Analyzing England: Eriksson got it all wrong, yet again.

Group Match 1: England vs Paraguay

In spite of their woeful opening match record, England were strong favorites against a modest Paraguay side. After all, never before have England had such a strong and all round side. With in form Crouch, goal poaching abilities of Owen, the best midfield in competition, a very strong defense and a reliable goal keeper one would have expected them to pack off Paraguay without much of trouble.
Yes, England won but their over all performance was certainly found wanting.

A precision marked Beckham free kick got England off to the best possible start. But after that the match fizzed out into a very boring affair. Apart from a couple of long range shots from Lampard and Beckham and just one attack of any real purpose from Paraguay, there was nothing much worth noticing. The second half was a similar story with England able to produce just 2-3 attacks of any real threat.

So why did this highly rated England attack failed sparkle against Paraguay? The answers is simple, Eriksson got it all wrong, yet again. Here are some of his tactical blunders which made England look a very mediocre side:
- Long ball to Crouch is not the only way to play!
9 out of 10 England attacks were in the form of long ball played from deep mid field aimed at Crouch with Owen running into space to collect the header. Though on paper this looks to be a very good strategy, time and again I have seen that such an obvious strategy works very rarely. I have seen it with Liverpool, I have seen it with Chelsea and now I saw it with England. The Paraguayn defense was covering Crouch and Owen quite well and whenever Crouch actually won the header, the referee used to call it a free kick against England. After seeing this strategy fail, Eriksson should really changed things around a bit and should have tried to play a more passing kind of a game. We saw that whenever Joe Cole, Lampard and Beckham got the ball in Paraguayn half, England looked threatening. But there were very few attacks through the services of Cole, Lampard and Beckham. In fact, in the second half, Beckham hardly ever touched the ball. Wake up Sven.

- When you bring on a left side winger, he needs a striker to cross the ball to!
England’s first substitute was a young talented Middlesboro star, Stuart Downing. I have no problems with Downing coming on but the person he replaced was Michel Owen. Now that was inexplicable. Downing is known for taking on defenders on the left flank and putting quality crosses. But when there is no striker in the box then those crosses serve no purpose. You just cannot play Crouch as a lone striker. He is good as a second striker but just lacks the goal poaching abilities. We saw on 3 or 4 occasions in second half that England midfielders had put in some real quality crosses into the box but there was no one to get on the end of it. Are u listening Sven.

- Hargreevs is a very mediocre player and does not deserve a place in England side!
The second England sub was Owen Hargreevs in place of Joe Cole with
15 mins to go. What was Eriksson thinking over here is beyond me. Hargreevs is a player who gives you nothing going forward and who is not a solid defensive
midfielder either. He is in the side just because the manager likes him. That’s not a good enough reason for me. From the substitution it was obvious that Eriksson had decided to defend for last 15 mins and settle for 1-0 victory. I have no problem with that thinking. The problem I have is with Hargreevs. When you have a person like Michel Carrick on the bench who is an outstanding defensive midfielder, why would you bring on a hapless and hopeless Hargreevs. He hardly got to touch the ball in last 15 mins. Are u thinking at all Sven.

I have nothing personal against Eriksson but it’s far too often that I have seen England side under achieve just because of their un-imaginative manager.

Individually speaking, Beckham after a dream start did not do much at all. Lampard hit 2-3 of his trade mark long drives but just did not see enough of the ball. Same applies to Joe Cole too. Owen did not look sharp at all and was time and again let down by his first touch. Crouch’s afternoon was spoiled because of some poor refereeing decisions. My Man of the Match was Steven Gerrad who controlled his urge of going forward and did an outstanding job in his defensive midfielder role. The biggest positive for England was their defense which was as solid as ever.

I still have a lot of belief in this England side and I think they have what it takes to go all the way. I just hope that Eriksson learns from his mistake.

Some of my recent reads ….

In the last 2 months or so I have read like never before. Here are some of the books I have read with ratings.

* Poor
* * Mediocre
* * * Good
* * * * Outstanding
* * * * * Un-put-downable


The Bourne Identity
By: Robert Ludlum
Rating: * *

The Poet
By: Michael Connelly
Rating: * * * *

The World is Flat
By: Thomas Friedman
Rating: *

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
By: Douglas Adams
Rating: * * * *

Deception Point
By:Dan Brown
Rating: * * * * *

Coma
By: Robin Cook
Rating: * * *

Jeeves in the offing
By: P G Woodhouse
Rating: * * * *

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
By: Jeffrey Archer
Rating: * * *

Angels & Demons
By: Dan Brown
Rating: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *.....



In progress....
The Odessa File (Frederick Forsyth)

A season of under-achievements.

Saturday saw Chelsea getting knocked out of FA cup by a spirited Liverpool side. This meant that Chelsea will have to be content with only the EPL title this season. The way I see it, this is a huge under-achievement.

Before the start of the season I had thought that if there is any team who can win a quadruple then it has to be this Chelsea side. We had got Crespo back, Essien deal had gone through, Robben was fully fit, SWP was added etc etc. At the start of the season this Chelsea side was looking good to get the quadruple, but alas !!

First we were knocked out of Carling Cup. This was the biggest shock of the season for me. At that stage we were going great guns and no one would have predicted a Charlton side to oust us. But to everyone’s surprise and my rage, it happened and followed a mini slip of Chelsea which culminated in a defeat at Old Trafford in the league.

Then it was the Champions League. In the league stages, we had done nothing outstanding but were quite decent. We did face a defeat at hands of Real Betis and we were held by Liverpool to 2 goalless draws but in spite of that we qualified quite easily. But then when the draws were made I was left a bit anxious and scared. It was Barca again and this time they were looking better than the last season. And what I feared the most, happened! Barca were successful to take the revenge. However, I must say that Chelsea was very unfortunate the way the first leg had panned out. Some horrible refereeing decisions meant that they had to play Braca with 10 men for almost an hour. It proved to be a too difficult task even for the mighty Blues and the nightmare came true in Neu Camp where we were not able to get the 2 goals.

Then came the FA Cup disaster. It is quite staggering the way we thrash Liverpool in the league every time but when it comes to knock out tournaments, we end up second best. I attribute this defeat to Mr Mourinho’s arrogance. The kind of team he had put on field was inexplicable. 3 of our most creative players, Cole, Duff and Robben, were kept on the bench. Paulo Ferriera was playing as a right winger. We did not have any left winger.
I am a big fan Mourinho but I have no clue what he was trying to prove by starting with such a side. His mistake was highlighted by the way game changed when Cole, Duff and Robben were brought on. But Liverpool are a very good defensive side and its not easy to get back when u are 2 goals down.

Now it’s just the EPL. Though we are not in the best of forms right now, I expect us to get the one point required to become the England Champions again. But for the amount we spent, we have to win atleast 2 or 3 sliver wears. Also, I have one advice for Jose .... Mr Mourinho, you have to start accepting defeats more gracefully, sometimes it is we who don’t perform to the mark and not the referee.

Reservations reservations ….. May God save India!

Yesterday I was watching a TV show called 'We The People' on NDTV. The topic of debate was “Reservations in educational Institutes”. There were about 80% against the reservations and 20% for it (thank got there were no neutrals here). This percentage obviously cannot be generalized. In reality there may be around 50% opposing the “Reservations” and 50% for it. I belong to the former 50%.

Yes. I oppose any kinds of “Reservations” in any sector, leave alone the educational Institutes. I oppose the “Reservations” not just because I am from general category; not just because I have more than suffered the cruelties of it. Though these are small factors contributing to it, the reason why I am against “Reservations” is because I am a sensible human being; because I can see it crystal clear that “Reservations” are going to take India deeper into the hole it is trying to come out for last 50 odd years; because I can see that “Reservations” are going to bring anything but sense of equality in our society.

For me, the reason for the “Reservations” is as mind boggling as the reservations themselves. The reason why government is going to reserve even more seats is because n number of decades ago, people from so called Lower Caste were subject to atrocities committed by the people from so called Higher Caste. It seems now they are following the principle of “Injustice for injustice”. So, logically speaking, after some years the people from general category may get “Reservations” because they are subject to some serious injustice now. And the cycle will continue. What is going to suffer most in this is the development of India. In fact, I feel that “Reservations” one of the major reason why we are still a “developing nation”.

I just hope that people reading this are sane enough to understand that I am not against any particular Caste. What I am against is the whole principle of “Caste”. What I am against is way these politicians exploit this issue. I mean, the British invented the principle of Divide and Rule and our politicians are perfecting it. You don’t need to be a student of rocket science to understand that this is an ugly political game which is being played just before elections for obvious reasons. Guys, we have to be rational about this. There is a reason why so many big shots from industry are coming out and speaking against “Reservations”. Reservation in IITs and IIMs, 2 of the most prestigious institutions in India, is nothing but a crime.

If it is up to me then I will abolish this whole concept of “Caste”. In my society, there will be no BCs, no OBCs, no Bramhins ... there will be only Indians. In my society there will be only one category “Economically Disadvantaged”. These people will receive incentives like scholarships etc. But there will surely be no reservations of a single seat. But sadly we don’t live in ideal world :(

To end with I will say this ... I have heard that miracles do happen, and that is exactly what it will take for India to become a “developed” country if we don’t do away with this whole “Reservations” business.

Jai Hind.

Team to beat .....

Team to beat in One Day International Cricket (based entirely on current form).

1. Michael Hussey
2. Marcus Trescothick
3. Ricky Ponting(C)
4. Yuvraj Singh
5. Andrew Flintoff
6. Andrew Symonds
7. Irfan Pathan
8. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk)
9. Brett Lee's
10. Makaya Ntini
11. Muthai muralitharan

Coach: Greg Chappell

12th man: Hershall Gibbs


Team to beat in EPL (again, based entirely on current form).

1. Petr Cech (Gk)
2. Gary Neville (RB)
3. John Terry (LCB) (C)
4. Jamie Carragher (RCB)
5. Asier Del Horno (LB)
6. Cristiano Ronaldo (RM)
7. Cesc Fabregas (CRM)
8. Frank Lampard (CLM)
9. Arjen Robben (LM)
10. Thierry Henry (Sk)
11. Wayne Rooney (Sk)

Manager : Jose Mourinho

Substitutes:
Edwin van der Sar
William Gallas
Steven Gerrard
Claude Makelele
Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Boring Cyrus!

Believe me ... this movie is an absolute drag. I don’t have a clue as to why this movie has got such rave reviews and has been acclaimed by the critics. Frankly speaking, I will suggest don’t even read this review. The movie is not worth watching and anything related to it is just not worth going through. But if u still want to venture ...

The setup is quite like this ... There is a Parsi family. Nasser and Boman Irani are brothers. Nasser used to be a very high profile pottery man but now is a drunkard. He lives in Panchgani. Boman lives in Bombay and is a real cheapskate with a much young wife (Simon Singh). Boman and Naseer’s father lives with Boman and is treated very badly by Boman. Dimple is Nasser’s wife who has an affair with almost every other guy in the movie. Cyrus (Saif) comes to Nasser to learn pottery and obviously ends up having affair with Dimple.

The story is quite like this ... Though Dimple has many affairs, her real affair is with Boman. So with help of Saif, she plans to kill Boman’s father and his wife. Then she plans to double cross Saif where in Boman will kill Saif showing that he as done it for self-protection. And as it is Nasser is a drunkard so he is never a problem. So if her plan is successful then she and Boman can live happily ever after. But there is a twist in the tail. Saif has not come to Naseer just to learn the pottery …. there are some other hidden intentions >:). He also knows about the double cross which Dimple has planned. So at the end he not just executes Dimple’s plans but does a bit more. A mystery unfolds which I am not revealing here.

Performance wise, Boman and Dimple have over acted to its limit. Simon and Saif are decent. Nasser’s performance is the only saving grace.

Though it is a 90 min movie it seems never ending. The story just doesn’t movie ahead nor does it move behind or side ways. It is just stagnant. And as Douglas Adams would have said ... Nothing happens in the first half. Then, in the second half, nothing continues to happen.

From me, it’s a strict no-no for watching this movie. If u want to watch something good, then go and watch Malamal Weekly. A real entertainer, it really is.

I deserve a medal for what I did last week ....

Some people could have suffered mental illness, some could have suffered a permanent depression, some might have undergone serious mental or even physical damages but I came out of it without any serious harm done to myself. No I did not climb Mount Everest, no I did not witness any horrific crime. I did something even more demanding than that. I watched “Fight Club” and “Taxi No 9 1 22” within a span of 2 days.

Fight Club:
It was Wednesday night. There was a huge soccer game coming on ESPN (Chelsea vs Barca) at 1:30 am. So I had to do some TP till that time. Got hold of a friend and forced him to come to a movie. Options available were “Fight Club” and “Chingari”. I did not want anything heavy on the brains before the match so I chose “Fight Club”. Also, it was a long time since I have watched an out and out Hindi action movie. I had heard very bad reviews abt this movie but I did not care abt the story. Only thing I had gone to watch was some serious action. I was hugely disappointed though. The action in the movie is more of a comedy. And incidentally, the comedy in the movie is more of a tragedy. The movie has people like Suneeil Sheety and Sohail Khan in it, so I think that will tell you abt the story. Overall, it is a typical hopeless Bollywood flick.


Taxi No 9 2 11:
I am a huge fan of Nana Patekar and after having seen Apharan and BluffMaster, I had very high hopes from Taxi No 9 1 22. There was also an added attraction of Sameera Reddy, my favorite item girl. But Alas :(( . The movie did start off with some promise but then fizzed out without any impression. The story, copied from some Hollywood flick, was different but not appealing. Acting wise everyone was decent but it doesn’t really make a difference when the story is so weak. For me, the best part of the movie was the song at the start by Bappi Lahari .... “bambai nagaria”. However, I will say here that this is the kind of movies that either u will love it or hate it, I did not love it.

One thing I must say is that even though both were really disappointing movies, the music in both of them was better than average.

So to end my review I will say that if you have got any extra money with you then do some charity with it but don’t watch these movies.

Sachin and his last 25 tests …… time has surely come for the inevitable

Here are Sachin’s stats in the last 25 tests which he has played.
Matches : 25
Innings : 40
Runs : 1616
HS : 248*
BatAv : 47.52
100s : 4
50s : 6

Overall these look to be impressive stats. However, when you dig deep, you will find that these stats are a huge deception. Below I have listed the scores which Sachin scored in last 25 matches and also the match situation when he came in.
Some of the crucial facts are:

• It has happened 24 times that Sachin has come in when India were in trouble. He has played well only thrice out of these 24 occasions. The 3 occasions are:
Sachin scores 55 when India were 2/14 against Aussies in 2004-05
Sachin scores 52 when India were 2/23 against Pakistan in 2004-05
Sachin scores 109 when India were 2/56 against Sri Lanka 2005-06

• 3 out of the 4 hundreds he scored where when he came in with India already being in a great position.

• On 24/40 occasions he has been out with a score less than 25.

• His average is boosted by his 2 not out double hundreds and one not out 194. One double was against Bangladesh, one against Australia when India were 2/128 and the 194* was against Pak when he came in at 2/173.

Is he still a great batter? Does he deserve a place in Indian middle order with people like Kaif, Raina etc on the bench? I guess the stats answer the questions.
Here I would like to mention that I am not against Tendulkar at all and I will be the happiest man if he gets his old form back. But being a true and ardent supporter of Team India, I had to bring this thing up.

Thanks to cricinfo.com, following are the stats.

Match: India in New Zealand, 2002/03, 2nd Test, December 2002
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/11
Sachin scores: 9
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/8
Sachin scores: 32
Result:
New Zealand won by 4 wickets

Match: New Zealand in India, 2003-04, 1st Test, October 2003
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/107
Sachin scores: 8
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/97
Sachin scores: 7
Result: Match drawn

Match: New Zealand in India, 2003-04, 2nd Test, October 2003
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/208
Sachin scores: 55
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/12
Sachin scores: 1
Result: Match drawn

Match: Australia v India, 2003-04, 1st Test, December 2003
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/62
Sachin scores: 0
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Sachin scores: - DNB
Result: Match drawn

Match: Australia v India, 2003-04, 2nd Test, December 2003
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/81
Sachin scores: 1
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/79
Sachin scores: 37
Result: India won by 4 wickets

Match: Australia v India, 2003-04, 3rd Test, December 2003
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/278
Sachin scores: 0
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/19
Sachin scores: 44
Result: Australia won by 9 wickets

Match: Australia v India, 2003-04, 4th Test, January 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/128
Sachin scores: 241
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/73
Sachin scores: 44
Result: Match drawn

Match: India in Pakistan, 2003/04, 1st Test, April 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/173
Sachin scores: 194
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Result: India won by an innings and 52 runs

Match: India in Pakistan, 2003/04, 2nd Test, April 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/69
Sachin scores: 2
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/15
Sachin scores: 8
Result: Pakistan won by 9 wickets

Match: India in Pakistan, 2003/04, 3rd Test, April 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/129
Sachin scores: 1
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Result: India won by an innings and 131 runs

Match: India v Australia, 2004-05, 3rd Test, October 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/34
Sachin scores: 8
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/9
Sachin scores: 2
Result: Australia won by 342 runs

Match: India v Australia, 2004-05, 4th Test, November 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/11
Sachin scores: 5
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/14
Sachin scores: 55
Result: India won by 13 runs

Match: South Africa in India, 2004-05, 1st Test, November 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/294
Sachin scores: 3
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Sachin scores: DNB
Result: Match Drawn

Match: South Africa in India, 2004-05, 2nd Test, December 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/144
Sachin scores: 20
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/60
Sachin scores: 32*
Result: India won by 8 wickets

Match: India in Bangladesh, 2004-05, 1st Test, December 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/24
Sachin scores: 248
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Sachin scores: DNB
Result: India won by an innings and 140 runs

Match: India in Bangladesh, 2004-05, 2nd Test, December 2004
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/273
Sachin scores: 36
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Sachin scores: DNB
Result: India won by an innings and 83 runs

Match: Pakistan in India, 2004-05, 1st Test, March 2005
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/216
Sachin scores: 94
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Sachin scores: DNB
Result: Match drawn

Match: Pakistan in India, 2004-05, 2nd Test, March 2005
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/156
Sachin scores: 52
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/23
Sachin scores: 52
Result: India won by 195 runs


Match: Pakistan in India, 2004-05, 3rd Test, March 2005
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/172
Sachin scores: 41
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/108
Sachin scores: 16
Result: Pakistan won by 168 runs

Match: Sri Lanka in India, 2005-06, 1st Test, December 2005
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/45
Sachin scores: 22
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: DNB
Sachin scores: DNB
Result: Match Drawn

Match: Sri Lanka in India, 2005-06, 2nd Test, December 2005
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/56
Sachin scores: 109
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/42
Sachin scores: 16
Result: India won by 188 runs

Match: Sri Lanka in India, 2005-06, 3rd Test, December 2005
1st innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/52
Sachin scores: 23
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/9
Sachin scores: 19
Result: India won by 259 runs

Match: India in Pakistan, 2005-06, 1st Test, January 2006
1st innings:
DNB
2nd innings:
DNB
Result: Match Drawn

Match: India in Pakistan, 2005-06, 2nd Test, January 2006
1st innings:
DNB
2nd innings:
DNB
Result: Match Drawn

Match: India in Pakistan, 2005-06, 3rd Test, January 2006
1st innings: Sachin comes in when India are: 2/14
Sachin scores: 23
2nd innings:
Sachin comes in when India are: 2/8
Sachin scores: 26
Result: Pakistan won by 341 runs

Its time to wake up guys …

When you are in goa on a vacation of just 4 days, spending 3+1 hours in watching a Bollywood flick is not really worth. But then again, when the movie is Rang de Basanti, those 3+1 hours become as good as the time spent on the beaches. This statement in itself tells my feelings about this movie. Simply put, RDB is one of the best if not the best patriotic movies I have ever watched.

The whole story is about 5 guys living life the way it comes, not bothered about future, just hanging out all the time; one incident changes their life and they sacrifice their life for the good of the country. So it seems like any normal patriotic movie. Why is this movie so special? The reason why this movie is special is because of just one man. No, I am not talking about Aamir Khan. I am talking about the director of this movie; Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who, I believe, is the real hero of RDB. He was writing script of this movie for around 3 years. And the hard work he has put in has paid off in a big way. Each and every seen of the movie is so well thought out. The scenes where the characters from the history (Bhagat Sing, Azad etc) are interlinked with the life story of the 5 guys is a real master piece. Reheman has given his typical music where in you don’t really like the songs at first time but as u hear them more u start loving them. Also, the way the songs are integrated with the movie is also worth praising. It is worth noting that no character actually sings any song. All songs are kind off background songs and add to the whole feel of the movie. Another plus point of the movie is the way Aamir Khan’s character is handled. When someone of stature of Aamir is in the movie, it can very easily happen that all the focus goes on his character. This has not happened in RDB. Aamir is just one of the 5 guys. Again, the credit for this must go to the director. Speaking abt the performances, all the actors have given a top notch performance. Mr Perfectionist, Aamir Khan, has lived up to his reputation and has given another flawless performance.

But this is not all. While watching the movie I was actually getting the patriotic vibes. I felt like life should be more meaningful than sitting in front of the computer and coding the whole day. This is a huge thing since there are very few movies which have managed to make me think about what I am doing. The feeling you get after coming out of the theater is something which cannot be put into words.

So those who have not seen the movie, please go, watch it, get impressed, THINK and WAKE UP.

Always remember that “Koi Desh perfect nahi hota, hume use perfect banana padta hai”(No country is perfect by itself. We have to make it perfect.)

Jai Hind.

Zinda hu mai ….. I wonder how?

The start was decent, till interval it did grip, after interval I felt like killing myself. This was the experience of watching the movie Zinda. How this movie got a 4* ranking in Sunday Times is a mystery. I don’t think I will write anything more about the story. I don’t want to relive any of those moments. I just wanted to alert you people before you even think of watching this movie.

I must confess that I was expecting entertainment from this movie. After all it was directed by Sanjay Gupta, the legendary director of films like Kaate and Musafir. He is the guy who makes the kind of movies which make u laugh ur pants off .... sorry let me rephrase it ... he is the guy who makes the kind of movies on which u laugh ur pants off. But anyways what matters is u laugh and when u go in a group, these can be real entertainers. Zinda was nothing like that though. It was such a depressing movie with such a gloomy feel to it.

In last few weeks itself I have watched Neal N Nikki, Sikhar, Ek Khladi Ek Hasina, Garam Masala, Dewaane Huve Pagal, BluffMaster and Zinda (There are few more which I don’t remember). Apart from BluffMaster all the rest have been more or less disasters. People might think that I am just a crazy guy who doesn’t know how to spend the money but that would be wrong thing to think. I have changed my strategy of movie watching. Instead of choosing the movies wisely, I have started to choose the theaters wisely. I watched most of these movies either at WestEnd (50 bucks balcony) or at Neelayam(40 bucks balcony). So if you want to do some time pass but don’t want to spend much then this is a good way to do that. Moreover, you always get the tickets. No advance booking, no standing in queue.

Coming back to the movie .... well lets not do that. Let me just stop by saying that watch Zinda if u feel that u r at the lowest point of ur life. After watching the movie u will realize that that point was not so low after all.

Its all about Shoaib ….. Pakraman-2

if(inform == shoaibAkthar)
{
bPakistan = bGetsAdvantage;
}
else
{
_tcscpy(tszIndia,_T(“Series Winners”));
}

People might think that the above made C statement is highly irrational and unthought-of. But I believe that in upcoming indo-pak war, it cannot be truer. I saw the Pak-Eng series and the kind of form Shoaib was in is frightening from India’s perspective. He always was a lethal bowler on paper but the commitment he showed against England has made him a real threat. Facts don’t lie. He bowled more number of overs than he has ever bowled in one series. Credit must go to Bob Woolmer for giving Shoiab’s aggression a perfect direction. I really hope that he returns to his old wayward self in this series or else it will be a hard fought battle for the supposed best batting lineup in world.

In series against England, Kaneria proved to be another star performer. However, I feel that if we tackled Murli with relative ease, Kaneria should not pose a major threat. Others like Rana Naveed and Sami are good bowlers and can be perfect second fiddle to Rawalpindi Express. But I don’t really see these guys winning matches single handedly.

As far as the batting threats are concerned, I feel there are 3 guys we should be really worried about. One is the big man Inzi. In outstanding form as a player and as a captain, he is one of the top 3 batters at this stage in the world. Second is Mohomad Yousuf. He is another class act and if he gets in then the we will not be able to win anything …. draw is what we will have to play for. The 3rd I feel is Salman Butt. His kinds of players have always troubled Indians. Last time it was Yaseer Hamid this time the un-exposing Salman. He is the kind of guy who just plays through line and for some reason we always face trouble to get these people out. On top of it he is a leftie and traditionally we have been poor against the lefties.

To end with, here is a food for thought for India’s batting. Sunil Gavaskar brought this up and I feel this is very sensible. Don’t pick Ganguly. Don’t Pick UV. Pick 3 openers instead. Jaffer, Ghambir and Sehewag will be our top 3 ….. worth a try for the first match at least !