Go GILLY Go ... 85 off 35

Well, this entry is entirely to satisfy my EGO

The Deccan Chargers are in the Finals of IPL 2009. Delhi daredevils are out

I am just so glad that I got quite a lot right in my previous blog entry.

1. Adam Gilchrist - His innings can be summarized in one simple German word embedded in English language by the Panzer divisions of Hitler's armies ... BLITZKRIEG



2. Delhi decided to go with Warner instead of Vettori .. and it showed.

3. I said that opening pair was the key for Delhi. Well, they were none for two after 1st over.

4. In hindsight, I believe one thing has hurt Delhi more than people care to admit ... the fine print of the ass of a genious bolwer on the benches of Delhi Daredevils dugout ... Glen McGrath

Not predicting today's match; Kind of want Chennai to loose though, because:

A. I think Dhoni's stars have realligned, and the law of averages is catching up with him. His luck is out. Let him suffer here due to bad luck rather than upcoming T20 World Cup

B. Mathew hayden cannot do it over and over and over and over again.

C. My younger brother Arpan is a fierce CSK supporter, owing to past 4 years he spent at IIT Madras. I just want to pay him back for what he gave me when KKR were thrashed last year (I was in Kolkata then).

Anyways, out of my initial 3 favourites; Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad ; first two are out. So, I want Deccan Chargers to win IPL 2009; In my heart I believe Gilly deserves it completely.

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IMPORTANT : Champion's League, which was supposed to be held in India Dec 2008 and was cancelled dure to 26/11 attacks in Mumbai will be held in India October 23, 2009.

IPL 2: Semi-Final ONE

At the beginning of IPL, These are teams I supported (in order):

1. Delhi Daredevils
2. Mumbai Indians
3. Deccan Chargers

And now, Mumbai is down and out, and I have to choose between two teams I like.





Delhi is looking awesome. No problems anywhere.

1. Now with Sehwag and Gambhir firing yesterday, they can get Vettori in for Warner.
Bowling will look good; Nehra, Vettori, Amit Mishra, Nannes ... I would have McGrath rather than Nannes, but making him play out of the blue just like that isn't a good idea.

2. They are lucky to have a keeper whose Bat is firing; Karthik. Does wonders for team balance.

3. The terrific in-form opening pair will be followed by Dilshan and AB de Villers ... the two share more than 700 runs between them.

I believe the key for Delhi would be the Opening pair. If they fire, half the game is won then and there.



Deccan chargers started with a bang, but what worries me is that they don't have the momentum.
They were done in yesterday by Manish Pandey.
Their middle order isn't so compelling; barring Rohit Sharma of course.
Also, this is the second time they will be playing back to back games.

The thing in their favour is having match winnng players who love the big stage, important games.
Gilchrist's bat was silent all the way to the finals during World Cup 2007 in West Indies, and then he blasted Sri Lanka in the finals and made it a no contest.
Ditto with Gibbs. He is already in runs, scoring 60 yesterday.

It really doesn't matter, coz I know I will be both Heart-Broken and Euphoric when the game ends. All I really wish is that it is not a one sided game, and it doesn't rain.

***
By the way, does anyone knows What does "AB" stand for in AB de Villiers ??
It's Abraham de Villiers

Elections 2009: Results OUT !!!

I was in the 3rd AC of a train when counting commenced saturday morning and the results started pouring in (went to Raipur for Piyush's wedding). Would have simply loved to be glued to TV for those 3 - 4 hoours.

Definitely, UPA is back, NDA is out. Now I am no political Pundit/analyst. But I want to make a few comments:


1. A clear mandate was the LAST thing anyone expected in thes elections. And bhaartiya janta stumped everyone. Yippie !!!

2. This Election was not only engaging, but so much fun !!! Our Electronic media has quite come of age, and they made it a spectacular event, from campaign tracking to post-poll analysis ... Kudos to them.

3. The LEFT Parties got their ass kicked and I loved it. But not really sure if TMC would be any better.



4. Farewell Mr. Advani. I heard people say on Media that you will be remembered for demolishing Babri masjid. But I will remember you for something else; your Rath Yatra created the only viable non-Congress option in India. There was none before that. The regional parties were either the offshoots of Congress itself or a product of the Jay Prakash movement. Not commenting on what the BJP is today, it will most likely remain that thorn which will keep a check on Congress. Thanks to you, the Indian democracy stopped being a Congress Monopoly.

5. Glad that Mayawati, Mulayam, Lalu, Paswan got thrashed. They represent regressive caste politics and backward politics (SP manifesto proposed banning english and computers).




6. We will again have a Prime Minister which Indians feel proud of having. I remember when I watched the joint press conference of Dr. Singh and President Obama at theG-20 summit, I felt in my heart 'Damn, it feels good'. He is decent, clean, educated man. Dr Manmohan Singh, your political legacy as of now can be summarized in two things: Opening up Indian economy in 1991 and the Indo-US Nuke deal in 2008. I sincerely hope that you top these in this term; especially when the people of India have given a mandate which ensures you won't be hamstringed by allies again.

7. I felt the market would jump 700 - 800 points. It broke the upper circuit twice !!! More than 2000 points gained today.