Before we discuss the quarter-finals, mention must be made of the controversy that is sweeping the great country of Bangladesh, a controversy which the Indian media is doing its best to suppress, oppress and depress. During the Bangladesh-England game discussions, Navojyot Singh “Sheedhu” had said that “that both the birds and cockroaches fly but the cockroaches are not birds” and then supposedly he “compared the Bangladesh cricket team with the cockroaches.” [Link to Pakistani website] Now there are two things you do not do in this world unless you have severe masochistic tendencies. One is try to control Uncle Sam’s oil and the other is to diss Bangladesh. No sooner had this happened than a Bangladeshi fan wrote an protest email to ICC (they should have also cc-ed it to the metaphor police), the Bangladeshi news media went to town asking about Sidhu’s credentials (not a spot as they said on world class bowler Abdur Razzak, who is believed to be an all-time great in some parts of the world) and more importantly, Bangladeshi fans came out with very classy non-racist retort videos that would make any person quake in his boots, videos that won universal support among the supporters.
[Update: the video has since been removed by the user]
[As an aside: to the question what did Sidhu do for the Indian team, dear knowledgeable Bangaldeshi fan, Sidhu’s Test and ODI batting average are better than any of the players who are playing for the Bangladeshi team]
Needless to say, faced with this kind of naked aggression, the ICC caved in saying “we deeply regret to this issue”. [Bangla link] and warned Sidhu for being racist and more importantly for ceaselessly abusing the English language (again this news item has at the time of writing been suppressed by the Indian media in the same way they suppress news about Indians streaming across the Bangladesh boundary ceaselessly—-an accusation also made by a few Bangladeshi fans). Of course this has not mollified the great nation as a hate page has been created for Sidhu on FB. India and Sidhu beware. As a Bangla fan says “Last time India got eliminated in first round. This time Bangladesh. So India is as bad as Bangladesh.” QED.
Now coming to the less scary prospect of the quarter finals. India gave Pakistan the greatest gift after the Simla accord by giving them West Indies. Not that I would underestimate the powers of West Indies or for that matter the ability of Pakistan to have a “sponsored implosion” but I still believe that if Pakistan are serious about winning, they could not have found an easier opposition. And most tellingly, they have been spared England, who have been playing like Pakistan of 92, a grenade with the pin taken out.
As for us, we face Australia. Does that possibility scare me? As an Indian fan, it does. But for India to be rightful winner of the World Cup and to lay to rest the ghosts of 2003, they need to beat the Yellow Fever. As simple as that. On the positives, this Australian side is not a spot on the team that handed our asses back to us in 2003. Are we better than the 2003 team? Well….let’s say the jury is out on that one.
For me though the battle would be between Ponting and Sachin. Theirs has been truly one of the greatest batting rivalries of modern times,with Sachin setting a record and Ponting following behind. And come Quarter-final, we will witness these two great gladiators go up against each other, with the world to play for.
Sachin and Ponting are a study in contrast, very different in every respect. Sachin—-humble and modest, level-headed, universally-respected, the man for the high road. Ponting—cock proud, volatile, prone to humping LCD TVs and abusing his own team members, one who if he sees a low road will search for one even lower, the kind who would trip Tiny Tim of “Christmas Carol” and then laugh in his face. Sachin—the tragic hero, forever fated to play in a team populated by talent lesser than him, with not a single World Cup in his chest. Ponting—arrogant in his success, lucky enough to play in the greatest team of modern cricket (and perhaps of all time) with three trophies, two under his leadership.
So who will come ahead? True that Ponting saves his best for the big games and Sachin has often been found wanting on precisely these occasions. But on current form, my bet would be on Sachin. There was a time in the mid 2000s upto to 2007 when Sachin’s form fell away, just about the time Ponting was playing his best cricket. But after that, Sachin, in possibly the truest display of his greatness, has scripted a remarkable comeback so much so that he is currently at the height of his batting powers. Whereas Ponting looks a pale shadow of himself, now more in the news for being a cranky old man prone to bouts of temper. What has led to this falling away in Ponting’s power? Many theories abound but I have always believed (and I have mentioned it before) it was this incident when in an event tellingly called “Run Ricky Run” an Indian kissed him, sucked out his batting force and showed him for the man that he is, a fact that led to a gradual waning of his prowess.
He is a great captain. And our Indian culture is to kiss him. In phoreign, they hug them and kiss them. But bleep he refuses to hug our Indians. That is what I told him. You hug me or get lost.
This and the KKR curse of course.
As an Indian fan, it has been a disappointing month. The chronic brittleness of the middle order and the consistent inability to play the last ten overs without losing seven wickets has been a puzzling development. Something even more puzzling is that we have not once tried to take the powerplay earlier. The problem of accommodating Suresh Raina remains ( I don’t see him making the side based on his performance against the West Indies, and also doubt his efficacy against a Tait or Lee. Not that Yusuf is much better but his bowling gives him an advantage) and I sincerely hope that no one in authority gives any thought to Ian Chappell’s suggestion of dropping Gambhir to accommodate Raina—-against Australia, he is precisely the man we need at one drop. The only silver lining in the cloud is that after Ashwin’s encouraging performance today, there will be no chance of Piyush Chawla making a Agarkarian comeback. Also hopefully Kohli will no longer be sent lower in the order, where it is obvious he cannot play.
And so the India Australia clash beckons. Heroes will be made. So will villains. And two giants, one of whom we love and the other hate (but admire too at a level) will cross swords for the very last time. Here is hoping India wins. If not for anything else but for the joy of seeing a Ponting meltdown. And a smile on Sachin’s face.
I can hardly wait.
The Greatbong Blog & Podcast 
wowsers! First!
First????
It would be incorrect to say that Ponting is “lucky” to be leading such a good team.Its because of our inept,faction-based selection policies that India is not able to produce a talent of the level of Sachin.
Again, Sachin’s is quite a lucky guy in terms of the number of chances he got despite being in poor form for a long time.A tragic hero he is definitely not.
Steve Waugh was sent packing even when he had performed well.
Lovely post. You should be invited by ESPN for post and pre-match discussions. Your predictions (rather calculated guesses)about how many runs India would score and that Windies will implode towards the end, all came true. And you understand and analyse cricket much better than all these jokers who sit there. What’s more, you’ll also be funny!
Sincerely hope India wins QF.
“Again, Sachin’s is quite a lucky guy in terms of the number of chances he got despite being in poor form for a long time”
And Ponting is not lucky to be in the Australian team now? Last year batting average was 27.23 in Tests.
Have you handed the 2011 trophy to AUS already?
Quote: “Ponting—arrogant in his success, lucky enough to play in the greatest team of modern cricket (and perhaps of all time) with four trophies, two under his leadership”
Ponting has only played in 3 World Cup winning teams (and captained 2 of them as you rightly state). He might well star in the fourth one this year, but we need to wait and see 🙂
You are right. My mistake.
23rd March 2003-India vs Australia in world cup 2003 we lost
8 years later we have a match on 24th March 2011.I think we will still loose and the nation will mourn.Aussies will win no matter wat
Great post GB. Loved it.
Sidhu does seem to antagonize Bengali sensibilities rather easily. This can be easily proved by seeing any of the pre,post, mid inning show with Saurav Ganguly :P. Anyway India should find Australia easy pickings in Mortera. Dry States cannot be good for Aussie Spirits!!
Lets bring a few things to prespective
Is sachin the captain of the India cricket team ?
NO.
Ricky has his cricting career on line if he does not win this world cup.He might have to quit the team. Thats is how hard it is for him.
In your own words “2000s upto to 2007 when Sachin’s form fell away” He still lingered on due to public sympathy not ricky, The moment he stops performing as a captain, he looses his postion in the team. Now that is pressure.
Sachin can always fall back to “Aila. the team did not perform well what can I do?”
I support @Martin in his words
“Again, Sachin’s is quite a lucky guy in terms of the number of chances he got despite being in poor form for a long time.A tragic hero he is definitely not.
Steve Waugh was sent packing even when he had performed well.”
@Martin: We’re comparing Sachin with legends like Bradman etc…where d heck Steve Waugh came in compariosn with Sachin.
@Tejaswy: Going by Ricky Ponting’s recent form, leave alone playing 11, he doesn’t need to be in final 15 WC squad even…
3 defeats that too by an innings in Ashes – are you sure you advocating such a loser bloke?
“Sachin—the tragic hero, forever fated to play in a team populated by talent lesser than him, with not a single World Cup in his chest.”
If you have people like Dravid, Kumble & Ganguly play along with you, how is it that he was playing with a team of lesser talents? Add to them Sehwag, Yuvraj & Zaheer. Still you think he is/was playing with a team low on talent?
Tejaswy,
I remember you as the man who kept on saying that Indians deserve to be beaten up in Australia and that they are responsible for their assaults (like morons blaming women for rape). I think your support for Ponting shows the same warped mentality. As GB pointed out, Ponting’s average last year was 27. He was wiped out in the Ashes. Never did Sachin perform as badly over 12 months as Ponting had done. Yet it is Sachin which has stayed on due to public sympathy and Ponting who has stayed on merit?
Which part of your body does your brain grow out of? The same part of Australians that you so like to kiss?
knightTemplar,
I am not sure when you started watching or following cricket. Go get a few videos of Steve Waugh’s innings and start watching them for a beginning.
JII,
May I also on the same vein ask you to get a few videos of Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, McGrath, Hayden, Lee (in his prime), Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Langer, Martin, Bevan et al and watch them play as a “team” before comparing them to the Indian “talent” that Sachin played with? For every Dravid there was a Mongia. For every Dada, there was a Doda. For every Kumble, there was a Nilesh Kulkarni. For every Srinath, there was a Agarkar. Australia never had such talent holes in their team. Everybody maintained a high standard. Some of them even better than the rest. Ponting never had to carry his team in the way SRT or Lara had to.
@JIII: Plz don’t use the googled out ‘intelligent’ stats to prove Steve’s case here. As for stats, they reveal hide many things than they reveal sometimes. It’s better not to box Sachin within the frame confined by stats.
Does it matter when one starts following cricket? If it were so, nobody should comment on Bradman, Sobers as most of those who follow this blog were not even sperm when these legends were in action.
game is on baby
if one of our openers fire like they have then good foundation from kohli and gambhir i bet india will win..
how about dhoni at no.3 for change? he doenst play well in last overs anyway..
knightTemplar,
For an average Indian fan like you, cricket begins and ends with Sachin. I wouldn’t blame you. That is what our media and ‘experts’ feed you. But, I have seen Waugh from the day he played that tied test in Madras. I have read (couldn’t see as every match on the globe not available on TV then) about his great innings of 200 against Ambrose, Walsh & co to signal the end of the West Indian empire and herald the beginning of the Australian empire. He was the top ranked batsman in the world for years. Yes, those were the years when Sachin was also playing. So, don’t parade your ignorance.
@ annoy
I am not too sure on what average are you talking about but I am assuming ODI
http://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=4000002396502&OBJID=4000002685057
Look at 2005.
I am not too sure about the validity of the numbers but if you find any other then please point me towards them.
As for your worth less comments…. Try reading all of my comments carefully, Do some research. Delhi is the most dangerous place for a women in the world. Put that in prespective.
Whats with India and its deep batting line up is what I fail to understand. All out to the Windies too. And on top of that, if the West Indies were a little less stupid, they could easily have trumped India’s pathetic bowling lineup. Australia is a little tattered now is the only consolation we have.
On the other hand, Srilanka, like in every single world Cup has found its foothold and come back right in! God those Srilankans are sure scrappy as hell.
Nice post. And I am with the Bangladeshis on Sindhu. He is a jerk.
GB,
I agree that Ponting was lucky that he played in probably one of the greatest teams of all time. I don’t think his captaincy had anything to do with those wins. It might have taken a ‘great’ leader to NOT win with such a team. On Sachin, your reply sums it up better than the original post.
@knightTemplar Almost missed you there. 😀
That looser bloke is also the most successful captain Aussie’s had. Sure you may say he had Gillispe, Mc Grath and Haydos in his team.But that does not change the facts.
Regarding Ashes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes#Summary_of_results_and_statistics
There is a sword hanging on his neck after loosing two ashes series. He is going through a bad form. Shit happens I guess.
JIII:
Okay, sir, thanks for tickling my ‘average indian’ bone. I reckon you misunderstood your ability to doubt sunlight as your cricket analysis extraordinaire, as these days it’s common to bash Sachin and compare him with any Tom/Peter/Fred [enter-name-here] lesser mortal.
If you rate Steve’s innings against Amborse, Walsh so high – without an iota of doubt, in the same breath, you should have mentioned Sachin’s back to back centuries at Sharjah [against your fav. ‘higher talent’ aussies]. But alas the world (including GB’s blog) is full of hypocrites – for jaundiced eyes, every noy-yellow thing looks yellowish.
And if your last sentence holds any water: I’m not the only one who’s parading ignorance, it’s you who’re leading the march.
To all the fashionable Sachin-bashers ..
Lets compare him wit Ponting on the most important thing of them all: Mental strength . Sachin has ALWAYS been under a lot of pressure from his fans. During his peak loss-of-form time, every tom, dick , harry was shoutin from the top of his piehole that he shld retire. Thats hurtful and demotivatin enuf for anyone. But what did SRT do? He re-discovered himself. Now, look at him. Hes better than SRT of Sharjah 1998.
Now, Ponting. Only aussie captain to have lost Ashes – twice .. once at home 1-3 . Loss of form. And how does he respond? Usual grumpy way. Like a spoilt child.
Sachin aint lucky dudes .. he makes his own luck. And so hes the ‘chosen one’. As for the Q/F … Its Sachin who has higher stakes than Ponting. Indias gonna win it surely.
–
Can’t believe they forget who liberated them just a few years ago. May be that dude should ask his mother about 1971 before making a racist remark about Sikh turbans.
@Tejaswy: Yes, you’re right. However wasn’t that the original debating point: whether player needed to be in team because of the performance in the past or based on the current form? With that yeardstick – Ricky surely doesn’t need to be in the team ragardless of his ‘achievements’ in the past.
Couple of links worth clicking:
http://tcwj.blogspot.com/2010/10/australias-danger.html
http://tcwj.blogspot.com/2011/01/ic-comments.html
Snippet of one of the paras from above posts:
“Like a politician intoxicated by power, Ponting has talked about extending his leadership maybe as far as the 2013 Ashes series. This is unrealistic, as captains have a use-by-date. Their power to inspire wanes as personnel change and new ideas are required. A fresh side requires a younger captain; it needs to be his team.
Also, the future captain needs to be installed at a time that’s right for his career, rather than at the whim of the incumbent”
Read more: http://tcwj.blogspot.com/search?q=ricky+ponting#ixzz1HDLfgQHI
@greatbong
“So who will come ahead? True that Ponting saves his best for the big games and Sachin has often been found wanting on precisely these occasions.”
Hey I don’t think Sachin has done so bad. Isnt it? Sachin hasn’t been found wanting. Its more of hype and those who take refuge in statistics also may find this hard to agree with.
“a protest email” not “an protest email”.
@ Tejaswy
Do you mean “looser” or loser? 🙂
That is: someone who “looses” (whatever that might mean) or someone who loses?
entire comments section seems to have been converted to a battleground … I was expecting to read more on the Sidhu – Bangladesh saga ….
for sure ranks amongst the greatest speeches ever given..right alongside the likes of abe & mlk jr..
“So who will come ahead? True that Ponting saves his best for the big games and Sachin has often been found wanting on precisely these occasions.”
What exactly does this mean? His record in finals is pretty good.
I firmly believe India has not played like a champion.But they have not done bad either.The only worrying aspect is the fielding which if increases by a few notches will significantly influence the macth against a team like australia.A few things that could tip the game in favour of India
* Sehwag or sachin should play atleast till the 25th over nuetralizing any advantage of the new ball that lee & co would take
* dhoni or pathan should stay till the 50th over.The reason for the indian collapse is because the 5th/6th batsman is not scoring.The indian team has been bowled out thrice.So this is really pivotal that india play out the 50 overs against a team like australia
* I do hope a casual approach (strauss nick overlooked ,run out yesterday that was not referred because of unenthusiastic response) is not repeated against australia.You give them an inch and they will devour you
The thing that scares me most is the effect of the match that Australia played against Pakistan .. Had australia played on flat pitches in their leagues and then got a slower one in Motera, it would have been interesting..
But now that they have played 2 matches on slow track(Bangalore and SL), they would come out well prepared.
Except M Hussey, dont think Aussies can handle spin as good as Hayden’s or Gilly wud ..
Come this thursday, I shall say what Captain Russell whispers to Yardley when Lakha arrives in Lagaan
“Knock his Bloody head off” ! Yay!
OMG…..not a word on Dhobi and his aweful captaincy???? seems like fan boys have got u scared!!!
and before u put agarkar in the same class as dinesh mongia or doda or nilesh kulkarni, please check the stats. even a glance wud suggest that agarkar was not as bad as u think….a bit tought, bt please try
one observation regarding the banglasdehi fan video :
it appeared to me that the genius had a ready script on him, which he referred to every now and then while reading out the immortal lines….
a real work of art, i must admit
Awesome reasoning behind the falling power of Ricky Ponting…Do read on here for my views –
http://unusualrant.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/its-fingerlickin-good/
Why r fanboys in an ever-comparative mode ?? Comparing Steve Waugh to Sachin ?? Ponting to Sachin ?? Why??? Is it adding any merit to their cricketing statistics if u win an arguement? Do u truly think u will convert a hardcore Sachin fan into submission, and then he may start worshipping waugh, and vice-versa ?? Each of these cricketers, have reached pinnacles of success and made their way to the record books, earning loads of respect..be it Waugh facing indies’ hostile pace or Sachin taming Aussies at Sharjah. Dont use these historical perspectives as cards to win this game of one-upmanship.
@Saikat
Agree with you. It seemed like he was looking at a piece of paper, every now and then. Btw, whats with the fake American Accent in the video 🙂
Enough cricket already! When do we get to read the Bengal election blog?
Quote: “For every Dada, there was a Doda”
Fell off my chair laughing my @$$ off!
@ carlender
1. We need not dwell on the “we” liberated “them” aspect of the India-Bangladesh relationship for the rest of humanity’s survival time on this planet. What was done in 1971 was a humanitarian effort done in the interest of Bengali speaking people (mostly Muslims), living under Pakistani rule and served us well strategically (or so we thought).
2. Cockroach comparison, I personally think, is offensive. [Utsav: Keep your communal comments out. Thank you]
@ Sri
Good points.
India’s 6/7 batsmen have failed and that has been the main reason for the collapse.
Dhoni needs to stay till the end.
GB –
Only you can come up with such gems like ‘best gift after the Simla accord’, ‘Agarkarian comeback’ and ‘Doda for Dada’.
You are awesome!
@Kumaraganesh: May be this BD fan has illegally migrated to India and is presently working in a Call Center for some US process! That would explain his fake American accent. 🙂
Nobojeet Shing Shidhoo….:D 😀 ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bangaldeshi Beggars are so atrocious… 😀
I am just praying badly that India win against Australia. Pakistan has already showed their power. now its time for the Indians.
Kohli should play at #3, pushing Gamhir to #4. Ashwin should replace Nehra (Zaheer, Munaf, Harbhajan, Ashin).
Luv the bangla guy abusing siddhu… LOL…
when was sachin out of form from mid 2000s to 2007? tennis elbow and back problem is not a subject of form. I may not be the biggest cricket fan, but this is not digestible, despite the good write-up
@ abhilash
Dont pray baldy… Pray well. 🙂
Sidhus bird and cockroach analogy is more suited to the Tendulkar-Ponting debate going on here.
knowing siddhu, he meant this as a metaphor only. and a comment on a team’s performance does not become a comment on the nation.
I think the comment stung because it was so true. you can’t really be called the flying Dutchman after a 58 and 78 on home ground in the space of a couple of weeks, can you?
Did Nobojeet ask the roaches how they felt about the comparison?
Look fwd to seeing the roach version of the outrage video on Youtube.
LOLOL … for every Dada there was a Doda! – that was a great one GB. BTW FIP has resurfaced…and is in national media now. hope you all are reading Agent Viru’s one liners.. superb stuff some..
http://www.fakeiplplayer.com
even if dhoni comes around 40 over mark he will just waste balls till the end and hit couple of sixes in last two overs..lol
sooner he will come into category of dada who doesnt play well but a good leader..but anyway he is not that bad as his wicket keeping abilities have improved recently. nice to see yuvraj performing with bat and ball. great match winner. still not that old fluency with bat..lets hope he will play couple of good innings like he played in T20 world-cup against Aus and England
if dhoni wont change with his powerplay selection, media is gonna bash him real bad
and yeah ashvin is much better choice than nehra/sreesanth/munaf/chawla
what a worldcup from now on! 🙂
I hope we “Oppress, suppress and depress” the Aussies.. 😀
Awesome post GB! As usual! keep writing! 🙂
LOL. whats a “kak”roach. Kak=crow. so non-technically kakroach is a bird.
the sidhu haters should be warned – if they run into sidhu on the street they may succumb due to blows on the head in case the sidhuisms dont get them first.
The video response is funny as hell. Precise reason why we love people who have a tendency to take pretty much anything personally.
GB, there is a contest going on TV for making the most retarded ads related to world cup / cricket like contest for most retarded commentary. Can u trash them for us pliss.
itna sannata kyun hain bhai ……………. yeh cock-roach kya kemar roach ka chhota bhai hain …… yah kisi ne cock ko roach kar diya bhai …………
This year, I was so hoping that we could make it…but now am not at all sure, to say the least..
i am surprised that there are many who do not believe in the capabilities of the indian cricketers. I agree that the Indian team of 7-8 yrs ago had fellows like Agarkar et al. but in 2011 we have a far better team. no doubt about that.
india lost the world cup 2003 because they(read bowlers) screwed themselves up bigtime owing to the pressure of the occasion, but I truly believe that lighting never strikes twice. this time it is india.
india just have to play a normal game and for god’s sake play the full quota of overs (i see it as unprofessionalism not to play full 50 overs). zaheer is bowling fire. i pray for bhajji. india owes a memorable spell form him for a long time.
I don’t genrally throw accusation around but when Sachin looses his cool in the locker room its cool for you, , see link, but when Ricky does that it is an anger management problem.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Tendulkar-lost-his-cool-after-the-batting-harakiri-in-Nagpur/Article1-673128.aspx#
See how nicely it has been mellowed down by the media
“He gave his team mates a piece of his mind. For him it was a sign of ‘who cares’ attitude. He just couldn’t fathom what had they done to need freshening up. He was held up for the shower and had to finish in a hurry and rush for fielding”
LOL @ bangladesi fan video …
btw, Look at these hotties from bangladesh
Are not they super hot, sexy and graceful ?
Those first world NRI’s took away our beauties.. now its our turn to get our share!
Can someone give me Kabir Suman’s contact details for tips.
@SSN: Excellent point. Even Sachin bashers will not argue as to which one is the bird and which one the cock(y)roach
Navojyot Singh “Sheedhu”
Now even the bongs themselves are making fun of the bong accent?! Ghor kalyug.
@ Hades
Bolo “Ghor Kaulo-joog”
Looks like Pakistan team will go into the semi-finals with a psychological advantage.
My gameplan for tomorrow…India wins toss..India choses to chase….throws out Munaf…gets Sreesanth…unleash him on the Aussies…get under their skins(yes we tried that in 2003 but this is a different bowler…different team)…restrict them to less than 300…and let “God” do the rest…
hilarious article, just 1 thing though, that bangladeshi dude in the video is actually saying ‘Naubhojheet Shingh Sheedhu’ and not Navojyot Singh Sheedhu as u have mentioned 😀
My prediction- New Zealand will win the cup, Sheedhu will do an item no in Wankhede, and Dada will do the tango with Bharsha Chogle, Arun Lala will receive the lifetime underachievement award, and elevation-and-distance six-pack LS will take off his shirt in front of a shocked audience!!
Good Luck Sachin!!
Though it’s a team game and we should not focus too much on individual, unfortunately I feel from now on it’s a one-man team for India (ironically it has to end as it was in good part of his career). The only way India can advance any further from here is Desert Storm-II or atleast he has to play out bulk of Lee, Umar Gul, Steyn/ Malinga.
Every time he walks out could be the last we see him in blue India shirt (whether he retires from test as well is left for speculation).. I wish it lasts till Mumbai rather than end in tears in A’bad or Mohali.
Anyway for a generation cricket will never be same!!!
Can Indian bowlers help to revive Ricky’s dying career……
@DIP
Yes they did!!!
you’ve given a good build up GB, this match is turning out to be a tale of two icons.
game is on guys.. i ll prefer to see other batsmen rising to the occasion rather than just depending on SRT
well…game is won. India play Paksitan. Both go in with good nerves.
Have to make sure Gambhir dons the black swan outfit, next time he skates down the track
The prince with a pounch delivered and australlia quivered Bwwaaaahahahahahaha sweet revenge of the 2003 humiliation.
is back as prince of Patiala.
Thats character! Reply with performance when adversities mount
but dhobi must b sacked….aweful captaincy…terrible batting
Aussies are out of the way. Let’s see what we do with our friendly, noble, honest, harmless, non-violent,tolerant, minority loving neighbours on wed. ….. 😉
LOL the bangladeshi guy is funny GB Some more posts like this please
GB, ‘ March 21, 2011 at 5:36 am you list all the doers and no-good uns of Indian cricket in the recent past and then you assert that SRT has had to carry the team!! Isnt that a bit inconsistent with your earlier argument. In any case as a non-enthusiast of cricket perhaps you could enlighten me of the momentous occasiosn when this carriage has led to astounding victory.
Aside from the mild sarcasm about “non-racist retort videos” and some readers’ amusement at Mr.Chowdhury’s fake-American accent and the pronunciation (“Nobojot Sheeng Sheedhu”), is there an important point here that everyone appears to have overlooked?
Indians and Bangladeshis belong to the same race. Ergo, the video is not racist.
But the green-bandanna wearing Mr.Chowdhury’s blatant mocking of Sidhu’s Sikh faith (by stating to the effect that his turban was a nest of cockroaches) is indicative of Religious Hate, not Racial Hate.
Not surprisingly, the turban-phobic Mr.Chowdhury conveniently chose to forget that another turban-wearing Sikh, Lt.Gen.Jagjit Singh Arora, presided over the abject surrender of “Butcher” A.A.K.Niazi (and his 93,000-strong green-bandanna lynch mob) after they had perfected the fine art of collectively pulling down the lungis of millions of East Pakistanis (of Mr.Chowdhury’s parents’ generation) during a whole-scale genocide (3 Million killed; 400,000 women raped; 10 million refugees) that was condoned by US President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
In short, neither the US nor any God cared to help Bangladeshis (oops..East Pakistanis) when their heads were collectively on the chopping block in 1971.
Had it not been for the valour and sacrifices of the “turbans” and other Indians in the 13-day blitzkreig, Mr. Chowdhury and his India-hating ilk would have never been conceived, much less be breathing to utter these shameful obscenities against Indians.