Cricket mania 2007

In the season of world cup if I don write anything about mah favorite sport then that would do grave injustice to my love for the game. World cup 2007 everyone seems so excited about it, they say this could be the most exciting of the world cups played till now. The teams in this world cup are very well matched in terms of overall strength but if you peep inside each camp you can see the difference among them.

Even after getting beaten by poms and kiwis the kangaroo team is still the favorite to lift the cup purely on the fact that it is the only team who has talent, confidence and experience of winning the most coveted trophy. They have a very strong batting lineup with batsmen for all pitches though I must say there bowling isn’t that great a force anymore but still good enough and under the leadership of world cup winning captain they are certain to be a force. Mr cricket Mike hussey should be the man you should look out for.

Closing to the aussies are the South Africans they are a bunch of super confident blokes. There bowing is probably the strongest in terms of experience and form but lack of a good slow bowler might prove costly in the middle overs. There batting lineup though a very long one still does not have expertise in playing slow bowlers on slow pitches. Needless to say they are the best fielding side in this cup. My man from that team is Mark Boucher.

Kiwis are another team who are really high on confidence after beating the aussies. Another team with great fielders. There strength as always are the all rounders. Though going great guns at the moment still I don’t fancy them to be the team to beat.

Jacob Oram is the player to watch out for.

The team which I think could go all the way is Sri Lanka. They are exceptional on slow tracks and with agile fielders in there ranks and bolwers like Murli and Jayasuriya they are a very strong unit when fielding. With the bat also they are very strong in middle and end overs when slow bowlers are operating and if the prediction of slow pitches all the way proves to be correct then even there top order will be handy. Sanagakara is the man with great ability both in front as well as behind the stumps.

Other good teams like Pakistan, West Indies, England all are good but unpredictable teams they might just cause an upset in super eights to change the face of semifinals but on paper a bit weaker.

Well O well my fellow country men will murder me if I don write about the most exciting team of the cup, no prizes for guesses, its our own India, Why I said the most exciting team is because this team is the most experienced team of this tournament and have the fire power to lift the cup. As always the team is studded with some big stars each of which can win a match single handedly. Leading the charge will be Sachin but I think most important players will be Yuvi and Dhoni. They are young and are proven match winners. Dada at the top is a real bonus for us simply because the amount of experience the man posses in pacing an innings is unmatched. Bowling is one department which is always considered as weaker but with in form Zaks and Bhajji things are looking brighter. Fielding is one department where this team is lagging but team India should be able to make up for it on other fronts. I ll be watching all 11 players closely but if I have to pick one , I ll go for the Wall skipper Rahul Dravid, with his captaincy and new role as floating batsmen he is ought to give much needed flexibility to the team.

Minnows or the new entrants should do justice to the there selection and should play good competitive cricket.

To sum up this article I can only say may the best team win, and hope Team India is the best.

P.S: Author has 18 years of cricket watching career.

Mumbai Vs Delhi

After staying for over a year in Mumbai I think I am in a decent position to write about it. the time since I stepped on the lands of Mumbai this topic is always there on my mind and I use to be ready at all times to put a fight for sadi dilli , but as I have stayed longer in Mumbai I have realized that its not all that bad a place. Apart from being metros there are not many similarities between the two cities with Delhi being more materialistic and Mumbai being more glamorized. Delhi live to see all kinds of weathers to there extreme, on the other hand if you like wearing winter outfits, you will die praying for one cold day in Mumbai. Delhi can be laid back at times, be it a match between India and Pakistan or rains (whatever it has to face) whereas Mumbai doesn’t stop for anything or anyone be it rains or a bomb blast in local trains. Life in Delhi has a tinge of coolness to it on the other hand life in Mumbai it’s a struggle a day. In Delhi you can wake up at 8, read newspaper, have a nice breakfast without thinking of any traffic jams or missing 9 o’clock train. Where as in Mumbai it’s so easy to roam around the city even at 12 midnight, this city really never sleeps be it 12 midnight or 4 AM you can find a rick(auto for delhiites) and the best part is auto drivers doesn’t argue over meter reading.
One of the major difficulties for any outsider in Mumbai is traveling in local trains, it’s a struggle everyday, the trains are so packed that you can easily get lost among the perfumes used by fellow commuters.
Food is quite expensive in Mumbai and some how the food also stands in between north and south(just like geography), we get vada and idli and not parathas for breakfast. It seems all the cooks are from Karnataka as the distinctive taste of north Indian food prepared in south Indian style is always present. If I am talking about food how can I forget about ‘BAI’, how beautifully does Mallika Sherawat sums it up in Pyaar ke side effects, ‘bai aadhe time to aati hi nai aur har cheez mei kari patta daalti hai….’ Also I want to add har cheez mei extra raai bhi daalti hai .
Mumbai’s night life is rocking; pubs discos and even chaopati are amazing. I think this is a major point which distinguishes Mumbai from other cities even Delhi does not have such an active night life.
People in Mumbai are very spirited even as I say that each day in Mumbai is a struggle for a Delhiite like me, I must say it’s the spirit of people here that keeps them going.
How can any article written on metros be summed up without mentioning about fashion and GALS…As I have said earlier Delhi is very materialistic so the girls from the national capitol likes to show off with different kinds of make ups and hair styles where as in Mumbai, gals very subtle. Delhi gals are any day more beautiful than there Mumbai counterparts but gals in Mumbai possess great bodies. I think I should end this here before any female gets offended.
All in all both are great cities both have different lifestyles.

Some staggering facts and figures.

Mumbai's population density is 28,834/KM sq. where as its total area is 437.77 KM sq
Delhi's population density is 9294/ KM sq where as its total area is 1483 KM sq.


P.S: Author is a hardcore Delhiite.