ASHES UPDATE

DELICATELY BALANCED

The fifth test is interestingly poised with the Aussies bowled out for 367, six runs short of the English total. Flintoff bowled like a man possessed, with Hoggard giving him tremendous support. Between them, the two shared nine wickets.

The umpires offered light to the Aussies but the offer was declined. The tourists decided to bat in the gloomy and near dark conditions to put the pressure on the English. Probably, they were trying to make up for their rather unwise decision on the second day when the light was much better.

Now it has become a rather difficult issue for the English to bat under such conditions for a second time. McGrath would be relishing the prospect of having the ball and make the best of the conditions. I would be surprised if the English would decline the offer to stay in their dressing room. Now it is just a question of one innings for each team to clinch the issue.

Speaking about McGrath, he joined Shane Warne in tallying up 32 ducks in test matches.

US OPEN

The big one-the final of the US Open is to be contested between Andre Agassi and the defending champion Roger Federer. In the semifinals, Agassi had to fight off a determined challenge from Robby Ginepri. For a second match in a row, Agassi had to go all the distance over five-sets. On the other hand, Federer got home in just four sets. Of course, it was not a cakewalk for the world number one, with Hewitt offering a good challenge, though not consistently enough. It was more tight than what many expected.

Kim Clijsters won the womens' crown by brushing aside Mary Pierce. There was no need for any injury break this time round for the Frenchwoman. The Belgian was in command right from the start to take home her first Grand Slam title.

Few would bet against Federer in not extending his hold over the trophy for another year. But Agassi remains the sentimental favourite and also the crowd favourite. A great match is in prospect with both men expected to raise the level of their game. Will it be a repeat of the Australian Open where Federer simply blew away Agassi off the court or will the American just do it for a last time.

ASHES UPDATE

DAY THREE-FIFTH TEST-RAIN AND AUSSIES SHINE

The third day went much in the same way as the second day with rain playing the spoilsport. In whatever play that was possible, the Aussies finally looked like finding some of their class. Langer scored a typically gritty century not before getting another blow on the elbow from a Harmison delivery. It is not a bad occasion to register his 22nd century and also in the process overtake Don Bradman as far as overall career test runs are concerned. Hayden finally made a score of some substance but he played very cautiously. Pressure has a strange effect even on the best.

Ponting was expected to make a big score but Flintoff removed the Aussie captain on an otherwise pedestrian day for the English bowlers. The English simply ran out of ideas and the rain actually helped their cause. There was also one instance where Damien Martyn nicked a delivery into the hands of the English keeper Gerraint Jones but there was no appeal of conviction. The umpire disallowed even as the replays told otherwise. Nasser Hussain in the commentary box recalled the Melbourne test where the then keeper James Foster did not appeal for a knick from the bat of Steve Waugh.

The Aussies have to score their runs quickly and take a lead of 150 runs and then put pressure on the English. The English would be happy to let the weather gods bless them with more rain.

US OPEN

The last Grand Slam of 2005 has thrown in some surprises. Few expected Andre Agassi to reach the semi-finals. The Las Vegan missed Wimbledon due to injury and suffered an early knockout in the French Open. The comeback in the match against James Blake was simply terrific. The same goes for his semifinal opponent Robby Ginepri who took the hard path to reach the last four after going through five-setters. But, I give Agassi the edge to reach the finals on account of his experience and the fact that Ginepri might be in awe of his opponent. Make no mistake, Ginepri is not one to take a backward step in a slugfest as was the case in his match against Coria.

The other semifinal is very nicely poised with Hewitt and Federer battling it out once again. The big question is whether the Aussie can reverse his fortunes in the face of the Swiss onslaught. Federer looked highly efficient and his best in disposing off David Nalbandian.

In the womens' side, Mary Pierce took out Dementieva to reach the finals. The Russian seemed to have the match in her pocket until Pierce took an injury break. This changed the course of the match giving victory to the Frenchwoman. The long injury break prompted the Russian to question the tactics of her opponent. It is not outside the laws of the game to avail an injury break, but it should not be used as a strategy. For long, this has been the subject of debate. (Cricket fans all over the world can take their thoughts to the outburst of Ponting after being runout by a substitute fielder in the test match at Nottingham.)

The Belgian Kim Clijsters could stave off the challenge of Sharapova over a three set affair. The finals can reach a high with both Clijsters and Pierce hungry for the ultimate glory. The Belgian is looking for her first ever major while Pierce wants the same- after a while.

I am going for Andre Agassi to go all the way even in the face of the claim from Federer. That is the best this 35 year old can do for another 35 year old.

ASHES UPDATE

DAY ONE FIFTH TEST

At the end of the first day of the much awaited fifth test at the Oval, the honours were shared between the two teams. England promised much, especially the stand between Strauss and Flintoff. The all-rounder from Lancashire looked good for a hundred, a potentially series deciding one but McGrath had the last say.

Strauss made another hundred, the seventh of his short test career of 19 matches. He does not possess the elegance or the grace of left-handers such as David Gower but he is effective. The substance makes up more than the style. He looked good to bat the rest of the day until one Warne came up with the solution.

Warne continues to amaze with his stupendous display in an otherwise mediocre display by the tourists. He bowled Pietersen who appeared clueless. Australia have managed to keep themselves in the match and the series by taking seven English wickets.

AGAIN?

Again it is that time when everyone says that India could not do it in a final. Team India is labeled a 'choker' for the lack of success on the big day.

I feel much fuss is made out of the fact that India loses in the finals. The team members and the captain take refuge in the excuse that they have after all reached the finals. Of the 19 or 16 finals that India played in, there is only one victory. But in all this statistics, one thing is cleverly and conveniently ignored. In the two most recent cases, the third team involved in the competition was too weak, making India a certainty in the finals. Of course, there were some anxious moments given by the West Indies and Zimbabwe. It was not a cakewalk to the finals for India. So no big deal in reaching the finals.

The media and the fans expect much from the team without taking the reality into account. The performance in the one-dayers in Zimbabwe was inconsistent and patchy to say the least. Ganguly struggled with the bat and now stronger questions are going to be asked about his place in the team. Dravid was one who was a big factor in the tremendous showing in the one-dayers upto the World Cup of 2003. Now in Zimababwe, he simply could not put his bat to the ball. He was out to spinners, a rare occurrence.

The bowlers were the biggest disappointment in the finals with Nehra and Pathan caned to all parts of the park. Harbhajan makes a mockery of the confidence the captain has in him.

All this brings one thing to the mind, “the sum of the parts may not be equal to the whole”.

ASHES UPDATE

CRUNCH TIME

The time for talk and speculation is over. The battle lines are drawn and the soldiers are ready. Now it is just a question of who is going to blink first. So far no quarter has been asked or given. I am talking about the fifth test of the ongoing Ashes. Never in the last decade and half, the last match held the key. Theoretically, England seem to have the advantage with just a draw needed to get back the famous urn or at least the replica.

The pressure is on both sides. The English have the burden of the whole nation with the Trafalgar Square booked and double-decker bus rides on the cards. There is also a talk of some the cricketers being included in the Queen's new year honours list. Australia are under enormous pressure to retain the Ashes. Ponting does not want to be the Australian captain after Allan Border to lose the Ashes. It is as much required for Ponting the batsman as well as the captain to win the Oval test.

That is where I feel Australia can go in for the kill. Most of the players are certain to play their last match on the English soil and that would definitely be the incentive to put up a great show. England have to soak in all the pressure and put in the finishing touches to a great summer.

The injury to Simon Jones might not prove as important a setback as was the absence of McGrath in two test matches to the Aussies. The time is right for Flintoff to put in another performance that would place him alongside legends like Ian Botham. Vaughan has to prove that his team is capable of winning against the big teams and not gloat over the wins over teams like Bangladesh.

Let the better team win.

IN DEFENCE OF CRICKET

“Cricket is one of the most depressing topics for Indians today”.-Smriti Irani.

Now who is this lady? She is a television actress and a politician belonging to 'the party with a difference'-BJP. For the uninitiated, she has been one the by-products of the Saas-Bahu(mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law) daily soap operas that are currently dominating the mainstream 'entertainment' channels in India.

What is the standing of this person? She was chosen by a party to contest the last Parliamentary elections because she was a woman and also because her husband belongs to a minority community. More importantly, the party wanted to cash in on her television popularity. Luckily, she was defeated heavily. Make no mistake, the Indian voter has the knack of sending actors to the highest offices in the country. Taking her role as a politician seriously, she made some comments on one of the Chief Ministers of her party. Faced with trouble, she retracted in the same fashion as any other politician or actor. Her stint so far in politics has coincided with a slide in her fortunes as an actress.

It is people like her who give cricket a bad name. I agree that the Indian team is not doing well. But that does not give anyone the right to talk derisively about cricket. People who have no liking for sports and games consider them a waste of time and money. That is typical of the Indian society.

US OPEN

It is after a while that I am writing on something other than cricket. The reason is the huge time difference between my part of the world and New York where the final grand slam of the year is staged. Part of the disinterest also seems to be due to the absence of Vijay Amritraj and company as the telecast is provided not by EspnStar but by Tensports.

For the Indians, this year has been a special one with the splendid show put up by Sania Mirza. Her next opponent is Sharapova but that has not in any way reduced the interest. No one predicted Sania to come this far and now she has nothing to lose. Go Sania go. At the beginning of the year, she stated her aim to break into the top 50 and now she has done that. Of course, staying there is the difficult part. One has to run faster to stay there.

Most of the favourites have progressed with the exception of Roddick. That came as a surprise with the American expected to do well on the artificial surface that favours big servers and power hitters. Speaking about big serves, the match between Agassi and Karlovic was a master class by the Las Vegan. Age has not diminished the ability to return. It was something that Agassi used to good effect while dealing with the likes of Becker and Ivanisevic. Of course, Karlovic is not to be bracketed with the German and the Croat though.

Federer and Hewitt are on course to renew their duel while Nadal cannot be discounted. In the womens' section, the ouster of the defending champion Kuznetsova in the first round was not more than a statistical entry. The Russian has done very little since winning in New York last year.

The Indian interest continues with Paes and Bhupathi in the doubles. Paes has stuck to one partner-Martina Navratilova while Bhupathi seems to have perfected the habit of doing well with any partner, with Hantchukova this time round.

SPORTING SPIRIT?

The fourth test has gone in favour of England and for the first time in more than a decade and half the English are not going to lose the series, although the Ashes may not come their way. The unexpected revival of English cricket has coincided remarkably with the slide of the Aussies.

Ponting was not at all justified in his outbursts after he was run out by a substitute fieldsman. Now Glenn McGrath has added his thoughts to the issue. McGrath voiced in a radio interview that the fielding of substitutes by England was not in the 'sporting spirit'. Now, very few cricket watchers are unaware of the unsportsmanlike conduct of McGrath and many of his teammates.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and McGrath were involved in a verbal scrap in the historic run chase of the West Indies after the Aussie hurled some verbals at the West Indian. No one can forget the outburst of Michael Slater at Mumbai on the Aussie tour of 2001. Steve Waugh was quite renowned for his verbals. So what is the sporting spirit that McGrath is cribbing about?

When the Aussies are winning, the incidents are labelled 'mental disintegration' and their supporters call it 'playing the game the hard way'. But when the Aussies are at the receiving end, they are whining. Grow up, Glenn it is like the pot calling the kettle black.

ASHES UPDATE

The fourth test at Trentbridge went the way of England who managed to cross the finishing line despite the efforts of Warne and Lee. From the start, the Aussies were on the backfoot with no McGrath in the line-up after picking up an elbow injury. At last, Gillespie was put on the bench and Shaun Tait was given his first cap.

In many ways, the dismissal of Tait in the Aussie second innings typified the state of mind of the tourists. That was the last ball of the over and all of a sudden Tait goes to the wide of the off stump and tries to connect. The Harmison delivery is right on target and the Aussie innings are over leaving England plenty of time to score 129 runs. Michael Holding remarked that the batsman might have been stung by something. I am not saying that Tait would have scored runs or that Lee would have made a century. What I want to press here is the total lack of application from the batsmen. Of course, the English bowlers have been relentless and superb.

The outburst of Ponting over the use of a substitute fieldsman in place of the injured Simon Jones was unwarranted. Would the Aussie captain have complained if the run out did not took place ?

The summer is not quite turned out the way for the Aussies but one gentleman named Shane Warne who was in the news for all the wrong reasons before the tests can hold his high. He not only took wickets but also scored runs when people like Hayden, Martyn and Gilchrist found it extremely difficult to score.

The summer is turning out to be a fairy tale for Andrew Flintoff who seems to do everything right at the moment. A few other Englishmen like Trescothick have redeemed themselves after poor shows against the Aussies in the past.

The English, however, need to win the fifth test to recapture the Ashes after a long interval. The Aussies also need a win to level the series and retain the Ashes. It is the fear of losing the Ashes that may force the Aussies to come up with something special.

IS THE AUSSIE MODEL RELEVANT?

As a student of Economics, I had to go through several models of economic development. Each model has its merits and demerits. There is no one universal model that fits all countries. Each country has to follow a development strategy based on its strengths and weaknesses.

Here my intention is not to talk about Economics; it is about cricket. Ever since Australia began to dominate world cricket, everyone is fascinated and enamoured by the cricketing strategy followed down under. Sri Lanka started the trend by getting the services of Dav Whatmore who is now the coach Of Bangladesh. Whatmore's tenure was marked by Sri Lanka triumphing in the 1996 edition of the World Cup. Since then the island nation has always relied on the talents of the Aussies and at present Tom Moody is in charge. India for the first time engaged a full time coach in the form of John Wright who comes from a country that is situated very near to Australia. Now India have, after a lot of hype and heartburn, entrusted the job to an Australian proper, Greg Chappell. Even the West Indies have an Australian to revive their sagging fortunes in international cricket.

It is not just the coach who comes from Australia, the support staff in the form of physios, the psychiatrists, and also the consultants all belong to Australia. Surely, this is one form of BPO that is rarely noticed.

Things went to such an extent that countries with diverse cricketing cultures as England and Inda jumped into the bandwagon to start Cricket academies modelled after the original one at Adelaide. Rod Marsh, the Australian is put in charge of the academy in England.

In India the craze for anything foreign is well known and well documented. An Indian author comes of age only when honoured with a foreign award or offered a hefty advance by an international publisher. Not that I am not in favour of having Greg Chappell as the Indian coach. What I am against is the belief that the Australians can do wonders with our teams. If that is the case, then why are John Buchanan and company are unable to come up with any answers on the present tour to England.

The post is in response to the interview given by Bob Simpson( a 'super coach' from Australia to cricinfo.com.(August 24,2005) .On being asked about the change in cricket culture since his days, he repied ”Even the Pura Cup players will play on until they are 38 years old. There are problems there because you need youngsters coming through. It used to be said in New South Wales that if you did not make the side by 20 you would never make it. But the old guys are holding on longer and the average of players going into the NSW team at the moment is about 26. That is a huge difference. If you look at the cricketers who are just below the test level, most of them are 30. If young players are playing beneath their level they may not develop the skills to go to the next stage.” Of course, like any other Australian he replied in the negative when asked about the older players in the present Australian team.

Even if Simpson does not admit it, the fact is that most of the present members of the Australian squad are just too old and the bench strength is also not consisting of talented youngsters. So everything connected with the Australian cricket system is not fit to be copied. Even innovations of today become obsolete by tomorrow.

NORMAL SERVICE

Normal service has resumed with the wins for Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. Woods has not appeared as dominant as in the past but a win is what matters the most. But when it comes to Federer, the aura of invincibility gets to become stronger with each win. The Swiss had a tough time against Ginepri in the semifinals while Roddick put out Hewitt in the other semifinals. So the final promised to be a great one.

As was the case in the last two Wimbledon finals, Federer appeared too strong for Roddick. The American just could not take his game to a higher level as Federer simply shfited gears at will. What I have observed is that Federer is motivated at the prospect of facing people like Roddick, Hewitt and Agassi. Roddick, on the other hand, simply loses his momentum at the sight of Federer across the net.

Kim Clijsters won over her countrywoman Henin-Hardenne after quite a while. It is always surprising why she is not able to repeat these performances at any of the majors.

AFRO-ASIA CUP-ZAHEER K(H)AN

The decider of the Afro-Asia cup was disrupted by rain and the teams shared the trophy. The team from Asia managed to level the scores in the second match after being pipped to the post in the first. In all the three matches, there was one player who was consistently good-Zaheer Khan. There were yorkers which one rarely saw after the heady stuff in the ICC Champions Trophy at Nairobi where he uprooted the stumps of the great Steve Waugh. He bowled with purpose and deservedly was named the Man of the Series.

Waqar Younis expressed displeasure over the omission of Khan from the Indian team that tours Zimbabwe. The left-armer might have bowled badly in the Indian Oil cup in Sri Lanka but his performance in South Africa deserves the credit.

Consistency has never been the forte of Zaheer although no one can question his ability. His temperament has always been suspect especially after the caning at the hands of Ponting and company in the finals of the 2003 World Cup. So this performance came as a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.

Was Khan merely reminding the selectors of their folly?I am of the view that with the pressure of playing for the country gone, Zaheer was unburdened. The public anger over a failure can be very high in India. It is not easy soak all the pressure and deliver.

ASHES UPDATE:TRULY WORRIED

The Aussies are really under the hammer with a defeat and a hard fought draw. For the first time in a better part of a decade the Aussies have had to admit the superiority of their rivals. Their tactic of 'mental disintegration' does not seem to have, at the moment, any impact on the English.

The Aussies have admitted their problems in so far the swing bowling of Harmison and company. They also have admitted the lack of pace of their bowlers with the exception of Brett Lee. Even Warne was rendered ineffective the second time the English batted in the third test.

The West Indies teams of the 1980s were thought to be invincible, but now the Caribbean teams are one of the weakest. The same applies to the Aussies as well. Most of the players who have been the architect of many a victory in the past are on the last legs of their careers. The new talent has not been coming up despite all the talk of having an academy. Further, it does not make much sense to blood players when they are approaching thirty. In the recent times, Ponting and Michael Clarke have the distinction of breaking into the side at a young age. A certain Shane Warne also came into the side at a young age before being sidelined.

The next two test matches are going to decide not just the future of some key players but also the future of cricket. No longer the rest of the cricketing world needs to be afraid of the Aussies. The victories of the Aussie teams have been the result of the superior talent and also the way in which their opponents accepted defeat even before the fight.

In this context, the comments from Buchanan about the flaws in the English team seems to be in a bad taste.

HOTELS AND THE INDIAN CRICKETER

There is nothing wrong for the cricketers to make money out of their popularity. It is also not wrong for them to plan for the future once they quit the game. But now-a-days many Indian cricketers are busy making retirement plans. Is this the way of the cricketers expressing their insecurity in the wake of their non-performances.

I am talking about the restaurant of Sehwag which comes in the aftermath of a similar venture of Zaheer Khan. Of course, Tendulkar was the trend setter and Ganguly responded with his own eatery in Kolkata. Now where does it leave the other members of the Indian squad? Rahul Dravid is not expected to set up a hotel while the oldest member of the team, Kumble is also involved in other business. Harbhajan and Yuvraj might be tempted to offer Punjabi dishes while Dhoni might be successful in having a bar to offer milk and milk products.

The timing of the Sehwag venture was very curious unlike his timing on the cricket pitch these days. For a moment the media overlooked the failure and took us to the hotel. Surely, the cricketers know how to make the media play into their hands! It is time the glamour boys of Indian sport concentrate on the game.

AFRO-ASIA CUP:KAPIL DA JAWAB NAHIN

The first match of the Afro-Asia Cup is over with the Africans winning a low scoring encounter-a rarity in one-dayers now. The match once again exposed the frailities of the teams from Asia when facing the seaming and bouncing ball. That is not the reason for this post.

The telecast of the match was on Zee Sports which lost out in the bid to secure the rights from BCCI. The television presentation was led by a lady-a standard offering since the heady days of the 2003 World Cup where Mandira Bedi flummoxed people like Tony Greig and Barry Richards with her lack of knowledge on cricket. The same story here. The presenters also were able to change their apparels in between the two innings. This is again not the reason for this post.

The presenters had the company of Kapil Dev and Waqar Younis. The presenters were firing one dumb question after another. Pity that two greats were subject to such torture. All this in the name of demystifying cricket and taking the game closer to the people. Waqar Younis was asked about his entry into the Pakistan team. Wagar told the story about how Imran asked him to join the team to Sharjah after a few bowls at the nets. Then Kapil was asked about the kind of selection policy in India. Kapil responded by stating that a different policy is followed by India. The presenters were insisting to know why a selection like Waqar's does not ever take place in India. There have been many instances in the past when youngsters with no first-class experience fast tracked into the Pakistan team-most such instances took place when Imran was the captain. I wondered about the likely reply from Kapil. The great all-rounder did not bat an eyelid and replied that it was possible in Pakistan because the country has dictatorship. In India a different selection policy is followed on account of democracy.

Does this mean that Kapil as captain was not able to have players of his choice while Imran enjoyed the ultimate authority as captain. Such an observation left me totally bewildered. Is it a six or a an outswinger?Well said Sir.

DOPE STORY

The doping episode of Neelam J Singh has panned out along familiar lines. Firstly, the athlete was caught when she didn't need it for the competition. She put up a dismal performance at Helsinki. Secondly, she pleaded her innocence as soon as she landed in India. It was typical of any sportsperson found caught cheating.

In the last couple of years, there has been a spurt in the number of Indian athletes caught with some illegal substances in their bodies. This is not to say that doping is a new problem. This has existed in some form. Even at the junior level, the athletes are given 'tablets' to improve their performance. They are not caught because of the lack of adequate and honest testing procedures.

Always athletes who do well in international competitions fade away after coming back to the country. Most of the recent national record holders have been found guilty of cheating. The recourse to drugs is the personal gain from a medal or a record and the lack of any punishment. Take the case of Sunita Rani who had her Asian Games medal taken away after the involvement in doping at Busan. She got her medal back on technical grounds. The people in charge of running the show in India such as Suresh Kalmadi proclaimed it as a national victory. Now where is the said athlete? She was in the wilderness for quite a while before participating once again. Her performance was well below her personal best.

There is doping in Indian athletics and one cannot deny it. It will not go away until we have people like Kalmadi at the helm. Any one found guilty should be punished.

ASHES UPDATE-THE BEAUTY OF TEST CRICKET

There was a great joy in the Australian camp as Brett Lee successfully negotiated the last ball of the match from Steve Harmison. It was as if Australia won the match. Australia had just managed to live another day. How the mighty have fallen! The same people were calling the series one-sided even before it commenced.

The innings from Ponting was truly great for himself and his team. Before the last day of the match, many started to question the ability of Ponting to lead the team. There were few suggestions that Warne could have made a better captain. That is something that will always hurt the champion leg spinner. But to his credit, Warne has never let such disappointments get the better of him. He always gives his best as is evident in this test with both the bat and the ball. There is Anil Kumble who has a similar experience being an also-ran even with such a splendid record.

The Australians were never in the hunt for a win. They realised the futility of going after the target of 423 runs and played sensibly. It is this change in the attitude of Ponting and company that eventually saw them ward of the English challenge. Ponting received tremendous support from Warne and Clarke. Lee also rose up to the occasion and survived the threat posed by the Lancashire hero Flintoff. All the English bowlers performed to their best with the exception of Giles. Harmison was also below par through out this test match. Simon Jones and Flintoff looked threatening and Hoggard also created quite a few scares for the Aussies.That is perhaps the reason why the English failed to seal the issue in their favour. There were also a couple of umpiring decisions that went in favour of the Aussies- close leg before decisions. Martyn got a rough decision and that perhaps evens out the score of the Umpires.

The first three test matches have been really exciting as far as neutral spectators like me are concerned. There is no way test cricket can die if such matches are played. The last few overs were better than in any one-dayer. There were fielders surrounding the batsmen to take any chance. There was as many as seven slip fielders in the closing stages of the match.

The English are mightily disappointed at the outcome of the test. Now, can they overcome this result and land the shots in the next test or will the Aussies find their feet and turn around the English summer in their favour.

ASHES UPDATE

There was very little action on the third day with rain keeping the players inside. In the time that play was possible, Warne helped his team avoid the follow-on. Geraint Jones was very kind to return the favour by messing a stumping. On the first day, the Aussies allowed Vaughan to strike good with their shoddy fielding. Now, Warne took the opportunity with both hands. In going this far, Warne has taught a lesson to the superior batsmen of his team.

The fourth day is also not expected to be good, weatherwise. Even then, the match can go either way with the English in an advantageous position. The big question is will Warne finally score his first hundred.

ASHES UPDATE

The third day of the third test promises much with England in the box seat. The Aussies have staggered at the blows inflicted by the English.With the exception of Warne, none of the other batsmen showed much inclination to stay at the wicket. Giles, who was considered by many as a non-performer showed all the guile that makes a spinner a difficult proposition.

The English total was extended thanks to good contributions by Flintoff and Geraint Jones. The wicketkeeper was under some pressure to make runs and he responded. The other Jones -Simon, continued to trouble the tourists with his incisive bowling. Hayden and Langer flattered to deceive after a good start. Ponting appears to be brought down to the earth by a combination of good bowling and the burden of captaincy. Martyn is getting the runs and so is Gilchrist.

In the past, the English gained a dubious reputation of injury prone at the start and in the middle of the Ashes. Now it is the turn of the Aussies. The wheel has turned against the Aussies.

It is interesting to speculate over the follow-on. Will the English enforce it and how shall the Aussies respond to this unfamiliar situation. Is there a possibility of any miracle here?

WARNE(D) 600 NOT OUT

I like any other Indian who knows a bit about cricket and spin bowling, did never accept Shane Warne. It was largely borne out of the belief that India alone could produce quality spinners. It was unthinkable for a foreigner and a white man to be able to make the ball do tricks.

The debut of Shane Warne was not auspicious, coming against India where Ravi Shastri and Tendulkar took him apart. Warne returned with figures of one wicket for more than 150 runs. Later, Warne talked about the nightmarish experince of bowling in India. Every batsmen fancied his chances facing Warne. This reinforced the belief that Warne is something of a hype.

The exploits of Warne when dealing with opponents like England, New Zealand, South Africa was something that was attributed to the inability to play spin. However, his performance in Sri Lanka was a revelation in more ways than one. It came against players who had the home advantage and also the supposed prowess in playing spin. Warne had a bagful of wickets coming shortly after his ignominious exit from the World Cup of 2003.That performance helped in a large way to neutralise the Murali effect and Australia triumphed 3-0.

Australia lost the second test of the ongoing Ashes at Edgbaston but Warne bowled beautifully in the second innings. The ball to dismiss Andrew Strauss was a gem. The 'ball of the century' stuff may be somewhat overhyped but there is no doubting the ability of the man. He also took his team to an unlikely win with a sterling contribution with the bat. Warne is a good slip fielder who held his ground in the midst of outstanding slipmen like Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh.

I heartily congratulate Warne on being the first bowler to claim 600 wickets in test matches. It is good to see a bowler with a clean and undisputed action climb up the summit. Looking forward to more zooters etc.

ASHES UPDATE

The first day of the third test belonged to Michael Vaughan. He managed to push Shane Warne into the background. That is no mean task when the Aussie got his 600th wicket in test cricket-the first man to do so.

McGrath returned to the side and Brett Lee resumed his normal service by hurling thunderbolts at the batsmen. But McGrath did not create much of an impression with the normally reliable Aussie fielders including Gilchrist had a day off. The pitch was not giving any assistance to the bowlers. That does not, however, take the credit away from the efforts of the English skipper. The victory at Edgbaston seems to have reduced much of the pressure and this showed in the shots he played. If the present form continues, the Aussies have reason to worry about with their fourth bowler-Gillespie not finding his rhythm and range.

For a change, Kevin Pietersen could not make a good score. Have the Aussies sorted him out? The rest of the series could provide us with an answer. The Lancashire faithful are to be expected to turn out in large numbers with the local hero Andrew Flintoff to come next in the batting line-up. Does Freddy have it in him to do a repeat of the last test? That could well be the deciding factor in the third test.

ASHES UPDATE

The third test in the current Ashes is very interestingly poised with the English on a high after the win at Edgbaston and the Aussies suddenly appearing vulnerable and seemingly out of their wits.

Nothing seems to have gone right for the Aussies ever since the win at Lords. McGrath's injury seems to have given the self-belief that the English lacked. Now with Brett Lee doubtful, things have become very bleak for the tourists. Warne is a great bowler and he displayed all his tricks in the second test. But then the rest of the bowlers went for runs. It is highly unlikely for Gillespie and Kasprowicz to get the English batsmen out for low scores twice in the match.

The batting machine is also not in top shape with most of the batsmen not firing. The unexpectedly hostile bowling from Harmison and company has created doubts in the minds of the Aussie batsmen.

Ponting does not want the posterity to remember him as the captain who surrendered to the English. A good test match is on the cards with the both sides keen to have the psychological edge.

INDIAN OIL CUP-04-THE SAME OLD STORY

Recently, I watched an interview of Marvin Hagler on BBC. He was nicknamed 'marvellous' for his brilliant record in the ring. He was asked about his preparations before a fight. Hagler replied that he simply focussed on the fight and nothing else. He shut out everything out of the mind, including in his own words, the girls also. All the pent up feelings were then released on the hapless opponent. This is what is called as 'tunnel vision' by experts.

It is this lack of such mental preparations that have proved to be the greatest deficiency of the Indian cricket team and the finals of the Indian Oil cup was no exception. The Indians put up such an inept display in the finals and the matches leading to the finals, that one doubts their mental strength. On the other hand, the Sri Lankans played as if the script was written for them.

Mahela Jayawardene was out of touch for quite a while but then the Indian bowlers allowed him to score runs freely. For his efforts, Jayawardene got th Man of the Match as well as the Man of the Series awards. The Indians don't like to be ungrateful guests to their Lankan hosts. Russel Arnold was out of the team and he also took the opportunity with both hands. Muralitharan always has this habit of troubling the Indians in both the versions of the game and again Tuesday was not different. People have forgotten the mauling that Sidhu gave him in a test match. Worse was the inability to cope with a part-time bowler-a spinner(if he can be called one) like Dilshan Tilakaratne. Even a good player of off-spin bowling like Ganguly was deceived by him.In a previous match Maharoof appeared as menacing as McGrath to the extent that Javagal Srinath called him 'Sri Lanka's McGrath'.

The bowling of Zaheer and Pathan was reminiscent of the stuff dished out in the World Cup final of 2003. The fielding was not impressive with question marks over the keeping of Dhoni. There were times when the commentators were surprised at the technique of the keeper.

It does not help to have a high profile coach if the players themselves are not sure of their responsibilities. The Indians could benefit from the display put by the English at Edgbaston versus the Aussies. They displayed a spirit that refused to die without a fight.

ASHES UPDATE-04-THE JUGGERNAUT IS SLOWING DOWN

The second test at Edgbaston might have proved to be a heartbreaker for the Aussies and an occasion to rejoice for the English. But in my opinion this match has the potential to turn the current cricket thinking on its head.

In the first place, the Aussies are not as unbeatable as they are thought to be. Very often, teams accept defeat and then the Aussies are very adept at mind games. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer have not done much on this tour so far to back up their big talk. McGrath and Warne seem to be the only exceptions.

The 'present' team under the leadership of Ponting has only inherited the winning record that goes back to the heady days of Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. Ponting appeared clueless when the bowlers were heaved over the top by most of the English batsmen. Ponting is not in the same league as his predecessors.

Even the teams under Taylor and Waugh faced defeat at the hands of determined opponents, especially bowlers. Allan Donald at his peak was more than a handful. The spinners from India made a mockery of the reputations.It was more often the expertise of McGrath and Warne that made the difference. What is needed to defeat the Aussies is some exceptional individual brilliance like the one shown by Flintoff and Harmison. VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh also made the Aussies bite the dust with their showing.

The Aussies are brittle in the batting department with Gilchrist not able to strike form. Ponting is always suspect against class bowling. Hayden is someone who has to count himself extremely lucky if he is given any more opportunities in the series. It is one thing to knock a triple hundred against the hapless Zimbabweans and quite a challenge to face the grenades of Harmison and company. Even an ordinary bowler like Ashely Giles was made to look menacing. Damien Martyn was once made to sit out of the team as a punishment for a rash shot. In both the innings, he just threw his wicket away. There is no solidity in the middle order in the form of the Waugh twins. It is a pity that an accomplished batsman like Mike Hussey is not even in the touring side.

In the bowling department, the absence of McGrath was something that hurt the Aussies the most. The English batsmen were feeling totally liberated and just made merry.It is time to think about the future of Gillespie and Kasprowicz. The bowlers are just showing the signs of aging. The time for new faces has come.

In the end, the Aussies might just reatin the Ashes but the signs are here for a change.

INDIAN OIL CUP 2005-03

As expected, India won the second match and again Rahul Dravid had to lead the way. The others continued to disappoint. Yuvraj and Kaif showed some pluck that too against a none too experienced bowlers. The Windies managed to trouble most of the Indian batsmen. There were a lot of misses and near escapes with a lot of the defensive shots off the backfoot taking the ball precariously past the stumps. The Windies were truly let down first by the inept batting and then by the pathetic display in the fielding department.

Raina has shown some promise but it is too early to sing praises. Sehwag is still waving the bat like a magic wand that cannot cast any spell on the bowlers and the spectators. It will take some ask for the team to meet tougher opponents with such attitude. It is time the selectors took note of the lackadaisical attitude of players and showed them the exit door.

Laxman's luck is truly wretched. He does not get an opportunity to play the one-dayers and when there is an opportunity, injury defeats him.

INDIAN OICL CUP 2005-02

India started the Indian Oil cup on a rather bad note with the defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka. It is too early to criticise the coaching of Greg Chappel. I was not able to watch much of the match live since the cable operators did not want to pay for the hike in the subscription of Ten Sports.

The batting turned out to be the big disappointment with only Rahul Dravid and Venugopala Rao making some decent runs. Of course, Harbhajan, Zaheer and Irfan took the total narrowly past the 200 mark. The lack of a specialist 5th bowler proved to be very costly in the end.

Sehwag and Dhoni batted like billionaires being bored by their wealth while Yuvraj once again proved his detractors right. Kaif was surprisingly unable to perform in a tight situation. Raina was done in by a perfect 'throw' from the 'king of chuckers'-Muralitharan . In the next match, Raina might be asked to make way for someone else.

The think tank have erred in not picking Anil Kumble who could have created pressure on batsmen of a lower calibre like Mahroof and Chandana. Instead, he watched the match from the sidelines.

India appear to have an easy encounter in the second match against the Windies. But the newcomers from the Caribbean islands might want to establish themselves in the absence of players like Brian Lara.

There is some consolation from the match. After quite a while a player from the state of Andhra Pradesh-Venugopala Rao made a good entry into international cricket.

INDIAN OIL CUP 2005-01

It is him once again to spoil India's hopes once again. I am talking of Sanath Jayasuriya who despite a dislocated shoulder stayed there to take Sri Lanka home after being in some kind of strife. Sanath has always shown a particular penchant for the Indian bowling. Javagal Srinath was holding the microphone in place of the ball but the result would have given him a sense of deja vu.

During the course of the past week, Arjuna Ranatunga was quite optimistic of Sanath returning to form with the prospect of having to take on the Indian bowlers. I donot have any intention of denigrating the talents of Jayasuriya but he always does good against the Indians. He has displayed streaks of brilliance against other teams, but against India his showing has been extraordinary. I feel that the Indians simply don't have it in them to shrug off the past demons. Suddenly, the bowlers appear clueless and there are dropping shoulders in the field.

Jayasuriya is the list of those players who have done exceedingly well against India. Saeed Anwar was one such player who on many occasions took the Indian attacks to the cleaners. There is another player-Shivnarine Chanderpaul who has always done well against India. This is something that Greg Chappel needs to work on.

VERY VERY SPECIAL INDEED

The latest bit of speculation relating to the Indian cricket team in Sri Lanka is the possibility of VVS Laxman partnering Sehwag at the top of the order. There is nothing wrong with such experiments but Laxman is not the guinea pig. Everytime there are one-dayers, there is a lot of talk about the inclusion or rather the non-inclusion of Laxman. I feel that he is too good a player with a proven record to be left out of the team.

I make a strong case for Laxman to be made a regular fixture in the one-day squads even when Sachin and Saurav are available. Let us not forget the knocks that he played in the VB Series on the last tour to Australia and also in Pakistan when the series was even.

I think Yuvraj is not the player he is made out to be. One good innings is sandwiched between numerous failures. His fielding is not a scratch when compared with the best. He sometimes gives the impression of making unnecessary dives when faced with simple catches. His bowling is not even of a club level variety. Far more deserving is the case of Mohammed Kaif who has always revelled in crunch situations be it the one-dayers or the test matches. He is someone who is most unsure of his batting position as the team management is very keen to accommodate Yuvraj. These days Yuvraj is far more preoccupied with matters outside cricket.

Laxman has the right to feel hurt over his omission from the world cup team of 2003. I have nothing against Dinesh Mongia but it was sad. Laxman should be given the position he likes the most and not being forced to open. Laxman has never failed to mention his disappointment on being asked to open in the test matches. The team man that he is, Laxman never shies away from doing something even if it does not suit him.

If there is anything that caused me pain over Saurav Ganguly's captaincy is the injustice meted out to Laxman and Anil Kumble. They have managed to overcome their frustrations with splendid performances and prove their detractors wrong.

The plea for the inclusion of Laxman arises not because I share two parts of my name with him and also not because we speak the language, but because he is a good player.

GOING UP IN A BLAZE OF GLORY

The name Armstrong is something special to me. My first cricket bat had a sticker with the name 'Armstrong'. There are very fond memories attached to it. Then, of course, Neil Armstrong who was the first man on the moon.

Now, one more Armstrong has joined the list-lance Armstrong, the cycling great who ended his career on the road with a seventh consecutive victory of the Tour de France. What impressed me most was that the Texan has decided to hang up his boots while at the top. Such timing is very rare among modern sportspersons, especially with Indian cricketers. I can think of Sunil Gavaskar who called it a day after a masterly knock at Lords' in 1988.

It is truly remarkable to author such a script with rivals like Ulrich and Basso in the race for the big prize. Armstrong was the clear favourite before the tour and for a brief period in the early stages there were other pretenders to the throne. But once, he had the tour leader's yellow jersey, Armstrong never let it go off his back. Even a fall in the last stage when the road was slippery due to persistent drizzle, there was no doubt about the final outcome.

This is amazing to remember that Armstrong once had been diagnosed with cancer. Cycling had a similar hero in the past with a multiple tour winner Greg Lemmond who had a difficult time after being involved in a freak shooting accident.

In recent years, the sport of cycling-especially, the professional variety has taken quite a big knock with many riders and teams being put under the scanner for the use of banned performance enhancing substances. Almost every tour has seen some such incidents. Questions had also been asked about the involvement of Armstrong. We may never know the truth, but Armstrong never let these things to distract him.

Armstrong made it clear about his decision to leave the sport he loves the most. He seemed more than satisfied with the fame and fortune that resulted from his stupendous achievement. The finishing at the Arc de Troimphe was memorable with Armstrong having his family for company. His twin daughters were dressed in yellow.
Thanks Armstrong for the display of courage and humility that is so rare in these times.

ASHES UPDATE-03-DAY THREE

The first test started off with an unfamiliar display but shall end on predictable lines with the Aussies taking a 1-0 lead. The first day saw the English bowlers led by Harmison give the Aussies a real work out. It is not since the days of the West Indies pace machines, that the Aussies have been found wanting in terms of temperament and technique. It may appear that the batsmen got out playing irresponsible shots but the fact is the pressure generated by the English bowlers was too much for the liking.
The English were feeling top of the world with this masterly display at Lords' where their record against the Aussies has not been good. They had something to cheer about especially in the light of the blasts that rocked London(something that the English did never anticipate). Now all such fanciful thinking was given a big jolt by McGrath. Whatever do the commentators say about the uneven bounce or the lack of consistency in the pitch, the English batsmen were made to look like real novices. The English batsmen are highly overrated even by the standards of the British press, but this is the real deal-facing the best in the world.
In the last Ashes down under, Michael Vaughan appeared to be in a different class taking the might of the bowling. He had all the answers to the questions posed but since then he has not played an innings of note, especially in difficult times and climes. The only thing that he does now-a-days is to play a couple of his signature drive through the covers. The decision to drop Graham Thorpe in favour of 'attitude' in the shape of Kevin Pietersen is questionable. Thorpe has been a dependable batsman albeit without much flair or flamboyance. The selectors could have given the Surrey lefthander a chance-a final one in place of Ian Bell.
Pietersen is still there at the wicket but the task before him and the rest is impossible. The English catching, especially in the third innings was shoddy with Pietersen making a mess of really simple chances. The let off given to Clarke and the partnership between him and Martyn has become the deciding factor when scoring runs has been rather difficult in the match. Pietersen may after all score the runs but then the lapses have proved to be very costly.
The English still have something to look forward to-the rest of the series. If the weathermen are to be believed, there is still some hope in the first test with rains expected over London.

This was written in the morning and due to some technical problems at my end, it could not be posted then. The Aussies were not needed to wait for the fifth day to wrap up the match.

ASHES UPDATE-02-FIRST TEST-DAY TWO

The first two days of the first test of the Ashes have been very interesting with both sides landing and taking blows. The Aussies appeared to have been pushed to the wall with most of them smarting from the bruises to the body and most importantly to the ego. But the new found confidence of Flintoff and company was shortlived though, with McGrath renewing his liking for the slope and the air at the Lords'. In a matter of few overs, the English top order was back in the pavilion. In the second innings the Aussies showed their fighting spirit with Ponting, Martyn and Clarke making runs. Langer attempted an impossible single and the new 'English' hero Pietersen found the target. John Buchanan needs to have a go at Hayden. This is not the Zimbabwean bowling to let him score runs. Clarke distinguished himself with a sparkling knock and Martyn just let his reputation to grow. All the batsmen were beaten time and again by the bowlers but this was a better day for the batsmen. In the morning session, the English total was extended thanks to the blows of Pietersen. Jones also scored a couple of boundaries. Shane Warne got the wicket of Pietersen after being hit over the boundary. The English have to do something extraordinary to save the match from this point. With Katich at the crease, the Aussies would hope to put the match beyond the English. Has the contest petered out to a one-sided one or will any Englishman prove me wrong.

ASHES UPDATE-01-FIRST TEST-FIRST SESSION

History suggested that the Australians have mostly triumphed at Lords' but the present English team showed their mettle in the first session of the opening test of the Ashes. By the time the players went back to their dressing rooms for lunch, the visitors had five of their batsmen looking forward to the second innings. To add insult to the injury, three of the five received blows with the captain having to endure a cut on the cheekbone. Hayden, Langer, Martyn and Ponting fell to very ungainly shots. Of course, Ponting seemed to be shaken by the blow. Clarke has not added anything to his initial success. Now it is upto Gilchrist to stem the rot. He has on most of the occasions scored a 100 in the first test match of a series and that has helped the Aussies to have control right from the start. Will it be the same again? Katich has a lot to prove the selectors wrong.

The blows and the ducking and weaving of the batsmen before the four English bowlers made me think of the great pace quartets from the West Indies. I never got to watch them in full flight. Will Harmison and company do the same or will the Aussies be able to recover from the bad start.

ALLROUNDERS IN INDIAN CRICKET

Read with interest the lament on the lack of allrounders in Indian cricket(Wisden Asia Cricket, June 2005-'Whatever Happened to the Indian allrounder?') In the history of the game there have never been instances of quality allrounders purveying in large numbers; always it has been a case of few genuine players who could bat and bowl with authority and become match winners. Indian cricket is not blessed on this count, especially after Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. Manoj Prabhakar was the last of this category of unique players. He was a genuine allrounder in more ways than one! Of course, the other test playing nations have been blessed either. England have the services of Flintoff long after Botham became a regular before the microphone. Australia had the services of Steve Waugh for a while before he relinquished bowling. New Zealand had Richard Hadlee and then Chris Cairns. The all conquering West Indies teams of the 1980's did not possess quality all-rounders. It is Pakistan who are somewhat lucky to have players like Abdul or Abdur Razzaq to inherit the slot vacated by Imran Khan. Right now, South Africa have Jacques Kallis. Of course, there is a long way to go for the present generation to be compared with the likes of Kapil and Imran. I have a simple argument on the dearth of allrounders in general and in particular on the Indian scene. It is the batsmen who always hog the limelight and with the heroics of Sachin, Rahul etc., everyone budding cricketer dreams of making it big with the bat. Now we have allrounders of the quality of Yuvraj and Dinesh Mongia whose bowling shall not cause any alarms even to players like me. The young cricketers of today might never have gone through the exploits of greats like Kapil, Vinoo Mankad, Salim Durrani, the father and son duo of Lala Amarnath and Mohinder Amarnath etc. All they are good about is to think of becoming a good batsman. The young players start with the aspirations of being allrounders but then the physical stresses and strains put an end to them. Also, the present trend of instant gratification in every walk of life has deterred young players from taking the hard route to mastering the trade of an allrounder.. It is the lack of a fast bowling all-rounder that is often the difference between India winning or losing. The victory of India in the world cup of 1983 was not due to the batsmen or the bowlers, but because of all-rounders. It were the bowlers like Roger Binny, Madan Lal who were instrumental in Kapil going to 175 not out against Zimbabwe after being reduced to 17 for 5. It was Jimmy Amarnath who got important wickets in the finals and the semi-finals and also excelled with the bat. It is difficult for the youngsters since they have no role model to idolise and become good all-rounders. Kapil Dev was a freak in more ways than one. He was a fast bowler from the land of the Guptes, Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, Venkataraghavan etc. Secondly, he could win a match either with the bat or with the ball. Thirdly, he was a good fielder at a time when Indian players in general were averse to run after the ball or stop the ball. All we now have is VVS Laxman improving his bowling skills to fill the vacant all-rounder slot at least in the one-day squad.

AUSTRALIA BEATEN-AGAIN

Australia once again finished as the losing side in the first of the three Natwest Challenge matches. England put up a commanding display to overhaul the total with 9 wickets and plenty of balls to spare. Trescothick led the successful chase with a century. But the victory was made possible by the superb effort of the English bowlers. They restricted Australia to a low score. Even with the Leeds wicket offering the assistance, McGrath and company could not make an impression.

The body language of the Aussies does not show the arrogance and the swagger that they are so proud of. Ricky Ponting appears as clueless as the boy whose candy has been snatched away. Is there now any credence to the argument that the Aussies have no worthy opponent to play! Matthew Hayden might post a large score against hapless bowlers from Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and then his supporters proclaim him as the best batsman in the world. Michael Clarke does not appear to be anywhere near the class of a good international player. It is a tribute to Indian bowlers that Clarke was allowed to score a 100 on his test debut. Now Justin Langer has become completely silent. Before the start of the tour, there was Langer who predicted the trashing of England.

Instead of making remarks against the English players, John Buchanan should be setting his house in order. The Auusies have been vulnerable in the one-dayers even though they won the world cup in 2003. Pakistan ran them very close in the VB Series before the batsmen blew it away. Even the Indians matched them on their last tour down under. No longer the English batsmen are worried over the reputation of the bowlers nor are they fazed by the batsmen of the opposing teams.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-12

Indians have something to be happy about Wimbledon with Mahesh Bhupathi combining with Mary Pierce to win the mixed doubles title. Because of the rain, the duo had to play two matches on the same day, separated by less than one hour. That they did successfully is remarkable. After the win, Bhupathi talked about the chemistry that is so essential in doubles. Certainly, in hindsight one can say that there was a wonderful chemistry between Bhupathi and Pierce. It is a pity that Bhupathi and Woodbridge could not do much especially when the Australian was playing his last event as a professional. It is a tragedy that we get to see the team of Bhupathi and Leander Paes play only in the Davis Cup.

Keep the Indian flag flying Mahesh.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-11

Update

It was more of a display of a great show of a genius rather than a contest. It reminded me of the knockouts that Mike Tyson gave his opponents in his younger days. But here there were no bruises to the body. I am talking about the win of Roger Federer over Andy Roddick. There is no doubting the talent of the American but at this moment, he has to come only the second best. For three years in the running, he has been beaten by the same man who has went on to win the Championship.

Any thought of a good contest were wiped out early with the Swiss making the ball do the bidding for him. The tie-breaker in the second set was only an aberration as he was back in command in the third set. Federer is making Wimbledon seemingly devoid of any thrilling contests!I have this feeling that Federer reserves his best for the latter stages and for more famous opponents. Especially, when it comes to people like Hewitt, Roddick or Agassi.

If he continues to play in the same vein, then Federer can win the Wimbledon crown for many years to come. That is sure if the tennis authorities don't change the rules as did the Formula-1 people did to prevent one man from dominating the sport.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-10

The final between Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams was reckoned by many commentators as one of the best in a long time. Davenport was keen to make the most of her last outing at the courts of SW19, while Williams attempted to keep the family flag flying. These two certainly fought a tough battle with Venus getting the famed trophy for a third time.

With three Grandslams of the year gone, there is no single Russian winner. So was the much heralded 'Russian Revolution' more of a media hype? Sharapova and her compatriots have time on their side and in future will win many events.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-9

While watching Wimbledon I was surprised by a comment from Vijay Amritraj. Vijay observed that the area near the baseline was the most abused while the grass near the net seemed very fresh and lush. There was considerable wear and tear near the baseline.

This is a pointer to the style of tennis today. There are few grass court players today. Very few play the classic 'serve and rush to the net' tennis that has been associated with grass courts. Federer is regarded as the finest exponent of grass court tennis of this generation and he also hits a lot from the baseline. It is only that he comes to the net more often than the others. Hewitt believes in overpowering from behind the baseline. Nadal and other clay court champions play drop shots on clay but on grass they are rooted to the baseline.

I find this type of tennis on Wimbledon a total mockery. Perhaps, this is because of the times that I grew up in. The arrival of television in my part of the world coincided with the emergence of players like Becker, Edberg, Sampras and Ivanisevic.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-8

It is a repeat of 2004 with Federer and Roddick to play in the final of Wimbledon 2005. Federer was expected to come this far although Roddick was not. Federer was simply magnificent over Hewitt while Roddick was stretched a little by Johansson in the semifinals.

Federer with his all round game has a definite edge over Roddick. The American has a great serve and has a devastating forehand. But can he handle the serve of the Swiss? Hewitt could not do much. Also, Federer seems to have the edge in the psychological side as well over players like Hewitt and Roddick. The American has to do what Safin did at the Australian Open early this year- attack Federer. Most of the players of today try to outhit Federer from the baseline. This is where Hewitt did go wrong and paid the price. Somehow, Hewitt simply avoided the net. Wonder, he was the Champion at Wimbledon a few years ago.

If Roddick is able to forget the past and plays well, there could be a contest. Otherwise, the result would be a foregone conclusion. There is a glimmer of hope for Roddick, though. At the Australian Open, Federer destroyed Agassi only to fall in the semis to Safin. If that were not an aberration, then Roddick has some chance.

NO DISGRACE

Bangladesh was defeated by Australia in the last of the preliminary matches in the Natwest series. The result was expected. The Australians were in a spot of bother before recovering their composure. The lower order batsmen of Bangladesh helped their team post 250 after losing the first five wickets with only 75 runs on the board. Shariar and Mashud did a great rescue act. There were no heroics from Ashraful this time barring a magnificient six off Brett Lee.


That Bangladesh won only one match from their six matches, is a good indicator of the gulf that seperates them from the other two teams. However, there is no disgrace in losing to better sides. As the tour went off, the Bangladeshis started displaying talent and mettle. They have managed to raise the bar above the past displays and now the expectations back in the country must be very high. That is something the 'tigers' must not only match but exceed.

AUSTRALIA WIN BUT..

The last match of the one day series between Australia and Bangladesh was in no way going to determine the two finalists. As expected, the Aussies won, not without experiencing some hiccups on the way. Bangladesh made 250 after being reduced to 75 for 5 at one stage. Then Bangladesh made the Aussies bat all the way down to achieve the target.

It was good to see Gilchrist get runs but the bowlers that he is going to face for much of the rest of the summer are of a different quality altogether. Ponting scratched around but runs are runs. Clarke would have surely enjoyed the batting practice after sitting on the bench with an injury. Symonds has taken apart better attacks and his form continues to be good.

It is the Aussie bowlers who are not impressive. Even Lee went for in excess of 50 runs from his 10 overs. Kasprowicz does not get the skid and carry in his balls but Gillespie gave an imprived performance. The finals are going to be decided by the contest between the Aussie batsmen and the English bowlers.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-7

A great semifinal clash awaits us with Federer taking on Hewitt. I have got this feeling that the Swiss takes his game to a higher level when facing opponents like Hewitt, Roddick and Agassi. Remember the severe trashing that Federer gave to Agassi at the Australian Open earlier this year. Agassi was made to look his years. Perhaps, Federer wants to show who is the best. When it comes to other lesser known players, Federer does not display the same kind of intensity. In the other semifinal, Roddick has to face Johansson. In the quarters, Grosjean put up a tough fight with the American. The Swede can do the same.
My prediction is a Federer and Roddick repeat of the final of 2004.

It is quite open among the ladies. Venus Williams appears good after a shaky start to the championships. Sharapova has to be really good. The more tougher the shot, the shrill of her shriek gets stronger! Davenport looks to have the edge over Mauresmo on account of her experince with grand slam semis and finals.

SPECTACULAR BRAZIL

What a night it was. Brazil were the favourites but no one expected the samba boys to put up such a display that annihilated Argentina. Actually, it was only a few weeks ago that Argentina got the better of Brazil in a world cup qualifier to top the South American group. If I am correct, then between these two countries, it is Argentina that has the advantage in their encounters.

For me, Adriano was the player of the tournament. He started the proceedings with a goal and added a second after the break. In between Kaka and Ronaldinho added their names to the scoresheet. Kaka was somewhat lacklustre in the previous matches but in the final his was a class act. Ronaldinho was, as usual brilliant. The others like Robinho, Cicinho were all contributors to the team glory. It was only in the last ten minutes that Dida had to make a couple of good saves.

Argentina tried hard to make some impression with only Aimar managing a goal. The Brazilian strikes may have completely shocked them.

To me the rivalry between these two football superpowers is the most fierce. Looks like the Brazilians were determined to avenge their loss in the world cup qualifiers and put the record straight. Now they are the world champions in the truest sense with wins against different countries.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-6

What a day it promises to be with the quarterfinals of the gentlemen. In the ladies event there was no upset, no drama in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Barring a couple of tiebreaks, everything was too predictable.

But today the men will not let go of any opportunity to go through to the last four. The top seeds Federer and Roddick have very easy opponents, although Grosjean might cause a few irritants to the American. Hewitt also will make it to the semifinals. The most interesting match up is between David Nalbandian and Thomas Johansson. The Argentine is a former finalist on the same courts while the Swede is a former Australian Open winner. If it is something of a long drawn out affair, the strong Nalbandian has the edge.

WHAT A BIRDIE!

I know nothing much about golf. Cannot make any out any difference between birdies and eagles. Don't find much difference between an under par score and an over par score. Tried to follow after some Indians started to make some waves.

But the victory of Birdie Kim of South Korea in the Womens' US Open with a fantastic shot that left other fancied opponents biting the dust is really fabulous. It is worthy of a name.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-5

What a day it promises to be in Wimbledon today with all the fourth round matches to be played on Monday. Federer is the favourite to go through to the next round defeating Ferrero. It is really a credit to the Spaniard to come this far when other clay court exponents have failed including Nadal. Hewitt may be in some sort of bother with Taylor Dent who can fire big serves. Of course, the Aussie is known to have one of the best returns in the game today. David Nalbandian has come to the fourth round with a hard fought victory in the last round over Murray. Roddick takes on another Argentine baseliner in the shape of Coria. The American starts the favourite. The conqueror of Henman, Tursunov takes on the talented Frenchman Grosjean. Will the crowd support him? The big serving Croat Mario Ancic has to dispose off Lopez who put out Safin. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the match between Max 'the beast' Mirnyi and Johansson.

In the women's side will Venus Williams be able to take revenge for the defeat of her younger sister? She takes on Creyas. Myskina and Dementieva meet once again following the French Open final of 2004. Sharapova can overcome the challenge of Dechy. It is a good match in prospect between two power hitters, Davenport and Clijsters. Kuznetsova has struggled in the earlier rounds. There are other Russians in the form of Petrova and Likhotseva as well in the fourth round. Pierce has another shot at glory with a match against Penneta.

From an Indian point the challenge continues with Paes, Bhupathi and Sania in various doubles events.

I would be happy to see my predictions go wrong.

GERMAN BOW OUT

Brazil made it to the finals of the Confederation Cup with a rather unconvincing display. Germany could not force the issue despite having controlled the match for a long time. Interestingly, it were the Germans who had most of the possession and dominated the second half. Twice they came from behind. They just could not finish inside the box.There were two debatable penalty kicks but the referee was consistent in his approach.

Adriano scored a couple and showed how he is a very important member of this side. Robinho appeared rather subdued perhaps due to the typical German defence. It is most likely that Brazil meets Argentina in the finals. Argentina can score where Germany failed.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-4

Federer advanced to the next round with an unconvincing display to win against the German Kiefer. The young Briton Andrew Murray put up a good show against David Nalbandian. Murray was up two sets and then his lack of experience and injury allowed the Argentine to come back into the match. He is showing a lot of promise. Nalbandian next is scheduled to face another young hopeful in the form of Richard Gasquet of France.

Good to see Leander and partner go through to the next round in the mens' doubles. Bhupathi is teamed up with Mary Pierce in the mixed doubles.

What made up my week was that John Mcenroe and Boris Becker were there in the commentary box.

AUSTRALIA RULES

The Aussies put up a good showing to defeat Bangladesh by 10 wickets. Bangladesh were comfortably placed before Andrew Symonds did the star turn with the ball this time round. Then Gilchrist and Hayden feasted on the bowling to take their team to victory with many overs to spare. Ashraful continues to be in good form. I believed his innings against India in a test match was a fluke. But now with this kind of showing, I am forced to change my opinion.

WINNING SPURS

Don't know much about NBA or for that matter basketball. Actually, don't know anything apart from the names of a few players. This is all despite spending time watching live NBA action beamed on ESPNSTARSPORTS. My younger brother follows the sport very keenly and he also gave some time to make me follow the same.

San Antonio Spurs have won the championships defeating the holders the Detroit Pistons. The Spurs won for a third time in seven years and joined an elite group in the process. There is an interesting thing I want to point out. In all the three years Tim Duncan was voted the MVP(Most Valuable Player). Incidentally, he was nicknamed 'Timid Tim' for his uninspiring efforts!

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-3

The Championships have a habit of throwing up surprises. Marat Safin who appeared to have discovered the game for the surface lost. It was not expected for the French Champion Nadal to make much progress. But he seemed to give up without a fight. The Williams sisters are a very pale shadow of their past. Is the gap in the womens' game narrowing down or have the sisters lost their touch? Fellow bloggers are welcome to speculate.

I am very surprised by the exit of Mahesh Bhupathi and Todd Woodbridge from the doubles competition. I have always felt that the combination of Bhupathi and Paes was the best. Wonder what took place that led to the rather messy break up. I feel that the two behaved just as bands break up once they become famous. But there is always hope for the future.

Hewitt and Roddick won with ease before rains came down heavily.

BACK TO THE WINNING WAYS?

The Australians have managed to win over England. However, in the batting department, there seems no be no fire at the top of the order with Gilchrist unable to make big runs; Hayden can't at the moment score more than 30 odd runs. Ponting is the disappointment who reminds me of his failure against the Indian spin in the past. The return of Symonds has certainly added a new dimension to the batting. But it is the arrival of Brett Lee has given the greatest hope to the Aussies. It is ironical that the same bowler was made to warm the bench till a couple of moths ago. Whether one accepts the bowling action or not, Lee made the difference. The other bowlers were hit by Pietersen in the last match.

I was unable to watch the hiding that Pietersen gave to the Aussies with that 91 not out. My brother told me that it was a truly good knock. That made me sit before the televsion well past the midnight hour. However, there were no heroics this time. Only Flintoff was able to stay at the wicket for a considerable length. The others notably, Trescothick, Strauss and Collingwood-the new England hero were made to look very ordinary by Lee and company.

I hope this win will keep the big English mouths shut.

RELIEVED

Finally, Brazil could make it to the semifinals of the Confederation Cup. After blazing away to a win over the Euro champions Greece, the samba boys were humbled by the Mexicans. There was a hard fought win over Japan.

Even when the Brazilians seemed inconsistent and lost at times, there was plenty of the familiar magic to see. In the first match, Adriano opened the proceedings with a scorcher of a goal. Robinho is truly someone who is going to make a name for himself in the future. Ronaldinho displayed his wares and went on to score a goal versus Japan. The men who were supposed to defend also seemed really anxious to put their names on the scoresheet. It is something that has proved costly in the past against fast counter attacks from the opponents.

Every time Brazil step onto the field, the expectations run very high. But the absence of players like Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos may be felt in the match versus Germany. The Germans would be thirsting for revenge after their defeat in the last edition of the World Cup. Then Germany had an inexperienced team. Now they are playing on the home turf and Jurgen Klinsmann would like to prove his doubters wrong. If Brazil contrive to lose, it would shock more than the day Bangladesh defeated Australia in a one-dayer.

HELP Mr.MINISTER

Came across a very interesting news item. There was a mention of how a few passengers of Indian Airlines were stranded on a remote island in the Lakshadweep. The reason is that the pilot of the flight was found missing with no trace. Actually, the pilot left to join another airlines. There was no other pilot as a contingency measure.

The Civil Aviation Minister has gained reputation as a go-getter. He is certainly not averse to giving soundbites in front of the cameras. He speaks of his vision to make air travel in India comparable with the best. The other day he cautioned the airline operators not to take part in price wars as the market is not 'mature' enough. Mr. Minister, leave that part to the players. It is the market to decide as to who gets the break and who is going to break. It is time that the passengers of state owned airlines are treated properly.

WIMBEDON UPDATE-2:SO NEAR YET.......

Sania Mirza was really close to beating Svetlana Kuznetsova but could not do it. In the end it was the Russian who came up with the big answers when the Hyderabadi posed difficult questions. The result was along expected lines but no one could have imagined such a close contest.

At the post-match press meet, Sania was really composed. There is no point in feeling disgraced after putting up such a fight and losing to a far higher ranked player. In a prominent Indian website the headline ran “Sania crashes out of Wimbledon”. This is far from the truth. It was only the expectations that ran high especially because the Indian had beaten the same opponent in Dubai some time ago. As an Indian I only wish for Sania to achieve greater things in the future.

BRAVO BANGLADESH

Sports has its own way of springing surprises when they are least expected. It is nothing but miraculous the way Bangladesh got the better of Australia. The media, especially those calling for the removal of the test status of Bangladesh must surely would have felt a bitter taste in their mouths. While going through old magazines, I found that the same kind of arguments were made when India were bowled out very cheaply in a test match in England (1974 at Lord's). The same experts are now singing the praises for the young talent that made the famous victory possible. The British media seems to forget the brownwashes suffered by the English at the hands of the West Indies in the eighties.

It is not entirely unustified for questions to be asked about the ability of Bangladesh to play cricket at the highest level. However, since test status is given, now it cannot be taken back.Well, what about the noise made of Zimbabwe? It is only after Andy Flower fled for England that people began to notice the falling standards of cricket in that country. It is not for just cricketing reasons that people are calling for the demotion of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe from test cricket. Let us play cricket in the fair way and not resort to chucking or other unfair means and throw out the baby with the bathwater.

WIMBLEDON UPDATE-1

Day two of Wimbledon is over. There are no great surprises except for the loss of Justine Henin-Hardenne. I always believed that the Belgian was no great shakes on grass. In the men's side Henman battled after a two set deficit before overcoming Jarko Niemenin who put out Agassi in the first round of the French. Marat Safin kept his cool and played quite attractive grass court tennis against the Thai Srichapan. Paradorn was a pale shadow of the player who got the better of Agassi a couple of years on the same courts. If Safin plays in the same way, then, Federer has to be careful. For all of us Indians it would be interesting to watch out for Sania with her second round clash against Kuznetsova. This is too big a stage for the Russian to be on the losing side but there is always a room for a miracle.

ADIEU MONSIEUR AGASSI?

It is sad to see Agassi pull out of this year's Wimbledon. Of course, he was not expected to win the championships. But it makes the event lose some of its colour. In an earlier blog I mentioned how Agassi is finally feeling the effects of time.

I was never a fan of Agassi. I grew up with Becker. It hurt me most when the German lost to Agassi at Wimbledon. That year the American won the championships. In that time no one won Wimbledon without seeing off the challenge posed by Becker. The second time Agassi angered me was during a U.S. Open match up with our own Leander. That day the American was at the receiving end for a set and a half. Then Agassi complained about the grunting of Paes and there was a remarkable turnaround. Agassi won in four sets. However, in the last few years I have become a fan.
There is no denying the talent that is possessed by Agassi. He put up a grand show at the Australian before being dismantled ruthlessly by Federer. I think the slide down the slope started with that defeat. He seems to have lost his hunger and with the body refusing to cooperate, Agassi might call it a day.

I like to quote from Amrit Mathur writing in 'The Sportstar'(June 11, 2005) albeit in a different context. “Watching the slide is sad. We want our heroes to remain heroes not become support players doing insignificant side roles. That is why watching Agassi lose a first round match is painful. Similarly, seeing a great performer lowered to mediocrity, a Mercedes shrunk to the size of a Maruti 800, is equally soul-searching. But, like it or not, nobody can arrest the march of time and nature(like kanoon) takes its course. In sport, what is outstanding today has perforce to become ordinary tomorrow, the greats and legends pass into record books and exciting new talent rises to the top.”

TOO EARLY TO REJOICE

The surprise win by England over Australia in the 20-20 match has certainly managed to raise the hopes of the English for the forthcoming Ashes and the Natwest trophy. The latest defeat of the Aussies at Taunton would surely make the English think about turning the tables.Yours truly thinks that this is something over which too much is said and written about. In recent years, the English have not been able to do much in the Ashes except winning test matches long after the series and the famous urn were retained by the team from down under.In 1989 it was the English who won the ODI series and we all know what happened to the test series. Much worse when in 1997 England won the ODI series 3-0. Of course, there were some flashes of brilliance by some of the English cricketers. Few can forget the way Michael Vaughn batted the daylights out of the Aussies including the great McGrath. There was also a fantastic knock by Mark Butcher to win a test. Then there were some heroic bowling efforts from Gough and Dean Headley.

I certainly don't wish to underestimate the talent or the commitment of the English. But one has to remember that in recent times the losses suffered by the Aussies are more due to their overconfidence and not for the efforts of their opponents. During the time of Mark Taylor, they seemed to lose interest once the series was decided in their favour. Even the cool Steve Waugh made a declaration in Calcutta overestimating his bowlers. But then few could argue otherwise after the dismal batting of the Indians in the first innings of that famous test. It is not everyday that miracles of that proportion take place.

It is true that the English bowling looks much better this time with people like Harmison, Jones,Hoggard etc. But they are prone to injuries at crucial moments in battles against the old enemy. Flintoff might cause a few shocks but comparing him to the legendary Ian Botham is odious to say the least. 'Beefy' had something special in him to settle scores with the Aussies. In the batting department Trescothick seems to be no match to the wiles of McGrath and Gillespie. Vaughn is not the same player as in the last Ashes. Strauss is untested against the best bowlers. Finally, there is the spinning threat coming from Warne.

It is one thing to beat teams like Bangladesh in two and half days in successive test matches. It is an entirely different proposition against the Aussies. McGrath and Warne are probably on their last trip to the Old Blighty. They would surely want to make it more memorable. So watch out. It is too early to talk about the Ashes returning to England. Lest we should forget that the victory of Somerset was made possible by the splendid batting of Graeme Smith and Jayasuriya who cannot play for England. One swallow does not make a summer.

SACHIN STAND UP

Another cricket match was organized-this time at Lord’s to collect relief for the victims of Tsunami. Tremendous talent was on display. Indian viewers had a mixed day with Ganguly failing to post a big score as was the case with Sehwag. But what hurt the most was the failure of Dravid. Of course, Laxman showed why he is the most underrated batsman of the Indian team. Then there were the wickets to Kumble and Harbhajan. It was Kumble who got the Man of the Match award for the telling contribution.

However, the biggest cheers went to a player who was not playing the game-Sachin Tendulkar with even claps from the man who handed over the mementoes. It was very much un-British like. This shows the popularity of the man across the cricket playing lands. Wonder, if any other player ever got or would ever get such recognition.

But sadly, Sachin never utilized this facet for the general betterment of the game. There was a complete silence when the game of cricket was engulfed by the biggest scandal-match fixing. If it was so all-pervading, surely, it would not have escaped the notice of Sachin. But he remained silent. It was left to players like Rashid Latif when views of Sachin would have sealed the matter forever.

Ganguly is respected for the support he extends to youngsters who he believes in. But Sachin never backed any players other than those who came from Mumbai. He is a person who always appears or rather wants to appear as politically correct. He is averse to take any kind of unnecessary risks outside the cricket field. The great Kapil Dev once backed a few players in their fight against the BCCI with regard to some masala matches played on North American soil. The Board responded by suspending five players. Sachin can never be expected to come up with such determination.

If Sachin needs to remembered not just as a great player, then he has to stand up. There cannot be any better person who can do this.

DIFFERENT STROKES

This is not about the television show that was featured on Doordarshan in the eighties. It is a common belief that the law is not the same for everyone. The rich and the powerful have their own set of laws. This blog is in reference to the poaching allegations leveled against a former cricket captain of India. The whole episode has only strengthened the belief.
First, the law enforcers took time to frame the charges and also to file the FIR(first information report). Then it was a mystery with regard to the post-mortem to confirm that the animal killed indeed belonged to an endangered species. Thirdly, now the alleged perpetrators are in hiding seeking anticipatory bail. Now, the police are extending the time frame for the guilty to surrender!

In a truly filmi style, the actor son of the gentleman alleged a conspiracy. The son rebutted all claims that his father has gone into hiding.
What I find detestable is the view of an advocate that cricketers are role models and they should not break the law. It is time that we realize that they are also human beings . Wonder, if this case also goes in the same track as the Salman Khan one where there were allegations that it was a frame up. It is heartening to know that Haryana is ruled by the Congress party to which the former captain owes his allegiance to. Otherwise, this would have sparked off another round of minority oppression

WIMBLEDON CALLING

The clay court battles are put to a halt with the All England Lawn Tennis Championships round the corner where thankfully we are going to see tennis of the serve and volley variety. Of course, there are very few genuine grass court players in the game today. In the men there is Federer who can put the French Open disappointments behind him and renew the hold on the famous trophy for another year. Pete Sampras was the last of the grass court greats. Tim Henman was a good prospect for a championship as his game suited the grass. Unfortunately, in his prime he had to cross swords i.e., racquets with Pistol Pete. Very few can forget the loss of the Brit to Goran Ivanisevic that ultimately gave the Croat the chance to make peace by having the trophy. This year he does not seem to have any chance especially after the poor show at Stella Artois. Don't count out the Roddicks and the Hewitts. It is sad but true that Agassi is finally showing signs of an aged body.


Among the ladies, we can look forward to a new winner this time round with the Americans coming back stronger after the French Open. However, there are no such clear front runners with the Williams sisters on the downhill.

What prompted me to write is the past finals of the Championships being shown on ESPNSTARSPORTS. Great finals involving the likes of Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Boris Becker made me go into the past. It was not until 1987 that I could watch the finals live. So the telecasts before the start of this year's tournament are a feast. The style of play is entirely different from most of the players of today. The charging to the net after the serve and the volleys seemed out of this world. We are more accustomed to baseline rallies with hard hit shots interspersed by a few drop shots. Of course, Wimbledon will not mourn the absence of top clay courters. They always have this knack of suffering injuries just on the eve of Wimbledon. If my memory serves me right, then it is precisely to accommodate such players that the number of seeds in the grand slams was increased to thirty two from the previous sixteen.
All in all, a nice couple of weeks in the offing.

MATHEMAGIC

Mathematics is one subject that I dreaded the most when I was a student-in the schools and in the college also. The subject still gives shivers even in the month of June when the sun is burning the skin. Of course, a lot has be due to the kind of teachers and their method of teaching.


I shall start with the arithmetic problems that had to be solved or rather tackled at the school. There were some gems. Firstly, there was the one that related to cisterns and pipes. The problem could be like this- “it takes one pipe to fill the cistern one hour and the second pipe empties the same in two hours. Calculate the time taken by the first pipe to fill the cistern or the time taken by the second pipe to empty it”. The question was and still is why anyone would have such an arrangement! The second one relates to time and distance. It stated- “a monkey is climbing a greasy pole at two metres per minute and slips down one minute. Calculate the time taken by the monkey if the pole is thirty metres long.” What on earth made the monkey climb a greasy pole in the first place? Surely, such problems are monkey business.

At the high school it was the turn of algebra, trigonometry and coordinate geometry. The late teacher had a particular way of solving problems. His was a democratic method. He would ask us to make the choice between odd numbers and even numbers. Accordingly, he would solve the problems-i.e., write the solutions on the blackboard. The result was that our knowledge was basically restricted to the difference between odd and even numbers.

Worse was the experience in the college. A very experienced and senior Lecturer was really fast. He would divide the blackboard into three parts and each part contained a solution. He would want us to just look at the blackboard and copy the solutions. Surely, this is what is today called as multitasking in computer lingo! He was so fast that by the time we copied the second solution that the first one would be erased and the fourth solution was being written. No wonder most of us could not make any heads or tails of the subject.

After all these years of having observed the teaching of mathematics in the schools and the colleges, I have arrived at a conclusion. Most of the teachers involved in mathematics are only in search of tuitions-private coaching-generally at their homes. That is the reason why they don’t teach in the schools or the colleges. At the college level in the higher classes involving the Degree (graduate) students many spend their time in explaining the different theorems. Some of them take pain to tell about the life and times of the famous mathematicians. Things are just flying away off the tangent!

In recent times a new and a different thing has been observed. In the name of making the students informed about the computers, several changes have been made in the syllabus. What takes the beating is that the students opting for Mathematics honours course are taught things like Basic and FORTRAN. Worse is that all this is done even without the students having seen the computer once. It is all in the mind! The teachers are also not in the possession of any qualification in the teaching of these things. In the Engineering colleges-the private variety-the situation is even worse. Faculties who have just post graduation degrees in mathematics are not hesitant to take up the challenge of teaching advanced computer courses. No wonder, the students are unable to cope up with the syllabi are forced to take up coaching in private computer institutes. Clearly, it is a win-win situation for everyone. The students get engineering degrees and the teachers take their moments in the sun as computer experts. Newton and Liebeintz might be turning in their graves.