< 1 minute readThose who suggest we might have lost track of the IPL during the league phase may have a point. We were at a friend’s house yesterday and he switched on the IPL, asking: “Is this important?” to which we answered, with some confidence: “No.” Turns out it was important and
Continue readingCategory: India
Let Guru Fletcher make your decisions for you
< 1 minute readDid you know that you can get a sense of what you should do in any given situation simply by gazing at inscrutable Guru Dunc standing motionless in his dark glasses and broad-brimmed hat? It’s true. Check this out. Should I have jerk chicken or takeaway pizza for tea tonight?
Continue readingDuncan Fletcher, India coach
< 1 minute readSounds wrong, but we’re going to have to get used to it. Some believe that Fletcher got this job because of the brilliant work he did with England (and yes, overall it was brilliant), but we suspect it was more that India wanted somebody jowelly and unfriendly on their staff
Continue readingRajasthan Royals sponsorship
< 1 minute readTake a look at these two people: In the West, having tanned skin is a sign of wealth. In India, having pale skin is a sign of wealth. Many Westerners use sun cream so they can be in the sun for longer or smear themselves in fake tan. Many Indians
Continue readingIPL format 2011
< 1 minute readThis is so perfect we actually had a little bit of a cry to express our gratitude. We struggle to explain our feelings about this unbelievable format, but if pushed, we’d go for ‘super psyched’. Brace yourself. Group stages There are 10 IPL teams. They are split into two groups
Continue readingHas anything happened in the IPL yet?
< 1 minute readNo, nothing has yet happened in the IPL. Matches have been played, teams have won, teams have lost, but nothing of any importance has taken place. Teams who have won a match are probably about one-seventh of the way to a play-off place. If you are excited about a particular
Continue readingMS Dhoni is a big match player
< 1 minute readGautham Gambhir played very well, but MS Dhoni is unique. He wasn’t Lord Megachief of Gold for no reason. People talk about big match players all the time, but they often mislabel matches as being big when they’re no such thing. Genuine big matches are rare and genuine big match
Continue readingWe’re supporting Zaheer Khan
< 1 minute readWe’re supporting India, but we’re struggling with that because we’ve got quite a big reservation. A win for India would, to some extent, be a victory for batting over bowling and we hate batsmen. For us, much of the joy of cricket is in the fall of wickets and we
Continue readingTendulkar v Murali
< 1 minute readWe wrote about the various World Cup storylines during the quarter-finals. The stories of Tendulkar and Murali, two ageing greats, seem to be the strongest now, but that’s mostly due to hindsight. All the same, it makes for a good narrative. There’s also a minor subplot that no-one will care
Continue readingMisbah-ul-Haq shot down in a blaze of bathos
< 1 minute readChasing 261 against India, Misbah-ul-Haq didn’t panic. As the run-rate climbed, Misbah kept his cool and as wickets fell, he stood firm, maintaining an almost tangible air of lack-of-intent. Dead-batting the ball again and again, Misbah sought to wear down the Indian attack to the extent that the match had
Continue reading