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.

My facebook status right after the toss was, "India, I think its a mistake chasing".

Besides the obvious of commenting on the game, I believe it should also be to be insightful and informative.

But all the commentators have managed to do in the IPL is go gaga over some sponsored phrases, and make one blunder after another.

Some blunders by the commentators can be forgiven considering the kind of intense cricket that is being played in the IPL.

But some are just sinful.

For example the one Rameez Raja and the ones that followed him made when Sangakkara stumped Andrew Symonds.

For those who missed it, I'll try and describe what happened.

Yuvraj bowled, Symonds missed and fell way out of the crease, Sanga missed the ball, dived to get it and dislodged one bail in the process, got the ball, and broke the stumps with it.

While the third umpire was viewing the replays, Rameez Raja went on about how it was not out because one bail had been dislodged by the glove before Sanga had the ball in hand.

Now Rameez was not alone in what he thought.

I thought the same thing. It happens to the best of us.

The problem does not lie in what Rameez Raja said. It lies in what happened after the 3rd umpire gave it out.

Here I was sitting surprised as to how the 3rd umpire could have given it out. Did he not see the bail drop before Sanga got the ball and broke the stumps?

I waited for the commentators that replaced Rameez to say something.

I expected them to scrutinize the decision.

I expected them to explain the 3rd umpire's decision.

Either say that the 3rd umpire was wrong, and if not, then explain why he was right.

But none of that happened.

The commentators remained quiet and did not discuss the Symonds dismissal at all.

I found out through Homer and Sam that Symonds was in fact out; according to the rules, if one bail has been dislodged the stump does not need to be uprooted, the other bail can be dislodged to run or stump the batsman out.

Why didn't the commentators explain that?

Is it not their job to educate the viewers as well?

Was it not their job to explain why Rameez Raja was wrong and the 3rd umpire right?

Now all it looks like is that Rameez Raja's buddies swept his blunder under the carpet!

And continued with their non stop nonsensical act that they call commentary.

There was a time when aspiring cricketers use to try and and register performances for their schools, colleges, clubs, departments, and age-group and grade cricket teams in order to become a permanent fixture in a domestic side.

The objective to get into a domestic team was to perform, get big scores, get a bundle of wickets and get into the eyes of the selectors for a break into the national team.

That used to be the path to international cricket.

In England its the B teams of counties and clubs through which you can make it into a county. In Pakistan its the thousands of clubs, associations, zones, and departments that get you a ticket for a place in a regional team. In Australia its club and grade cricket that gets you into one of the state sides. The same is surely the case in other nations.

Its all changed now.

With the IPL being an international extravaganza and witnessed by audiences including fans, selectors, boards, and the likes across the world, aspiring cricketers seek an opportunity to display their credentials in the Indian league to make it into the international league.

Or even to become a permanent fixture in their domestic side.

Kings XI Punjab's latest signing is an Australian by the name of Burt Cockley, who thinks that playing in the IPL will provide him the chance to play more for New South Wales.

This what he said on hearing about his signing: "I hope that playing in the IPL will improve my chances of playing more for NSW."

Imagine that. A young boy wants to play in the IPL to play more for his domestic side to achieve the ultimate goal of appearing for his country.

Who would have thought that in only its second year since inception, the IPL would have such a reputation.

Lalit Modi must be jumping up and down and doing cartwheels on his water bed after reading this. Or maybe having a joint in celebration.

Coming back to Cockley, he has played 5 first class games and 2 List A games and as many as ZERO 20-20 games! And his record shows nothing of note.

Then what made the Kings sign him on?

Maybe his name - Cockley. Its most appropriate for the team he joins that is led by a very cocky Yuvraj Singh.

Cocky Cockley under cocky Yuvraj's cocky IPL team.

Well done Preity Zinta.

If you're wondering how Zinta or the Kings heard about Cockley, the answer is their coach, Tom Moody.

Moody says that Cockley bowls at over 140ks and that is what made the Kings sign him on despite having no experience of 20-20 cricket.

Cockley is the Kings' 6th Australian signing after Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Luke Pomersbach, and Simon Katich.

With Lee injured, Cockley might even get to play a few games, if not all of them.

After Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson, here's another Aussie looking to enhance his reputation through the IPL.

I'm still wondering about the name. COCKLEY!

The first cricket related news I heard as soon as I got back was that the ICC awards were being held in Dubai and I was asked if I was attending them.











I read somewhere that Misbah Ul Haq should have atleast been nominated in the Twenty20 award category and that the ICC has been biased and unjust for not even considerng him for a nomination.

It was quite a happening weekend in Dubai where I was attending a conference, meeting up and socializing with some old friends, and doing everything unrelated to cricket.

But for some reason, cricket refuses to leave me.

Inzamam Ul Haq happened to be staying at the same hotel where my conference was. He was there with family in tow. Probably enjoying the summer heat of Dubai.

Its definitely the worst time of the year to come to this part of the world so I'm not sure what Inzi was doing here.

I heard Younis Khan is in Saudi Arabia for an Umrah (the religious pilgrimage) - maybe Inzi stopped by on his way there.

In striking contrasting styles, another cricketer, namely Yuvraj Singh, chatted up Well Pitched blogger O2's wife at the Mall of the Emirates when a polite request for an autograph was met with demands for taking him partying around Dubai's night spots.

All this while his team mates Sachin, Karthik, and Gambhir piled 50s against a Sri Lankan Board XI.

Speaking of Karthik, I wonder why fellow blogger Ottayan keeps calling him "Kaarthick" - someting to do with numerology Ott?

Later at night I sent an SMS to O2 asking if he was partying with Yuvraj and I got an instant reply that read:

"Hahaha. No Scene. Sleazy B£$&%^*!"

Well thats Yuvi for you I guess.

Kapil Dev today had his thoughts on him too when he said "He must exhibit his talent at a proper place rather than elsewhere".

India's test series against Sri Lanka seems to be building up well with the hype around Mendis along with the return of Sachin and him aproaching Brian Lara's record for most rest runs.

I just hope the matches aren't high scoring boring draws.

My blogging frequency dipped during last week as I got busy planning my month long sabbatical in August, which was quite a tough task.

Its almost done now. I will be away for all of August but I'm sure Obaid, Sledge, Nazhar, and O2 will be able to keep you entertained.

I'll be back in time for the Champions Trophy, the location of which we still don't know.

What I also don't know is how I will keep track of the cricket blogosphere while I'm away.

I disappear for a weekend and I find that J Rod has posted more than what other blogs do in a weeks time. This is a month I'm talking about.

Oh well, I'll find out soon enough.

There won't be much cricket to miss though or will there?

Sachin getting to 12,000 test runs, Mendis breaking the record for most wickets in a 3-test series, South Africa winning their first series in England since their readmission, Asif winning his doping case, another doping scandal for Pakistan cricket as yesterday's test results come out may be just some of the stories that would be written on while I'm away.

I'm here for another week though but still doing quite a bit of planning.

There has been a lot of talk about how India will displace Australia as the next Super Power in the world of cricket.

I have also said a number of times that India is one of the strongest cricket sides in the world today, despite the fact that they recently lost 2 ODI finals.

After going through their squad for the test series against Sri Lanka, something struck me.

For India to displace Australia from the top, or for even to be one of the strongest sides in the world, they will have to take a leaf out of Australia's books.

Playing Test cricket and ODI cricket with a different set of players, and even a different set of captains.

India is going through a time where:

Their 4 best batsmen don't play ODI cricket. Well Sachin does, but he's opted out lately, while Ganguly, Dravid, and Laxman haven't let their desire to play ODIs remain a secret.

Their best ODI batsman and vice captain has just been dropped from the test side. Everybody knows how eager Yuvraj is to prove his worth in tests.

Their test captain does not play ODI cricket.

Their ODI captain has just stated his preference and chosen ODIs over tests.

Their newly announced Vice Captain for the test matches will play ODIs under a different captain and vice captain.

Now if all that does not mean treading on the path to Danger Zone, I don't know what does.

There is no doubt that India has one of the strongest sides in cricket today, for both tests and ODIs, but if they are to remain one, their test cricketers and ODI cricketers will have to gel well and adapt to playing under different captains, and with different players.

Australia has done that for a decade now.

I'm not sure if India will be able to.

The Seniors vs Juniors debate has done the rounds for almost a year now with Dhoni, Yuvraj, Uthappa, Ganguly, Kumble all giving voice to it.

Sehwag, who besides Sachin, is the only connection between India's test and ODI batsmen has reportedly been at loggerheads with Dhoni.

So if this is any indication for what is to come, the future could be quite destructive.

Rohit Sharma may not get a test match, but say he does, and say he scores a debut 100 and shows the world his mettle and attitude and what not in test cricket.

How would Yuvraj feel about that?

If this was Pakistan, I can say for sure that there would have been more than one incident of a player hitting another with a bat.

Is India over and above all this?

Will they self destruct like Pakistan would have in such a situation or will they follow Australia's example?

Time will tell.

No matter what the situation, the times ahead sure are interesting for Indian cricket.

Before the start of the Indian Premier League the prospects of watching a team led by VVS Laxman and including Gilchrist, Afridi, Gibbs, and Vaas taking on a team led by Yuvraj Singh and comprising of Sangakkara, Jayawardene, and Irfan Pathan would have been nothing less than a Clash of the Titans.

The Deccan Chargers and the Kings from Punjab though have had less than ideal starts to their campaign.

Both teams lost their first few matches but have picked up recently with the Chargers winning their last one convincingly and the Kings winning their last two.

Its a downer that both teams have lost Symonds and Lee since the 2 going toe to toe, or for that matter, Lee bowling to Gilchrist would have been gruelling contests to watch. And Sreesanth also misses his chance of a bowl to Symonds.

But the match still involves some exciting stuff to watch out for:

• Adam Gilchrist and Herchelle Gibbs opening the batting - Pathan & Co. will be trembling at just the thought of this.


• Vaas bowling to the Lankan batting supremos - King Sanga and Jayawardene.


• A battle of the Indian bowling attack - Pathan on one side, RP on the other. Both have attacked for India before. They have for the U19 team as well. Here they are on opposing sides.


• Ajitesh Argal, India's U19 pacer could come in for Lee - he is an exciting prospect.


• RP bowling to Yuvi with Sanga behind the stumps. And Vaasy bowling to Sanga and Gilchrist behind the stumps.


• Will Sreesanth get into Gilly's face? Or is he a changed man after the slap?


• Everyones been waiting for Afridi to fire. After watching Symonds and Gilchrist blaze away, Afridi is raring to go. We could be in for a treat of he fires after Gilly and Gibbs.

This and Preity Zinta and a whole lot more at 2:30PM GMT.

(one of our readers and an ardent admirer of Ms. Zinta pointed out that I had been spelling her name wrong. I made a conscious effort to get it right this time round)

Kolkata Knight Riders Lose Again
It hurts me to see King Khan's men fall the way they did last night. And that too, to a team that didn't look like winning anything in the Indian Premiere League.

The entire campaign for the Riders started on a wrong foot I think. SRK assembled an impressive star cast but then Shoaib Akhtar got banned, Chris Gayle got injured, and Ricky Ponting forgot how to bat.

Even though KKR have managed to win 2 games, one of them was McCullum's night and the other was when David Hussey decided to dig them out of a hole.

With the way they've played the last 2 games, maybe its time for SRK to don his number 12 shirt and take the field.

After having lost 2 matches, the Riders would be losing McCullum, Hussey, and Ponting. I know I did say that it would have a major negative impact on them but now I'm thinking that its probably a blessing in disguise.

The inclusion of Salman Butt, Brad Hodge, and Umar Gull will give the team a new and fresh look. SRK knows a thing or two about fresh faces. Look out for KKR to bounce back as their fresh international stars take their places on the field.

The Delhi Daredevils are Very vEry veRy verY VERY strong.

2 matches, 2 wins, and no one below number 3 has got a hit in the middle yet.

This is due to the exact same reason I pointed out right after the Indian Premier League auctions - the Daredevils have managed to pack their side with a powerful Indian batting line up. With Sehwag, Gambhir, and Dhawan in the top order followed by Kathik and Tiwary in the middle, very few bowling line ups will be able to contain these men.

I haven't even talked about the International recruits yet.

Glenn McGrath didn't take any wickets today but the 2 men who consider him to be their idol, Mohammad Asif and Ferveez Maharoof, wrecked the Deccan Chargers' top order with 2 wickets each. The 4th international player Shoaib Malik wasn't even required to do anything.

This is the strength of the Delhi Daredevils.

Mixed Feelings
5 days into the tournament and I am experiencing the first feeling of mixed loyalties associated with the IPL.

Thus far I have pledged my support to the Knight Riders solely based on my support for King Khan and the excitement associated with Ganguly, Ponting, Gayle, Ishant Sharma, and Shoaib Akhtar being in the same team. Akhtar hasn't arrived and the Daredevils have decided that Malik and Asif are starters in their XI.

The Daredevils are playing outstanding cricket and with Sehwag in the kind of form that he showed today in a 41 ball 94, its hard not cheer them on.

So am I shifting loyalties?

Nope. I'm rooting for a Daredevils vs Knight Riders tie for the finals. And I'm also rooting for more exciting cricket from both.

There were some more mixed feelings during the match as well. I didn't like it when Rohit Sharma smashed Asif over long on for 6. But when he did it to Mahroof, I didn't really mind it and actually enjoyed his decimation of the bowler. The same happened when Sehwag hit Afridi for a 6 over long off and then went on to destroy Symonds with a patterned sequence of 4,6,4,6,4,6!!!

But then thats the excitement associated with the IPL.

Skippers Need to Inspire
The Deccan Chargers along with Kings XI Punjab have lost both their matches. Along with Mumbai Indians, they are the only teams yet to win a match.

Before the tournament started, the Chargers and the Punjabis looked like one of the strongest teams on paper. However thus far, the matches have shown that putting together a bunch of international stars does not make a team. Their key problem, in my view, has been the uninspirational leadership of Laxman and Yuvraj.

To make a mark in the tournament, the captains will have to lift their teams. There are a lot of matches left in the league stages but both teams need to make an impact sooner rather than later. Both will lose key players in Symonds, Hayden, Hopes, and Lee for the last 2 weeks of the league, which will make it tougher for them to come back in the later stages.

At least Yuvraj needs to do something. I don't want to see Priety in tears.

Another Big One
The IPL extravanganza marches on tomorrow with the Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai's Super Kings. Its Sachin's team against the team of the man he recommended to the selectors as India's captain - Dhoni!

More on this tomorrow. Stay tuned.

After 6 matches of the Indian Premier League, in which all 8 captains failed to fire, with some failing more than once, today's Kings XI Punjab vs Rajhastan Royals finally saw both the captains play key roles.

Shane Warne picked up 3-19 and Yuvraj Singh knocked a 34 ball 57 thanks to Darren Lehmann and Mohammad Kaif.

Have I mentioned how great it is to watch Shane Warne bowl again. The Champion was at his best today. He led from the front and picked up 3 huge wickets - Hopes, King Sanga, and Yuvraj. He would have had Yuvraj even earlier had Lehmann held on.

Today's IPL match involved many a battle.

• It was a battle between the monarchs: The Kings of Punjab against the Royals from Rajhastan.
  
• It was a battle between the brothers: Irfan Pathan against Yusuf Pathan.
  
• It was a battle between the Aussies: The retired duo of Warne and Lehmann along with Shane Watson taking on Lee and Hopes.
  
• It was a battle between the friends and old team mates: Yuvraj and Kaif.

Besides these individual wars, there was drama aplenty in today's game, which showed that:

• An international line up of Yuvraj, King Sanga, Jayawardene, Lee, Pathan, Sreesanth, Hopes, and Chawla can't win u a 20-20 match against retired cricketers, Indian domestic players, players ditched by India and Australia, and a Kamran Akmal.
  
• The Royals are like a retired Australian team - all field discussions happened between Warne, Lehmann, and Watson. Lehmann and Watson were involved in a crucial partnership. And Warne seemed to take all the wickets.
  
• Sreesanth doesn't need an Aussie to spur him on - He was giving Kaif the stares.
  
• The IPL has turned Kamran Akmal into a wicketkeeper - a catch, a stumping, and a runout - Thats more than he's done for Pakistan all year.
  
• Catching balls hit by your brothers and friends are most difficult to catch - Kaif dropped Yuvraj and Irfan dropped Yusuf.
  
• A 6 in these IPL matches can be hit with broken bats. Maybe Ottayan is right about the insigificance of 6s in this tournament. Shane Watson hitting them is quite insignificant actually.
  
• Who said leg spinners were rare? As many as 3 played in this IPL match. And that too after Pakistan's debutant leggie picked up 3 wickets in his 1st ever over in international cricket against Bangladesh yesterday.

And you still say the IPL doesn't interest you?

I have just heard reports regarding the TV ratings of the IPL coverage in India. The ratings for the first 2 days of the competition are higher than all ratings achieved during the 20-20 world cup, and higher than that of all 20-20 matches played thus far. (This is for India only)

Now thats something.

There's a potential cracker of a match coming up tomorrow - The Deccan Chargers taking on the Delhi Daredevils. Two of the strongest teams of the league. If the Pakistanis in these teams take the same jet Kamran Akmal used, tomorrow's match will have a number of interesting battles on display.

More on that tomorrow. Stay tuned.

We all know that Team India currently boasts of one of the strongest batting line ups in world cricket. Thus naturally they all have a good eye, making them brilliant stroke players.

The picture below clearly shows what a good eye the Indian batsmen - Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, and Yuvraj Singh have. Lets not talk about their strokes.

Sachin Tendulkar is seen shying away from the bouncer and trying hard not to smile, while Yuvraj Singh seems to be looking away from what Uthappa and Karthik find amusing and concentrating on Sachin's new watch. He sure doesn't want to get into Deep(ika) trouble.

I wonder who captured this outstanding moment! He has out done the Indian batsmen with his immaculate timing.