I selected an IPL XI last year, so I thought I would repeat the excercise this time round as well.

My criteria is the same as last time:

1. Pick the 4 Non-Indians
2. Pick an U-23 player (last year it was an U-19)
3. Pick players according to best for a position, rather than just the leading performers

Picking the 4 non-Indian players, putting them in their positions, and building a team around them is the easiest way to select an IPL XI in my view.

The 4 Non-Indians: Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Lasith Malinga, AB De Villiers

Hayden was the top scorer and leagues ahead of other batsmen in the IPL, while Malinga was the highest wicket taker among the non-Indian bowlers this year.

Gilchrist was also an automatic pick considering he was the player of the tournament, or the "Golden Player" or whatever it is that Lalit Modi called it.

I picked AB as the 4th overseas player because there were more Indian bowlers among the highest wicket takers than there were Indian batsmen amongs the run scorers.

This way I've got my openers as well as a wicket keeper.

Hence what's left to do is the middle order, an allrounder, and the bowling attack.

Middle Order: Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik

Raina was the leading run scorer among the Indians, while Rohit Sharma gives me my under-23 player. He may be the oldest looking under-23 year old as Leela says, but the IPL chose him as the best under-23 performer, hence who am I to argue.

Which makes me wonder, isn't Raina under-23?

Plus, Rohit was the 3rd highest Indian run scorer in the IPL.

Sachin Tendulkar was the 2nd highest (surprise, surprise), but I decided to ignore him because I already had my openers, and Sachin doesn't really like to play 20-20.

It gave me no joy in picking Yuvraj, but then I guess not captaining a side will be a blessing for him. And he was 4th on the list of run getters after Raina, Sachin, and Rohit.

Since Raina, Rohit, and Yuvraj provide ample bowling options, I decided that I didn't really need an allrounder at 7; I thought a batsman would be better instead.

This was the toughest choice for me. Do I go for MS Dhoni who was next on the list of runs after Yuvraj, or do I go for Dinesh Karthik who has played some attacking late order knocks for Delhi. As a number 7, I felt DK was the better choice.

That leaves the bowling, which pretty much picks itself.

Bowling Attack: RP Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra

The top 3 wicket takers in the IPL this year.

Here's the IPL XI 2009: 1. Matthew Hayden 2. Adam Gilchrist (captain, wicket keeper) 3. Suresh Raina 4. AB De Villiers 5. Yuvraj Singh 6. Rohit Sharma 7. Dinesh Karthik 8. Anil Kumble 9. Ashish Nehra 10. RP Singh 11. Lasith Malinga

The IPL XI 2008: 1. Shaun Marsh 2. Gautam Gambhir 3. Suresh Raina 4. Shane Watson 5. Yusuf Pathan 6. MS Dhoni (wicket keeper) 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Irfan Pathan 9. Sohail Tanvir 10. Shane Warne (captain) 11. Sreesanth

Raina is the only one who made it to my team in 2008 and does so this year as well. I must really like him.

It could be quite a match pitting these two teams against each other. Raina can bat for both.

Jrod gave the IPL XI 2008 the name BLINGY KINGS, keeping with the tradition for royalty in the IPL.

So what do we call the IPL XI 2009?

Both the IPL finalists won the toss in their respective semi finals and elected to field.

Both of them restricted their opponents to chaseable targets and then went about their business with ease.

The targets were chased down without a problem.

On one hand there was the awesome belligerence of Adam Gilchrist and the finishing touches of Andrew Symonds, while on the other there was the youthful exuberence of a Manish Pandey (for some reason I feel like Harsha Bhogle as I say that) and the calm of a Rahul Dravid.

What happens tonight?

Will both the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers come out with the same strategy of looking to chase?

The Rajasthan Royals did that last year. They chased and won the IPL.

With 2 resurgent teams, experienced captains leading from the front, both hungry for the title, along with a similar strategy, it all points towards a gruelling contest.

Lets hope that is what we get.

I'll be going LIVE with my comments along with the rest of the crew at BCC! - Naked, SP, Som, Achettup, John, Ankit & Ankit, Ottayan, and many others.

Do join us!

Who would have thought that the final of IPL 2009 would be contested between the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Did you?

Yeah, I thought so.

Call it irony, call it coincidence, call it a little bit of fixing, call it what you may; its surely caught a lot of people off guard.

Just a week ago, no one would have thought of this, but here it is.

The Final of the IPL 2009: Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

What is the History: Bangalore won both their matches against Deccan in 2008, while in this year's IPL it stands at 1-1.

What is the Present: Bangalore are on a 5 match winning streak that includes victories against all the teams that made it into the semi finals. Out of the 9 matches that Anil Kumble has captained, Bangalore have lost only 2.

Deccan are the dark horses here having had an up and down group stage winning 7 matches and losing just as many.

Some Thoughts: Adam Gilchrist holds the key for the Deccan Chargers. If he fires tomorrow, which he is likely to do since its a big game, then he could take the match away from Bangalore very quickly.

On paper, Deccan is the team with the better batting line up and bowling attack, but Bangalore have surprised a lot of better teams, including Chennai and Delhi.

It has the potential to be a cracker this battle of the bottom 2, or top 2, which ever way you look at it.

What is the Future: In my semi final preview, I was spot on in calling both Deccan and Bangalore. Hence I'm going to stick to the team that I want to hold that trophy - The Deccan Chargers.

Some facts that may or may not interest you:

- RP Singh has pretty much sealed the purple cap, unless he doesn't pick any wickets and Anil Kumble takes atleast a 5-for.

- Matthew Hayden has been leagues ahead of a lot of batsmen in the IPL, but his former opening partner Adam Gilchrist is not that far behind. Another 78 runs in the final tomorrow, and Gilly walks away with the Orange cap.

- A purple cap holding left arm pacer from the subcontinent took his team to the finals last year. Another one has done it this year.

- If Deccan wins tomorrow, everyone will say that an Australian captain won the IPL in both years; if Bangalore wins, they'll say a leg spinner captain did.

- If Deccan wins tomorrow, both the IPL seasons will be about the teams with the lowest odds to win the tournament, actually winning it! - Irony, fairy tales or fixing?

Karma - Bottom 2 from last year, top 2 this year.

Battle of the top 2 - Australia vs South Africa. Gilchrist, Symonds, Harris up against Kallis, Boucher, and Van Der Merwe. Not to forget, Lehmann vs Jennings.

Balls - Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers were the only 2 teams who had the balls to emulate last year's champions by appointing retired international cricketers as their captains.

This post should have really come up a couple of days ago as the actual quarter of the IPL is at 14 group matches, but Dubai Sports City was keeping me busy.

Here are my quarterly reports from last season: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.

This update comes after 18 of the group matches have been played with half the teams appearing in 5 games each and the other half in 4.

Some games have been washed out so all the batsmen, except those from Bangalore Royal Challengers (5) and Mumbai Indians (3) have had 4 innings each.

Leading Batsmen
1. Matthew Hayden (CSK) - 215 runs at 53.75
2. Herschelle Gibbs (DC) - 183 runs at 91.50
3. AB De Villiers (DDD) - 176 runs at 88.00
4. Sachin Tendulkar (MI) - 163 at 81.50
5. Adam Gilchrist (DC) - 163 at 40.75

Hayden has been in smashing form this season stroking 2 fifties in his 4 innings and scoring at a strike rate of almost 163.

In fact, Hayden was in similar form last season as well and at this stage (end of Q1), he was the second highest run scorer behind Brendon McCullum.

Hayden had an impact in only a handful games last year. His availability for the entire tournament this time round could land him the Orange Cap that Shaun Marsh took home in 2008.

Who said 20-20 was a game for the younger ones?
Both members of the Deccan Chargers opening pair are among the top 5 run scorers. No wonder they are the only unbeaten side thus far.

Its taken them more than that though; as initially Symonds and later Rohit Sharma were among the leading run scorers at various stages of the league in 2008, yet they hardly managed to win a game.

Sachin Tendulkar has been awesome. His partnership with Jayasuriya at the top of the order has set the IPL alight. By this time last year, Sachin had not appeared in any game; but this season he has ensured that Mumbai Indians get off to a flying start.

Two 50s, a strike rate of 130+, and flowing strokeplay has resulted in a petition that wants Sachin to be a part of the World 20-20!

AB De Villiers walked into the IPL on the back of a very strong season for South Africa; he has continued the same form for the Delhi Daredevils. He is the only centurion this season and has the 3rd highest strike rate among all batsmen that have scored more than a 100 runs.

Unlike last year, McCullum, Sharma, Raina, Sehwag, and Gambhir have not got going yet.

While much was expected of Kevin Pietersen, who is the most expensive player in the IPL, but all he has managed is a mere 80 runs in 5 innings with a best of 37.

Leading Bowlers
1. Lasith Malinga (MI) - 9 wickets at 5.00
2. RP Singh (DC) - 9 wickets at 10.88
3. Pragyan Ojha (DC) - 8 wickets at 9.12
4. Yusuf Abdullah (KXIP) - 7 wickets at 13.00
5. Munaf Patel (RR) - 7 wickets at 14.14

Malinga has no doubt been the pick of the bowlers, managing those 9 wickets in only 3 matches. He has bowled with pace making early breakthroughs for Mumbai and also striking late blows with brilliant fast bowling.

He has been a sight.

RP Singh was amongst the highest wicket takers in IPL 2008, as was Pragyan Ojha, and both of them have scripted the Chargers' success this season along with their opening pair and Fidel Edwards.

Yusuf Abdullah is enjoying his home conditions and looks extremely lively. Much more than what his run up and action suggest. He's much quicker and surely makes Priety smile.

Munaf Patel, similar to last year, is looking lethal under Warne. He has bowled some unplayable deliveries and has picked up wickets regularly. If only Warne could captain India; they would have a three-pronged quality pace attack!

Deccan Chargers, undoubtedly, have been the dominant team in the IPL winning all their games, which is already double the number of matches they won in 2008!

I'm not sure if sports betting is legal in South Africa, but if I was a gambler, my money would be on the Chargers.

It would have been last year as well given the team they had, but this season they are truly displaying their worth and potential.

Speaking of betting, any idea why Lalit Modi may have said no to the services of the ICC's Anti Corruption Unit? Does the IPL have its own unit? Is the IPL immune to corruption? Is there no betting taking place on IPL matches? Is Modi indulging in some IPL cricket betting? Which one is it Lalit?

Other Stats
Highest Team Score: 189-5, DDD vs CSK.
Highest Individual Score: 105*, AB De Villiers (DDD) vs CSK.
Best Strike Rate (min 100 runs): 171.57, Adam Gilchrist (DC).
Most Sixes: 11, Adam Gilchrist (DC).
Best Bowling Performance: 5-5, Anil Kumble (BRC) vs RR.
Best Economy Rate (min 8 overs): 4.35, Lasith Malinga (MI).

This year the scores have been generally lower than they were in IPL 2008. That might have something to do with the pitches in South Africa, but despite the relatively lower scores, the matches have been one sides besides just a few.

Last season, there were many more closer matches, or is that just my imagination.

Malinga is not only the highest wicket taker, but also has the best economy rate - that is saying something for a fast bowler.

Who says 20-20 is not a game for the pacers?

Anil Kumble's 5-5 was pure magic and it was a great sight to witness him with the purple cap along with Dravid with the Orange. Sadly that was short lived; as was Bangalore's winning start.

I'll have the next update after the next 10 games so that I have the results of the first half, i.e. after 28 group matches.

It will be interesting to see where these players stand then and how the first half of IPL 2009 compares with that of IPL 2008.

My day started normally. I woke up after a hectic weekend, not wanting to go to work. Yes for us poor souls in the Middle East, Sunday is a working day.

I got to work on time, called in for some garam chai, and logged on to my laptop.

As I sipped through the tea I watched the laptop take its sweet time logging on and then Windows taking its even sweeter time trying to start some programs and block some start-up programs.

Even the tea wasn't that sweet!

As all the icons came into place and the network told me it was up, I clicked onto the explorer and got on to Cricinfo for some live ball-by-ball of the final day at the Kotla.

A draw was the only result in my mind but I wanted another Gambhir 100 and some Johnson wickets for cheap fantasy points.

Niether happened and the day went on as I juggled between work, gmail, cricinfo, facebook, and the blogs.

Somewhere during the day I lost interest in the match and got engrossed in some animated gmail exchanges on several mailing lists.

That is when an email from Gaurav Sethi popped up. The subject was "who retired first" and in the mail was a link saying Anil or Saurav?.

I wondered what imaginary post NC had written this time when suddenly it occurred to me - Had Kumble announced his retirement?

NO! How could that be I thought. I looked at the watch and thought that the match had not ended surely and it was only days ago that Kumble was blasting the media on speculating about his retirement.

With all these thoughts in my mind I shifted to my Cricinfo window, which was now showing "network server error". I clicked on refresh and as the browser opened I read comments on the ball-by-ball from readers paying their tributes to Kumble who had announced his retirement during the tea interval.

I had said on numerous occasions that this would be Kumble's last test series but I never expected the announcement to come like this. Actually I didn't expect it at all with the way Kumble answered the media throughout the last month.

Then I read NC's post and I left a comment saying the same.

Who would have thought Kumble would be the first one to go out of the 5 seniors?

As the day went on, tributes kept coming in. I read them all.

I followed the ball-by-ball seeing Kumble take the new ball hoping he gets a wicket in his final spell. That would also give me some fantasy points.

Then it occurred to me that I had to substitute him before the next test now.

The match ended and I read about the hand shakes, the doffing of the hat, the hugs, the carrying on the shoulders, and the lap of honour.

A champion was leaving the game and I still wondered why. Why so sudden? Why out of the blue? Why during a test? Why not get a farewell test if not a series like Saurav?

The answer to all those is because he is Anil Kumble.

A man who never put himself before the team, a man who never chased the spotlight, a man who always remained in the shadows.

For Kumble, the team came first, always. He wanted the emphasis on the test series, not his retirement, which I eventually found out wasn't all that out of the blue after all.

During his press conference Kumble said "...Anyway I had more or less decided this would be my last series." [Read in full here]

That is when it hit me that ofcourse he had decided. He must have before the series began. Maybe even during the summer. He would never have continued to play on knowing that he was past his best.

He just didn't want the focus to be on him.

It was India vs Australia, and he wanted it to be just that and not "Kumble's last test series".

He knew he was going even before Saurav did. So what if he didn't say it?

As he said he "would have ideally liked to have finished in Nagpur". But fate was cruel to him. The injury to his hand denied him what he had wanted.

Yet he got the most rousing farewell from his team mates on his favorite ground - maybe that's what fate wanted for him.

He deserved no less.

As my Sunday comes to an end, so does the career of one of the best bowlers to have played this game.

Definitely not out of the blue!

"It has been said that good captaincy is like pornography - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it."

That is Ian Chappell talking about how good MS Dhoni is as the captain of India.

Really Ian, pornography?

He even worded his article that way making various inferences to the X-Rated stuff.

Read the title: "Give it to the Keeper".

He even presents video evidence, which he describes as: "....the period in the game when Anil Kumble was off the field and stand-in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led a vibrant India...."

And he goes on "....a team that looked far superior to the one that performed in pedestrian mode a few hours later ....".

Later on he talks about why Kumble was given charge initially saying "He was the ideal person to fill in for a short period until Dhoni was ready to do the job..."

He then talk about grooming and the animal stuff - "Anybody who watched .... and still thinks Dhoni needs more grooming has attended too many dog shows"

The best part though comes when Ian starts to describe how Dhoni made his partners feel.

He starts with "Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir set off aggressively .... but Dhoni did plenty to assist his own and the team's cause".

From there he moves on to the kind of atmosphere that was created because of Dhoni's aggression - "Most importantly he created an atmosphere where the players enjoyed the contest"

He then cites some examples:

"Sehwag was a classic example. He had a smile from start to finish, enjoying his team-mates’ success ...".

"Zaheer Khan was like a man possessed, heavily involved ..."

"...Sachin Tendulkar behaved like an exuberant 18-year-old..."

From there he talks about the opposing partners and then concludes with "It has been said that good captaincy is like pornography - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it."

I love leg spinners.

I may not be as passionate about them as JRod but I still love them.

They make the game exciting to watch.

Those subtle few steps to the crease, the twirl of the arm, the rip of the fingers, the flight of the ball, and that bamboozled batsman who sees the ball spin across him and past the off stump - very few sights beat this one in cricket.

Since Shane Warne retired last year, I have been waiting for a leg spinner to emerge who would make cricket as exciting to watch as Warne did.

The Aussies took Beau Casson to the Windies and I remember tuning into the test late one night just to watch a new leg spinner bowl.

Considering he was Warne's apparent long term replacement, my anticipation was high despite warnings from JRod that he wasn't all that.

Casson hardly impressed.

The IPL provided a lot of excitement as there were a lot of leggies in action.

I watched Warne all over again, along with Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra, and the Warne understudy at the Rajasthan Royals - Dinesh Salunkhe!

But the IPL provided only 4 overs each from them. At the most. That wasn't enough for either of these bowlers to show what they were all about.

A leg spinner needs a stage to perform and that stage is Test cricket.

I was still looking for that 1 leg spinner to emerge.

Ajantha Mendis provided a lot of excitement in the India - Sri Lanka test series over the summer, but he's not a leg spinner.

Exciting yes, but in a different way. Its his mystery element that makes him exciting. There's no rip, no twirling of the arms, no oohs or aahs.

Great bowler that Mendis, but not the leg spinner I had been waiting for.

When the Australian test squad for the ongoing India - Australia test series was announced, there was one name there that I had seen do the rounds of Cricket with Balls for the last year.

That name was Bryce McGain.

He was a leg spinner. He was from the same state as Shane Warne. He had had a successful domestic season in Australia.

And he was to debut at Bangalore.

JRod had gone on about him for over a year so I was sure that he was something to look forward to.

That leg spinner whom I had been waiting for was finally here.

Almost!

A shoulder injury booked McGain a flight back to Australia.

Cameron White, the Victoria captain and also a leg spinner, was sent to India to replace him.

I had first heard of White a long time back when in one article it was mentioned that he was the next blonde leg spinner that would take Australia by storm.

That was a long long time ago as since then White had become more of a batsman and only a part time leg spinner.

Watching White bowl in the 1st test at Bangalore was fun. He brought a lot of passion into the game as was evident when he took that wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. His first.

But that excitement, that rip, that wrong one, the one that pitches on leg and goes past off, the oohs, the aahs were all missing.

It was never expected to be there to begin with.

The wait for that leggie had to continue I thought.

When news regarding Kumble's fitness did the rounds before the Mohali Test, I thought India would go in with 3 seamers and Bhajji.

Which is why on Friday morning, I was surprised to see Amit Mishra in the XI.

That led the blood cells racing again. Another leg spinner to debut.

I had first seen Mishra in the IPL and had been impressed by him.

Bak then, I had also wondered why Piyush Chawla was playing internationals and not Mishra.

When Mishra took the ball in his hand yesterday, I glued myself to the TV.

Yet another leg spinner was going to bowl his first ball in test cricket. I wondered if he was the leg spinner I had been waiting for all this time.

His first over told me he could be.

His third over, where he bowled Katich off an inside edge, got me thinking that he was definitely the one who would make test cricket as exciting as Warne did.

His 9th and the day's last over, where he trapped Clarke plumb in front with a googly, made me realise that Mishra was it.

Finally I got what I had been waiting for.

Finally test cricket had unleashed another leg spinner who will make it exciting to watch.

Finally the world will see another bowler take a few steps, twirl that arm, rip those fingers, flight that ball, pitch it on leg, and spin it across the batsmen.

Occassionally, the world will also see the wrong ones, and the flippers, and we will all ooh and aah in anticipation of a wicket.

He is playing this test due to an injury to Kumble. Mishra's future probably depends on Kumble's fitness but I hope India can find ways to keep him in the XI despite Kumble's presence.

Because to do otherwise will be gross injustice to the talent this man possesses.

I have been waiting for you Mishra.

And I don't want to wait anymore.

No ageing star should need to announce his retirement for you to make that spot in the XI your very own.

Congrats to all the Indians for managing to beat Pakistan in a test series at home for the first time in 27 years. It could have been 2-0 or even 3-0 had the Indians prepared less batting friendly wickets. In my preview of the test series I had made some predictions and here's how wrong I was. To recap, I had said the following:

"I predict results in all 3 matches, a decider at Bangalore, 500+ runs for Sachin Tendulkar, 20 wickets for Shoaib Akhtar, a Yuvi 100 in the 3rd test where he would have replaced Laxman, 2 centuries for Faisal Iqbal, question marks over Dravid's lack of runs, a career ending series for Kamran Akmal, the retention of Anil Kumble as captain for the series against Australia, and praise for skipper Shoaib Malik."

There was only 1 result, Bangalore wasn't a decider, Sachin didn't get 500+ but Ganguly did, Shoaib didn't get 20 wickets and no one else did either, Yuvraj did get the 100 but he hadn't replaced Laxman, Faisal didn't get 2 centuries but Misbah did, Dravid's form is being questioned, Akmal's batting form saved his a$$, Anil Kumble has been retained and praised, and Malik conveniently sat out the series.

Clearly the crystal ball isn't functioning well.

Top 5 of the series

1. Misbah Ul Haq - The 464 runs at an average of 116.00 don't speak as loudly as the manner in which they were scored. Batting with the tail in each test he managed scores of 82, 161*, and 133* and bailed Pakistan out of trouble each time. Had he not jumped in the 1st test he would have walked off not out in that innings too. He was the difference between a 1-0 and a 3-0 scoreline in this series. Hats off to the man. Pakistan have found the perfect replacement for Inzamam.

2. Saurav Ganguly - 534 runs at 89.00, 4 wickets at 19.25, a test best of 239, and a man of the series award. Who would have thought that a man fighting for his place in the test side a year ago would deliver in this way. Many thought his international career was over and many were calling for Yuvraj to replace him but Ganguly ended the series as the top scorer on both sides. People may say that he got a double hundred, a hundred, and a 91 against a below average bowling attack but it was the same attack that Sachin and Dravid faced. For me his best innings was the 48 at the fag end of the 4th day of the 1st test - the way he played on a pitch that other batsmen found impossible to bat on showed the kind of form he was in.

3. Anil Kumble - As always he was at his best with the ball. He was the highest wicket taker in the series with 18 wickets at 26.50. He kept at it like he always does. His captaincy though I am not impressed with. In the 1st test he looked very good but then a victory makes every captain look good but in the following 2 tests he wasn't attacking enough, lacked innovation in the field, lost his cool several times when the wickets weren't coming, and appealed desperately. Australia will be a test for him, especially when his own wickets will dry up.

4. Wasim Jaffer - This man will open for India for the next decade and get plenty of runs. With the bat, he reminds me of Azharuddin in his younger days. The double hundred he got was an exquisite and flawless knock and he had a very bright future to look forward to. He was the 2nd highest run scorer for India after Ganguly and that is some feat considering he plays in the same XI as Sachin, Dravid, and Laxman.

5. Yuvraj Singh - In the only test he played he scored 169 on the 1st day and took 2 wickets on the last day. And yet he doesn't have a permanent place in India's XI. Goes to show how much stronger the Indian team was going into this series. Its hard to keep Yuvi out of a top performer list these days - he has been in the best form of his life this year and India need to find a way to fit him into the team sheet before Kumble goes out for the toss with Ricky Ponting in 2 weeks.

Players for the Future

Yasir Arafat - His morning spell on his 1st day of test cricket could have squared the series for Pakistan but Ganguly and Yuvi had different ideas. He bowled with pace and aggression and looked the fittest of all Pakistani pace bowlers. He has been on the fringes of selection for a long time now and had a brilliant debut with both ball and bat - looks like a bright future is ahead of him.

Ishant Sharma - are you kidding me? No chance in hell. Those who criticized him before he took his 5 wicket haul were right when they said the man doesn't have it for this level. He proved them right in Pakistan's 2nd innings as well. Ganguly's grand mom could have taken a 5-for against Pakistan's tail the way they played during this series.

Sohail Tanvir - He needs to work a bit with Wasim Akram and learn how to get the ball back in but he's a star in the making. I can feel it. The ball he got Dravid with in the 1st test will remain in memory just like Shoaib Akhtar's yorkers from the 99 tour to India.

Disappointments of the Series

Danish Kaneria - Much was expected from him and he flattered all of us with his shorter run up and all that jazz in the 1st test. But from thereon it was down hill. Pakistan need a quality spinner and they need one soon.

Mohammad Yousuf - his form of last season has ditched him and an average of 32.00 is well below his standards. Pakistan needed him more than ever without an Inzi to follow but Pakistan's premier batsman failed to deliver.

Dinesh Karthik - Prior to this series he was India's highest scorer in tests during 2007, but against Pakistan he just couldn't get going till his last innings of the series. Moreover his performance behind the stumps would have put a smile on Akmal's face.

Other Ramblings

The only reason I haven't put Shoaib Akhtar on that list is because I have realised that an unfit Akhtar is better than a fit Pakistan bowling attack put together. The man managed 3 tests in a row - how many times has he done this before?

Mohammad Sami gets full marks for trying but his days as a bowler look over. Maybe Pakistan can use him to solve their opening problems.

India go of to Australia now and I'm looking forward to that series - it has the potential to be a cracker!

Pakistan, on the other hand will host Zimbabwe for a 5 match ODI series and that should be a good opportunity to test some fresh legs. The likes of Khalid Latif, Anwar Ali, Fawad Alam, Najaf Shah, and Sarfraz Ahmed should get the chance to show their talent in that series. Let see if the selectors agree with me. Knowing how the selectors' minds and my crystal ball function, not many of those names will feature in the squad when its announced.

The recently concluded 1st test between Pakistan and India was a classic. Many would remember it for it being one of the most exciting tests between the 2 neighbors, however there are several other reasons, which make this test memorable. Several records were broken and created during this match. I'll go on to the relatively smaller ones before talking about the most significant one.

I left for work after watching the toss and pitch review in the morning, and followed the entire day's cricket on cricinfo and dawn. But reading isn't the same as watching the game. After watching the highlights, these are some of the key points I noticed on day 1 of the Kotla test:

1. Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel consistently swung the ball throughout the day.
   
2. Munaf Patel was reverse swinging the ball after the 25th over.
   
3. Salman Butt thought something was wrong with the pitch when he got cleaned up by a perfect inswinger from Zaheer Khan.
   
4. Saurav Ganguly can celebrate like a football player.
   
5. Rahul Dravid did not seem to be involved in the match like the other senior players. He remained resigned to his position for most of the day. Something is definitely wrong. Maybe he felt left out as Saurav and Sachin turned their arms over.
   
6. Misbah ul Haq is Pakistan's "go to man". Since the 20-20 world cup he has more often than not come into bat with Pakistan in trouble. And more often than not he has delivered. There have been critics saying that he hasn't actually finished the job, but any lesser player wouldn't have even done half of what Misbah has managed in those various innings.
   
7. The reverse sweep is a part of Misbah's repertoire of shots just like the cover drive and pull shot are in the repertoire of any other batsman.
   
8. Misbah fancies Harbhajan Singh.
   
9. Mohammad Sami is as good a batsman as he says he is.
   
10. For the first 2 sessions Anil Kumble proved everyone wrong by turning out to be a very attacking captain. He was back to expectations during the last session.
    
11. India went on to the field with 5 captains: the current test captain, the current ODI captain and 3 former captains. I think they equalled Pakistan's record of 5 captains in the same match.
    
12. Faisal Iqbal will spend his career waiting for an Ul-Haq to get injured or retire.

The 1st test gets underway on Thursday in Delhi and both Pakistan and India would be fancying their chances of getting the upper hand early in the series. India, after their test series win in England and wins against Pakistan in the 20-20 world cup and the ODI series would start as favorites. But Pakistan, after winning the 5th ODI, have their tails up and look like a team that is gelling well together. The tense faces that were visible after the 4th ODI seemed very relaxed during the practice session earlier this evening.