slipping under the wall

Unnoticed in all the hullabaloo surrounding Dravid's form, spin bowling in India is headed towards a crisis. With the King now resting his weary legs at home, his successor is finding the glare a bit too harsh. Bhajji is bowling with as much imagination as a bull in a red mist. Straight through seems to be his mantra with predictable lack of success.

What happened to all the guile and variations spinners are supposed to have in their armoury? Firangi spinners seem to be able to out bowl Bhajji with ease. It sure is galling to think that the likes of Swann, Krezja and Harris are bowling better than our very own Sardar who probably has more test wickets than all of them put together. Not a statement you would want to hear if you are the lead spinner of the Indian cricket team. Supposedly the land of spinners.

Test match cricket at it's best!

What a match. The best part of the match was the result. For too long, India has conspired to lose from positions of strength. This was one glorious exception. And Viru has to be given the lion's share of the credit.
He forced the others to go for the target and not nudge their way to defeat. Amazing stuff which I missed as it turns out. I think we are watching a transformation of the mindset in the team from the Dada years to the Dhoni way of doing things. I was amazed when at the end of day 2, Dhoni still thought his team could win it. I have never heard an Indian captain say he was confident of a win with his team so far behind.
The result has proved him right and how.

Here is to many more such victories and to silencing all those who wanted Sachin to hang up his boots. Where would we be without his talismanic presence? I am sure a team can do with more than one talisman. Sehwag is as much a talisman as Sachin. Indian cricket is in the pink of health.

She is back....

In the current furore over the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, one voice missing in action was Arundhati Roy.

Well, she is back and how. Here is the link to a long winded rant session from the lady making no point, certainly nothing new.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/12/mumbai-arundhati-roy

It would be nice to offer some solutions once in a while methinks....

Interesting video

A friend from Dubai forwarded me this link of an Arab-American Psychologist talking about the most debated topic in current times, 'Islamic terrorism' which was pretty brave coming from a lady from that part of the world. Even braver was the channel for allowing it to run on air.

The lady made some pretty strong and forceful points. The cleric had no answers to most of her points leading him to sullen silence by the end of the clip.

I am wondering how safe she is now? Is she even alive as another friend of mine asked me after seeing the clip?

Sad commentary on the image of that religion when everyone who has seen the clip wonder's about the lady's safety first....

However, do we like this because it seems balanced or do we like it because it echoes what all of us have been thinking in our hearts?


Here is the link.

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=nul

House cleaning time

I think it's time India did some good old fashioned house keeping and wiped out the various terror modules allowed to grow and mushroom in this country by self serving vote bank politicians and their networks.

No one can advice restraint in this, since it will be an internal matter. The whole world can watch and do nothing. I am sure the cops and the intelligence agencies would love to be given a carte-blanche.

I wish this government has the balls to tell them, "Do whatever it takes to clean them out".

If however, we choose to do what 'W' did, we will also pay the same price or an even heavier price.

The choice is ours to take. I don't know if we will however...

what next?

Do we go back to doing nothing? Is something going to happen this time around? What can we as citizens do to help change the status quo?

I wonder if Sec 49 of the constitution will help? How many of us know about this section? If anyone reads this blog, ideas are welcome.

Anything to help answer these questions will help, I guess....