I have fallen in love with that phrase here in Manchester.

And Drama was exactly what this Champions Trophy has been.

Moreso today than on any other day.

Before Pakistan took the field against Australia this morning, a number of things would have been going through their mind.

Do we want to play New Zealand, our favorite bunnies, in the semi finals?

Do we want to play our semi final against England at Centurion to give our batsmen a better chance?

Do we want India to qualify to the semi finals?

Do we want to make sure Australia is out of the Champions Trophy?

There were plenty of options for the Pakistanis to explore.

But all was dependent on which Pakistan turned out today.

I'm still not sure which one did.

They started their innings very well with a decent opening stand; even after Afridi's departure Akmal kept going.

Once he left though the innings kind of fell apart; they never lost wickets, the batsmen were out there in the middle but batting was quite tough.

Or did Pakistan make it tough for themselves wanting to play New Zealand and ensuring India's exit?

The playing it safe, not going for aerial shots, keeping the scoring rate low, all looked a bit intentional, didn't it?

Pakistan set the Aussies a modest total and Australia's start seemed like the match would be over at the half way mark.

Mohammad Asif, returning to the international fold after over a year and a half was made to look like a medium pacer by Watson and Paine.

Australia seemed to be cruising home and into the semi finals, and Pakistan did not seem to mind it.

But then came the twist.

Mohammad Asif showed why Pakistan and the world had missed him.

Saeed Ajmal showed why he's the best off spinner around today.

Rana Naveed showed why he was drafted back as soon as he cancelled his ICL contract.

The Pakistanis were suddenly all over the Australians.

And the Aussies had no idea what hit them.

What was happening now? Did Pakistan suddenly realise that they would rather play a semi final at Centurion? Did the BCCI wire some funds to CA? Did Pakistan want to do India a favor?

Wickets fell, Pakistan started to look sharp, Australia started to fall apart, and the gap between runs required and balls left started to decrease.

The Indians' hearts would have been thumping hard while all this was going down.

It was one of those rare days when a billion Indians were hoping and praying for Pakistan to win; particularly after what their team had done to the West Indies.

Pakistan had all of a sudden raised the hope of all those Indians.

But at the end it was just false hope; Brett Lee and Hauritz remained calm and scraped home off the final delivery of the match.

That sealed Australia's path to the semi finals and India's exit from the Champions Trophy.

What a match it was though!

Full of excitement, nervousness, entertainment, and Drama!

It was an awesome fightback from Pakistan; quite a reminder of what Pakistan was like in the 1990s when they used to make comebacks from all sorts of situations to win games.

It was a close win for Australia but Pakistan will not mind it.

Instead they will take a hell of a lot of confidence into the semi finals, where they face their favorite semi final bunny - New Zealand!

Think 1992, think 1999, think 2007.

3 out of the 4 times that Pakistan has reached the final of a major ICC event, they have done so by beating New Zealand in the semi final.

So they would definitely be fancying their chances.

Pakistan looks well settled, the batting is coming together, the bowling has been awesome throughout the Champions Trophy, and the team has a good problem of figuring out their final XI with a number of players in form and vying for the same spot.

Always a healthy problem to have.

As I said before, the Champions Trophy has been great advertisement for ODI cricket, and I feel the business end of the competition will be even better!

If reports are to be believed, John Wright could become the man that replaces the sacked Kolkata Knight Riders coach, John Buchanan.

Can you imagine someone asking you for your whereabouts for the next 3 months and also for an hour on each of those 90 days during which you would be available?

"Fatigue was definitely a factor, as were many other things"

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has come out and blamed India's hectic international schedule and the IPL for India's early exit from the ICC World Twenty20.

As I type, I am listening to a Star News report on how India has been on the road for so long, and how the players have played so much cricket that it was bound to lead to fatigue and losses.

Anyhow, the less said about these TV channels the better, they hardly ever make sense.

Regarding Gary Kirsten's claim; I did some digging and this is what I found.

Australia has by far played more international games than any other country, but I don't hear them complaining about fatigue.

India has played plenty of matches in a year, but not that many more than Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, and England.

Plus, two of those teams are unbeaten thus far in the World T20.

Sure India's World T20 squad had more players in the IPL starting XIs, but that was supposed to be an advantage for the 20-20 world cup, was it not?

In fact, even South Africa has 11 players who played in almost all the games for their IPL teams; likewise for Sri Lanka with 7.

So what is Gary Kirsten on about? Just trying to save his behind is he?

There were many reasons for India's loss; fatigue was not one of them.

By Bikram Vohra

It is not that India lost to England Sunday that bugs me though I am not exactly over the moon about being kicked out of the tournament.

What is going up my nose is the attitude that the Dhoni led tigers(??????) brought to the field. They were sulky, indifferent, casual and you could visibly notice their steadfast cockiness as they tumbled in an untidy heap from the pedestal on which we, the fans, the media and the officials place them so easily…and with such total dedication. Arrogance in our cricketers is fed and nourished on a rich diet of money, money and more money not to lightly forget the drip of adulation that goes with the enormous wealth. It is such a heady mix they even forget to smile.

Did anyone see a more pathetic lot than this bunch on Sunday? Talk about putting a foot wrong, Master Yuv Raj symbolized the whole approach when he was stumped with his foot delicately poised five inches above the ground. Go man, go.

I don’t know if you watched the same match I did (hopefully technology showed a better game on LCD screens, at least skinnier despair) but I did not spot a soupcon of passion, interest in winning or commitment beyond a sort of desultory, loping romp in the park like so what’s the big deal?

There probably isn’t. When you are fat and sleek like Casca and your bank manager sucks up to you (unlike mine who just sneers) where is the hunger? There is none. That blubber covers up the desire to win, it is just another boring day at the office.

You and I both know it is not the three runs. They were never going to be covered. It could have been thirty runs, the score was academic.

We were just not in the picture. Like shy brides we did not want to be in the picture. We have so much on our minds. Like opening restaurants, starting real estate companies, investing our wealth, charging for appearances, dating film stars, oh, and occasionally strutting about the cricket field.

And now that there will be no parades and no ridiculous cavalcades (remember the horror of 2007 when we won and what they did to Mumbai?) messing up our cities and mayors and ministers, board babus and those perennial hangers on doing the dirty and disappearing what say we finally bring a little perspective into the game and wise up to the fact that we are not the bee’s knees and a little comeuppance is a healthy thing.

Actually, for a team that didn’t want to win, why should they have?

Bikram Vohra is a former editor of The Khaleej Times and The Bahrain Tribune, two of the leading news papers in the Middle East.

Everyone is saying so. Mickey Arthur has said to watch out for them, Manjerekar has said that they are the favorites, and even God has spoken for them.

I have the reasons why.

1. Sachin Tendulkar has said that they will retain the title. When God speaks, you listen, you obey.
   
   
2. Defending champions alright, but Team India has come a long way since that victory at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.
   
   They're a confident bunch and can give all teams a run for their money, not only on their day but on everyday!
   
   
3. Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Rohit, Yusuf Pathan - no other team can boast of 7 match winners in their batting line up.
   
   Only one of them has to fire in full flow for India to be on top. Even if they take turns every match, they will walk away with the cup.
   
   
4. Zaheer, Ishant, RP, Irfan Pathan - that reads a top notch pace attack for English conditions. They will be a handful for the opposition.
   
   
5. Every single member of the Indian squad played a part in the IPL; majority of them turned out for all the matches for their franchises.
   
   I know it works both ways, but surely the IPL experience counts for something.
   
   
6. They are 2nd behind Pakistan in that table of Twenty20 Win % and definitely more consistent than the Pakistanis.
   
   
7. Their Super 8 group includes Australia and South Africa. If they get past them, they will in all probability go all the way.

And at the end of it all if they do what SP asks them to do, in all likelihood they will fly out of England with the ICC World Twenty20 title.

About Manish Pandey.

A new star for India?

"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."

Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
Harbajhan Singh
Amit Mishra

Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
RP Singh / Sreesanth
Amit Mishra

The first one for home tests and the 2nd one for tests in Australia, England, South Africa and elsehwere, will win India a lot of test matches going forward.

It reminds of the times Pakistan used to have Wasim, Waqar, Aquib, and Mushtaq.

Retirement deal or not, who cares.

The best of them have to go one day and some of them don't realise when the time is right. In times like these the board intervenes and makes sure they get a good farewell.

This has happened in Australia for a long time now and I'm glad that India and Pakistan are starting to do the same.

Its no secret that Inzamam went under a retirement deal last year. At the end, it didn't matter whether he chose to retire or was forced to. His time was up and he got a resounding farewell.

I'm sure Saurav Ganguly will as well. For he sure deserves it.

Its only apt that his farewell series is against Australia, just like Steve Waugh's was against India.

I wish the BCCI flies Steve Waugh down for the 4th test to present Ganguly with some sort of memento for his service to Indian cricket.

What a wonderful moment that would be!

I have always been a Ganguly fan, but not many in Pakistan like him. He is arrogant, mean, rude, in your face, and has that ability to get under your skin.

These qualities coupled with him being a thorn in Pakistan's flesh are reasons enough to hate him and boy do the Pakistanis hate him. They hate him with a passion.

I, on the other hand, have always admired his attitude. If he got under the skin of the Pakistanis, he did so under the Aussies too. And that too at a time when the Australians were unshakeable.

Steve Waugh was ruthless and the cricketing world faced his wrath. But he faced Ganguly's.

That series against Australia in 2001 is what changed my opinion of Ganguly. I became an avid fan then and remain one to date.

As his career comes to an end, here are my 10 favorite Ganguly moments. Ones that will remain in mind forever.

10. Love on First Sight

I remember that India was having problems finding a suitable partner for Sachin at the top of the order in ODIs when in a match against South Africa during the Titan Cup in 1996, out walked Ganguly to open the innings with the little master.

Ganguly's 54 in that match and his partnership of 126 with Sachin was the beginning of not only India's, but the world's best ever opening combination in ODIs. The 2 went on to add another 6,000 odd runs at the top of the order.

9. Dream Debut

I was following India's tour to England in 1996 with keen interest as Pakistan's tour was to follow. England easily won the 1st test of the 3 match series against India, which resulted in India making some changes to its line up for the 2nd test at Lord's.

Out went Sanjay Manjerekar and Sunil Joshi and in came debutants Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

Ganguly walked out to bat at the fall of the 1st wicket and on debut he knocked his maiden test 100 scoring 131 and helping India to a total of over 400. Dravid was unlucky to miss out on a debut 100, but he along with Ganguly went on to become half of India's Big 4, who will now be playing their last test series together.

8. Home Coming

Ganguly had scored 13 test 100s in 90 odd tests matches but that 1 century on his home ground (Eden Gardens, Kolkata) and a double 100 had eluded him throughout his career. He managed both feats against Pakistan in the space of 2 test matches at the end of last year (2007).

He scored 102 in the 2nd test of the 3 test series in Kolkata and he followed that up with a career best 239 in the 3rd test of the same series. I still remember watching those innings and they had Ganguly written all over them. The patented strokes through the offside, the dancing down the wicket, and the fisted pump celebrations. It didn't matter that they were scored on flat tracks against mediocre bowling. They were scored nonetheless.

Considering that he played those knocks less than a year ago, it is hard to believe that he is no longer considered a force in India's middle order.

7. Threatening the Record Books

I distinctly remember hoping for Ganguly's dismissal near the end of India's innings as he smashed the Lankans to all parts of the ground during their match in the 1999 World Cup.

He finally got dismissed in the final over of India's innings, having smashed an astounding 183 off 158 deliveries, and all of us heaved a sigh of relief as Saeed Anwar's record remained intact.

He shared a 2nd wicket partnership of 318 with Dravid as India piled on 373-6 in 50 overs. I believe these were records at that time for either the best ever of 2nd best ever partnerhip and score.

6. Comeback Kid

Ganguly's career seemed over after his fall out with coach Greg Chappell and his axing from both the ODI and test squads at the beginning of 2006. He sat the whole year out but returned to the fold as India's batsmen struggled on the tour of South Africa at the end of 2006.

First he saved India with a top score in a side game against one of the first class sides and then followed that up with an unbeaten 51 in the 1st innings of the 1st test. That 51 was the highest score on India's side and went a long way in ensuring that India took a 1-0 lead in the test matc series against South Africa.

Quite a comeback Ganguly had made and it was all through determination and hardwork, which he had showed the selectors during India's domestic season.

5. Decimating Pakistan

Ganguly the batsman had arrived a year ago and now it was time for Ganguly the bowler to rise.

In the late 90s, Pakistan and India played an annual series of 5 ODIs in Toronto in what was called the Sahara Cup. The one held in 1997 had Ganguly written all over it. He played some fine knocks during the tournament but it was his bowling that left Pakistan in tatters on more than one occasion.

In the 3rd ODI of the 1997 Sahara Cup, Pakistan had bowled India out for 180 odd and looked set to chase down the total easily. I remember watching Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi punish the Indian bowling and 180 didn't look daunting at all.

But then came on Ganguly who utilized the swing conditions to perfection and his frustrating medium pace got him figures of 5-16 in 10 overs as Pakistan were bowled out for less than 150!

Those figures remain his best bowling figures to date.

4. Spoiling Waugh's Swansong

When Dravid and Sachin score 1 run between them, it doesn't augur too well for the rest of the Indian batsmen. Reeling at 62-3 against Australia at Brisbane in Steve Waugh's farewell series, I remember watching a determined Ganguly walking out to the middle.

By the end of the 4th day of that 1st test, Ganguly had scored an impressive 144 off only 196 deliveries to help India past Australia's total that saved them the test match. It was a brilliant knock by Ganguly who had been pinpointed as the weak link in India's batting line up prior to the test series.

3. Turning the Tide

Throughout the 90s Pakistan held a psychological edge over India, but all of that changed one dark evening in Dhaka in 1998.

It was the final of the Silver Jubilee Cup and Pakistan had set India a target of 315. If history was anything to go by, India's innings would have folded for 200 odd that night, but Ganguly had different plans.

He smashed 124 while opening the innings as India inched close to the target. India won the match in the last over in fading light and that day all the psychological holds Pakistan held over India were wiped out.

2. The Final Frontier

It was Steve Waugh's final frontier and Ganguly denied him. Though it can be argued that Laxman and Harbhajan denied Australia, Ganguly was at the forefront of it all.

The celebration that Ganguly broke out into as Sameer Dighe hit the winning runs is still etched in my memory. I remember being a part of the crowd at our college cafeteria watching the closing moments of one of the most entertaining test series ever.

I remember McGrath bowling to Dighe and Ganguly sitting in the dressing room all tense and nervous. Dighe got India home and Ganguly ran on to the field. I can never forget Ganguly's look after winning the series against Australia.

Magic it was. And I'll tell you Indians a secret. All of Pakistan was behind you then!

1. The Gangulian Wave

I think this moment is the most appropriate Ganguly moment. It is something that defines him and describes the kind of competitor he was / is.

Many ridiculed him because of this and suggested that such acts are not deemed suitable to a captain of an international side.

But in my mind this was one moment that had Ganguly stamped all over it and I sure enjoyed it. I am sure it was also enjoyed by all of India and many others as India pulled off the most unlikeliest of run chases in the Natwest Trophy Final against England in 2002.

This is probably the one single moment that will remain in people's memories as the years go by and Ganguly's legacy is remembered and told to generations that follow.

He was India's best captain ever and his captaincy record will remain untouched for some time to come.

Those who hail Dhoni today and regard him as one of the finest leaders should remember that it was Ganguly who started what Dhoni is continuing today.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end for Ganguly and I hope that in this series he is able to produce some more memorable moments that can eclipse a few of the ones listed above.