succeed in T20 cricket. But the fact is that you can attain the status of a Cricketing great, if only you make your mark in the longer version of the game- the Test Matches.

The 22yr old German driver Sebastian Vettel is already creating ripples in the F1 circle. He became the youngest driver to win a F1 GP when he led from pole to the chequered flag in the Italian Grand Prix lost season. Now he’s being touted as the successor of Michael Schumacher. Is he really upto that level?

The young German still holds the record for the youngest driver at a F1 meet when he drove in a practice session at the age of 19. In the next season, he moved to Torro Rosso where he won his first ever Grandprix. He caught the eye of many a people and he replaced David Coulthard in the Red Bull Racing Team. To his absolute delight, he found that his car is more competitive than Ferrari and McLaren. He made full use of it when he won the Chinese grandprix this year and followed it up with a dominant victory in The British Grandprix. Besides that he has 5 podium finishes.

Vettel, as is the case with any young driver, is aggressive and is not averse to risks. Infact, he is the quickest driver to be fined – just 9 sec after his debut he was fined 1000 dollars for speeding inside the pitlane. But that was how Schumacher too started his career. Vettel has got a great start to his carrer and his team is supporting him to the hilt. He is just 22 and he has plenty of years before him. The main difference between Schumi and Vettel is that Schumi had the tactical nous to remain calm and composed even in the tightest of the situations. But Vettel loses his composure on the slightest provocation and that showed when he shunted out Mark Webber and Robert Kubica in the 2007 Japanese GP and 2009 Australian GP respectively. In both the races he was all set for a podium finish but screwed those chances.

At this point of time, comparison between Vettel and Schumi are just ridiculous. But the German has what it takes to become a World Champion one day, for he is just 22!

Despite an abundance of exciting talents and experience, South Africa has not been in the finals of a major ICC event even once. They are perennial under-achievers and professional choker. A crisp analysis of this intriguing fact is presented.

It all began in the 1992 world cup semifinals, when the Proteas were unceremoniously dumped out thanks to a crazy rule. Rain stopped play when SA required 22 off the last 13 balls. But on resumption, SA was set a revised target of 21 from 1 ball! Then came 1999 world cup semifinals, where SA required just 3 runs off the last over against Australia. But they choked again and TIED the match – Australia went through based on the head to head record.

Even the advent of T20 did not change their fortunes. In the 2007 WC, they were unbeaten until they met India. Suddenly they found themselves out of the tournament due to an inferior run rate- they lost just one match but were out. And the history repeated itself in the just concluded world cup. Again they were unbeaten until Pakistan ousted them in the semifinals.

It’s a pity that though the South Africans deserve a silverware, they cannot lay hands on it. Unless there is some so called Divine Intervention, the chances of South Africa lifting a trophy remain bleak!

A 35 match unbeaten streak stretching back to November 2006 and a 15 match winning streak. The European cup holders and the Current World no.1 by a mile. And you can go on and on about this Spanish Football side. Every player in the 25 member squad is worth over 25 million Euros.

Spain has always been touted as Perennial under-achievers right from the illustrious era of Alfredo de Stefano. Most of the Football greats have played in Spain- for Real Madrid and Barcelona- but Spain hadn’t won silverware since 1964 up until 2008. But now things have changed. Spain just doesn’t know how to lose a match or what it takes to lose a match. They are flying at the moment.

Captained by Iker Casillas, arguably the Best Goalkeeper in the world at present, this Spanish side has abundance of resources in David Villa, Torres, Silva, Fabregas, Xavi, Iniesta, Senna, Alonso, Puyol, Sergio Ramos and the list doesn’t end there. They have beaten every major team in their 34 match run and the world witnessed some glorious football during their Euro-2008 triumph. Whenever they play, they are in a world of their own. Sublime passes, one-twos, defence splitting through balls, delicate chips, intricate inter plays and what not. Even a Spanish B team can win the world cup – such is their dominance in the world football. And even the World cup winning coach Marcello Lippi can’t deny that.

By far, this IS the Best Spanish National team to have ever played and if they can hold out this form for one more year, Spain could very well bag an elusive double – the World Cup & the European Championships. Viva Espana!

Yes, you read it right. It’s not ICL; it is IPL – Indian Premier League. You may be wondering what I am upto. Let me put forth my argument that’ll enunciate the role of Kapil Dev in the success of IPL.

Initially, BCCI was reluctant to come to terms with the T20 matches. They even considered boycotting the inaugural World cup. But Kapil Dev, in partnership with the Zee Entertainment group, floated ICL. It caught the eye of many domestic and International players. BCCI could not tolerate this and issued an ultimatum to all those who were involved with ICL. But they could not stop the players from seeking lucrative ventures. Kapil Dev went on to say that ICL players will gain the experience required to succeed in T20s.

Annoyed at the prospect of losing the exciting talents to ICL, Lalit Modi, then Vice-chairman of BCCI, began to work out his strategies and came up with a mega project named IPL. Ably supported by the board, he attracted big money sponsors and the rest, as they say, is history. Many credit Modi for the burgeoning success of IPL and he deserves a pat because he implemented it in an ideal manner.

But it was Kapil Dev who laid the foundation for a franchisee based club cricket in India and it’s apt to call him ‘The Father of IPL’ !