I was there!!!

“How will we reach Nagpur, watch the match? Where will we stay?”

“Oh! Its no problem at all!

Catch Geetanjali, Reach Nagpur @ 8 am in the morning, take bath in the restroom, do your stuff, reach the stadium by 11, watch the match, catch the 1.35am train, reach NITRkl in time to enjoy the Sunday feast!”

Child’s play, isn’t it??

On reaching the station, we found out that Geetanjali has been delayed by 2hrs. Its ok. No need to panic.

By 9.30, thunder had struck. Geetanjali had been cancelled!!! There was another train at 10.30- the Howrah-Mail but what If it also gets cancelled?

Abhinandan Rout comes up with a priceless idea,” we will borrow bikes and go to Nagpur!!!! ”

“who’ll give us bike to go to Nagpur??

And he comes up with another priceless thought “ we’ll tell that we are going to sector 2!!!”

But we dropped that idea after checking out its feasibility. Going back in case of another train cancellation wasn’t an option because of the insults of friends associated with it. May be stay hidden was better.

Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice and so the howrah mail arrived. Pranav showed his spierman-esqued skills to get on the running train and managed to get the general door open. We somehow adjusted our asses on the steps of the compartment door. Pranav came up with some stories about how people die or lose their legs sitting there. Since I didn’t want to die a virgin, I left the daredevil seat and occupied a safer one. We somehow half slept and half woken managed to pass the night in midst of severe smell of chicken (the live and running ones, not the cooked delicious ones!!)

On reaching Nagpur @ 10.30am, my and Pranav’s eye scanned for hot girls while the same organs of Nandan sir and sunil searched for toilet!!! The battle of search was won by the team of Sunil and Nandan! Their victory meant some priceless moments of us getting spent standing outside the toilet waiting for them to come out of their comfort zone!!

By 11.15am we were out of the station and looking for conveyance to the stadium. We took the first one that we found even without negotiating the fare. And what a thrilling ride it was! The auto hardly ever crossed 20kmph barrier with stopping 2 times on flyovers. With the other vehicles zooming past us we were left to ponder about whether we will miss the 1^st innings!!

But somehow we reached the stadium in time. Most fans were dressed in Indian jerseys. I and pranav also got excited.

Pranav- ”we should get jerseys too”

Me -“sure! I am feeling naked!”

Pranav-“ whats the cost?”

Shopkeeper -“ 900rs!!!”

Me-“ lets get our face painted @ 20rs!!!!”

I and sunil got our face painted with the flag with Pranav deciding to keep his good looks unaltered.

When we were heading towards the entrance, I saw a pretty face that seemed familiar. It was Utkarsha. Manisha (guys both are my school mates) was also there and their college friends (and their very hot friend!). I don’t remember any of their name (and sadly her too!) as they were being introduced I was lost in my thoughts “ oops! My shirt is dirty. My jeans is too low. my cap is dirty. Should I remove my cap?”. I tried to gather myself before utkarsha asked for a pic with the group. And once again my thoughts were “ really, I should remove my cap! Should I give a smile or a serious look while posing?”

Finally we bid adieu with me feeling “that was lame!!!”

Thanks to the VCA’s excellent management, it hardly took time to enter well before time. We watched our idols practice and warm up. The atmosphere became electric once MSD decided to bat. (I am not going to include the match report here.) I had an orgasmic feeling with watching The God’s 99^th international century. I can now tell my grandchildren that I watched the God live!

I was there when Sachin scored a chanceless and classiest century. My heart beat with 40000 other cricket fans. My heart skipped a beat with every spectator with every falling Indian wicket. I was there when team India collapsed. I was there in the noise deafening cheer to each Indian boundary and roof shattering roar of each South African wicket (though I missed the rhythmic hooting of our common room). I also felt sunk with the lost like all other Indian fans. I was there. I was there sharing the roof with hundreds of hot chicks in the stadium!

While returning, we travelled without ticket and the irony is there were only 8 passengers! When you take the ticket, you travel in a crowded compartment and when travelling illegally without ticket you get an empty compartment!!! Our return journey was comfortable and we reached in time to catch the Sunday feast!!

But alas once again I LOST MY CELL PHONE!

The Joker vs Nadal

Who said that it wasn't a dream final because Fedrer wasn't in it?
Who said that it wouldn't be worth to watch?
Who said that both Nadal and Djokovic suck?
All of them should suck it and keep sucking it (don't feel offended, I am just quoting Maradona's statement at a press conference)!!!
True it wasn't between the two top seeded players of the tournament but it was between the two top ranked players in the world ( Our "dear" Fedrer has slipped to rank 3 now). It was a match between two players who wanted only one thing- The Championship. It was between two humble human beings who were ready to die for each point played!
The first set went to Nadal in a fashion that is expected from a Nadal match. The opponent being nervous and Nadal pounding on each of his nervous heart beats like a predator. It was the similar story of the opponent commiting unforced errors at Nadal's will. The opponent showing frustation at every mistake and Nadal's awe. But even in that set Nadal was broken, a feat acheived only twice in the whole tournament till then.
The second set was played somewhere in heaven. Djokovic was hitting the ball fiercer, running after each ball harder and making Nadal commit unforced errors. Nadal even committed a double fault. Djokovic was covering more ground and Nadal was frustated. Nadal even punched his racket in frustation, a scene hardly associated with the calm, composed and confident Nadal. Winners and aces flew from Djokovic's racket, Nadal was broke and the score was 3-1 in favor of Djokovic. Nadal had committed 11 unforced errors compared to 2 of Djokovic's, a number that Nadal commits in the whole match in an ordinary day.
But Nadal is made of sterner stuff. He took his game to a new level. He hit the ball with more fury, played at the meanest of angles. Djokovic resisted. He answered each ball of fury of Nadal with similar intensity. Nadal's each double handed backhand was returned with his brand of double handed backhands. He forced Nadal out of his comfort zone of the baseline to play at the nets. The players went as deep in the baseline as they could to pound the ball as hard as they could. The ball and racket cried for mercy and the match looked like a Nike commercial. But Nadal prevailed. He dished out winners at will and Djokovic's frustation made him commit errors. Both players showed tremendous court coverage. But till even mother God wanted a break to take a breath Nadal had clawed back in heroic fashion leveling at 4-4 and Djokovic serving at 30 all!
But the break broke Rafa's momentum and the Serbian held his nerve to deservingly take the set 7-5.
The third set was no different from the second. The way Djokovic was hitting the ball, running around, chasing balls, it looked Rafa was playing against his mirror image. But Rafa also notched up his game. Towards the end the Serbian looked getting weary after matching Nadal for so long. Nadal took the set 6-4.
In the last set, as Djokovic got tired, Nadal accelerated and it was Game,Set, Match, Championship, Career Slam for him. The expressions of Djokovic in the last game told the story about Nadal's reservoir of energy.
But Djokovic fought, saved 19 of 25 break points and showed his spirit.
Novak stretched,stretched and overstretched Nadal. Noone else could have done that to Nadal like him.
Nadal might have found his nemesis.
The Dark Knight won the Championship but the Joker was the entertainer!!

Pakistan Cricket = Match Fixing Incidents ???

Disclaimer: I am sorry if i have hurt any Pakistani supporters feelings.

"Hey dude! Pakistan won the match!!"

"Huh! Probably the match was fixed!!"

This is the most general view of the Indian public. We associate probably all the victories of our "dear" neighbours!! Is it our hatred towards them or their close relationship with the word "Controversy", I am not sure. Well I too belong in the class of such thoughts and always love to see Pakistan loose (except when a loss could mean a world record victory streak of Australia)!!

Recent allegations against them further dents their reputation. A talented bunch of cricketers ,who excite the world with their sheer in-born talent are suddenly overshadowed by the ghost of Match fixing. All the credentials of a Mohammed Amer, Asif, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz are forgotten and they are seen as a bunch of guys who sold themselves. The incredible story of Zulqarnain Haider is suddenly forgotten amidst speculations and accusations. A great test series is suddenly forgotten.

Shahid Afridi couldn't have chosen a better time to retire as it saves him a number of uncomfortable press conferences. The new skipper ,Salman But, comes in and finds himself in the centre of all the debacle alongwith Amer and Asif whom ability to swing and seam the red cherry like a banana amazed spectators throughout the summer. The sting operation video ,operated by a British Tabloid, probably had more hits than the supposed money made by the players.

Pakistan's new found ability of getting bundled out 100 almost every time they batted in the test series against England seiously was sowing doubts in minds of the spectators and supportes (not mentioning their butter fingers which supposedly have become their speciality in the field!!). After the video was aired, not only Pakistan but also their opposition's reputation took blow.

Was Stuart Broad really good enough to outscore the entire Pakistan team in both innings?

Was it really Anderson or Pakistani batsmen themselves who made the pitch look like it had demons in it?

Was Pakistan's win over the Aussies really hard won or Australian palyers wanted to make some extra bucks?

Was Randiv's no-ball had some bigger reasons than denying Sehwag a ton?

Such questions will keep coming in cricket lovers mind. Australian cricketers had to come into press to state that they were clean.

The Cricket has taken a severe blow in the time of identity crisis for cricket itself. How can one take interest in watching a match whose result is probably decided and when one feels that he is just watching a recording of the match?

Is BCCI also somehow responsible for this incident because if they had allowed the Pak players to participate in the IPL, they too would have carried fat paycheques back home and probably wouldn't have required to make some extra bucks by falling through such lows?

Pakistan will keep on producing raw talents but such incidents will always be a spot on Pakistani Cricket, a question mark would be there on each individual after every every good or bad show. The ball of magic of new Pakistani quickie will raise doubts whether it was his mesmerising talent or some extra cash paid to the batter to make him look such. The huge six was the poof of the talent of the new mavrick of Pakistan or was it a bookie's gift through the bowler.

Its not only sad for Pakistan but all Cricket lovers.

Shame all the Culprits.