WACA

WACA

I was in Perth last week. I took the opportunity one afternoon to visit WACA. I was quite excited about the visit. I was in Perth CBD and the ground is within walking distance from there. As I approached the stadium, a flood of random memories and images relating to WACA came to mind...

Lillee 

Sachin's bestestestest Innings

Bounciest track on the planet

Long cracks on the pitch

Tony Grieg's lost key 

Curtly's 8-for

Gilly's marana adi to Flintoff & friends

Justin Langer

Sachin's upper cut over slips against Brett Lee 

Nammakal Anjaneyar's 381

Who on earth is Freemantle doctor?

McGrath's hatrick

Shane Warne c M Richardson b Vettori  99

A Parore, L Vincent, S Fleming make merry in '00 test.

India's test win in '08

Damien Martyn

SAffer's win in '08

...and some more

I checked WACA's website and booked in for the Ground tour and Cricket Museum.

WACA Cricket Museum

If you are a cricket lover, this cricket museum is a must-see. Of the things I saw, these stood out:

a. The Under-arm ball: They have the actual match ball bowled by Trevor Chappell. And just to rub it in, they had a Silver Fern cap and a NZ Cricket Blazer near the ball. Rascals!

b. The Bradman Room: WA seem to adore Bradman more than any other state. I've done the MCG tour, apart from the big statue outside the ground, MCG didn't have anything significant on Bradman. Here, there were several portraits, rare action shots, couple of his jerseys, his match caps, his handwritten letters, original newspaper banners, autographed bats and handwritten score-books of matches played by Don. Superb collection!

Bradman in a net session

Also one of WACA's hospitality room is named after him too. Though Don was a South Australian, WA seem to love him as their own.

c. The Indian Cricket Team: There were numerous memorabilia from each India Cricket team that had toured Australia over the years. I was pleasantly surprised to see photos, signed exhibits of the first India cricket team to visit Australia in 1946. I think the team was captained by Lala Amarnath. It was great to see such rare items preserved so well.

WACA Ground Tour

WACA is different from the test match venues I've seen in Australia. It is a relatively small ground, and unlike a MCG or SCG it does not have the "Colosseum feel" when you walk through the gates. WACA is laid back. There are two stands on each ends with a smattering of corporate boxes, on the sides are a grass-bank and a make-shift stand. The ground could really do with a renovation. WACA, in its current state, reflects the attitude of the place to a certain extent. The cricket in the middle is played the hard way, the fair chunk of general public who come in enjoy the sun & beer and aren't too fussed over overt comforts. No frills, just froth and some good cricket!

Here are some photos from the Ground tour:

Our Ground Tour guide looks at a photograph and reminisces the day when Aussies reclaimed the Ashes

Son of the soil: J L Langer

We were taken to home side's dressing room. They had this to warn players it is time to get on the field

WA Test Reps. Please whistle pottufy for M E K Hussey.

View from the WACA's visitors' dressing room

Western Australia's Team of the Century!

We were taken to 'Stump Lounge' which had a autographed stump from each Test played at WACA

We were taken onto the playing arena. It felt surreal to stand on the very place cricket legends have played.

It was the off-season, so we didn't see a proper cricket pitch. It felt good to stand in the middle of one of the historic test match venues in the world.

WACA pitch. Looked more like a pitch at Basin Reserve, Wellington, NZ.

AU$15 well spent! :-)

What's it like being Sachin

I got hold of Greg Chappell's autobiography, Fierce Focus, the other day. I skipped straight to the chapter that interested me the most - "Sourav and I". Ganguly-Chappell is easily the most talked about player-coach relationship in the game, so the chapter was an engrossing read and Chappell's account was frank and to the point. However, when I finished the chapter, one paragraph, no, one line, kept ringing in my head. It was a comment made by Sachin Tendulkar (marked below). 



Friends. He can probably count them on one hand. They say it's always lonely and cold on the top...how true! It's a curse of being the elite of the elitist. On one hand, he has a billion people who adore him; some name their kid after him; few even tattoo his autograph; he's the best in his field of work and probably has enough moolah for another 99 lifetime, but in reality what the man may actually yearn for is a normal life and a few more true friends.

Sigh. Such is life!


Aside:

I hope he gets that 100x100 monkey off his back in tomorrow's test at Bradman's hometown. He scored a ton last time India played a test at Adelaide. How fitting would it be if he does it again!

Go Sachin! :)

Alone in the cauldron. I took this pic when Sachin walked out to a standing ovation at the MCG on Day 2, Boxing Day Test 2011

This = rand(thots, 1)

• Watched Unnai Pol Oruvan last weekend. A great movie. Unlike the friends I went with, I haven't seen the original, A Wednesday. I think having not seen the original helped me to appreciate movie on its own context without the inevitable comparison. While watching UPO, it took me a while to see Kamal as a common man. As the movie progressed, Kamal - the character - grew in me. Except for dialogues (only at some instances), every aspect of the movie was almost perfect. And no, I didn't find MohanLal's accent irritating. I actually liked it.
  

• Kamal proves, yet again, he is one of the few people to take Tamil Cinema to the next level. I really admire the brilliance and versatility of the man - not only as an actor - but as a movie maker. He is one of the few persons who really understands the medium called cinema. Legend!
  

• A friend sent me this clip. Chakri Toleti, director of Unnai Pol Oruvan, is in it. Funny clip.

• Things have been busy in work front. The last month has been a huge learning curve and greatly rewarding. Along with other stuff I've got running in parallel, I am happy that I've accomplished what I set to do.
  

• Weddings. Kalyanams. Engagement parties. Nichiyatharthams...September was full on!

• Later this month, one of my best friends, is getting married in Auckland. At last, I am attending a TamBram wedding after god-knows-how-many years. I cant wait for Oct 23rd. Ganesaaa!

• I hate time zones. Why do all my good friends have to live in different timezones. Hmph!
  

• I was at IKEA this weekend. I don't know what's with that place, it's my second visit there and I am writing about it again. Two things: I saw the biggest bathtub I've ever seen in my life. It was a size of a small lake. Massive. I also saw a slam-proof toilet seat. I tilted the toilet lid, and watched it slowly and noiselessly descend and close with faint click. The saleswomen pitching for the product looked very pleased. I asked her "do you have one that lifts automatically when someone approaches?", and immediately added "...and lowers when they depart?". The saleswoman gave a blank look and said "ahhh. no. sorry." Men can sometimes forget to lift the seat. This can cause a degree of domestic disharmony. I am sure IKEA will fully expound on the sales potential of the automatic seat lifting toilet. I wonder what's next?
  

• NZ playing Australia today in Champions Trophy final now. Go the Black Caps! Underdogs vaazhgha!

• I have not had Rasam for more than three weeks now. I am craving for hot thakaali rasam with poricha appalam.

• This weekend is gonna be a cookfest.
  

• I am brushing up my MATLAB skills. It's been 3 years since I've worked on MATLAB/Simulink. Hence the title of the post.
  

Sachinesh

Ganesh's tattoo

It is common knowledge that Sachin Tendulkar has a huge fan following all over the world. There are different types of ST-fans. I quantify the continuum of ST fan to:

just another fan -> 'i-like-Sachin-of-the-old-nowadays-he's-not-that-aggressive-yaaar' fan -> dedicated 'haan-i-remember-all-his-innings' fan -> a serious & passionate fan -> Tendulkar zealot -> Fanatic (e.g. ones who like to use their blood to write letters to ST)

Except the Fanatic, I know people who fit into the other mentioned categories.

I belong to the 4th category. Anyone who have followed SRT's career closely, understands - to a certain extent - the evolution of ST's batsmanship over the years and admires the way ST plays the game will fall into that category. The defining characteristics of a 'serious & passionate fan' are:

1. Watches every ST innings. If there is no live telecast in cable, resorts to live video streaming. No live video streaming as well? Cricinfo to the rescue. He will be glued to the text commentary and would squirm in his seat whenever there is long pauses between updates. (God Bless all those souls who stream India matches live online for free...you guys rock!).
2. When Sachin plays, nobody says a word in the house. No one should ask the score. No questions about Sachin. "Yenna, Sachin out-aaa?" (Is Sachin out?) is the most provocative question to this ST fan. Once a friend asked me that, I followed up with a barrage of words that would make some sailors feel shy.
3. Superstitions: When Sachin is batting: person A (if present) has to sit on the blue stool, person B always sits on the ground, the blinds are half shut, cell phone is in silent mode and the irritating kid from the neighbours is not let into the house.
4. Some of us have the 'intellectual' ability to predict how ST will do on the day. From the colour of his gloves, the stripes in his shoes, colour of the grip, the way he looks (i.e. shaven/unshaven, haircut (it's stupid I know!) )...the intuitive mind of this ST fan observes everything and passes a prediction. It is right, most of the times.
5. The heart rate is high during these crucial moments of ST's innings: the first ten deliveries of innings, the first few deliveries after lunch/tea/drinks break, vulnerable sixties and nervous nineties.
6. Strongly believes that LBW should removed from the rule book. ST has had more than his share of shocking decisions esp the LBW's. It makes sense that it should be banned.
7. The least favourite last name is Bucknor. Cricket's Morgan Freeman is a good umpire. Unfortunately his decision making seems to err whenever he umpires ST. The name Steve Bucknor has appeared in the black books of any ST fan numerous times. Thank God he is retiring. Good bye Steve!

Over the last few days, a good friend of mine, Ganesh, has made a transition from a serious & passionate ST fan to a Tendulkar Zealot. How? Why? You may ask. Here is the story.

26th February 2009. It was the eve of Twenty20 game between India and NZ. G was walking past the hotel where the Indian cricket team was staying in Wellington. By sheer coincidence he met Sachin Tendulkar in the lobby entrance of the hotel car park. G could not believe his luck. He got Sachin's autograph. He wanted a pic with Sachin but his wretched camera wouldn't work. G requested Sachin to sign his arm and told him that he'll get it tattooed. Sachin gave a quizzical look, smiled and signed his arm. Having Sachin Tendulkar's autograph tattooed had been G's long-time dream.

Ganesh after meeting ST

1st March 2009. Basin Reserve, Wellington. The Indian cricket team is due to arrive at 1330hrs for the practice session. G was among the hoard of fans waiting for the Indian team bus. ST stepped out of the bus. "Sachhiiiiiiinnnn", fans roared. Sachin, with a smile on his face, recognised G in the crowd. G was over the moon. He was initially speechless for two reasons. Firstly, Sachin r-e- m-e-m-b-e- r- e-d him. Sachin, a huge celebrity, meets so many fans everyday. To him G is just another fan. Still, Sachin recalled. Secondly, G got Tendulkar's autograph tattooed the previous day.

"Yes I did". G proudly flashed his tattoo. Sachin gave a hearty laugh and proceeded on. G was overjoyed. Not just because Sachin recognised him and saw his tattoo, but he believed he had done something very special. He believed that the tattoo is the symbol for the admiration he has on Sachin Tendulkar. With the tattoo, he felt he'd made a transformation into the next level in the continuum of Sachin Tendulkar fan.

G's tattoo attracted attention from many people. During the practise session, G was interviewed by Times Now. You may see him on TV or his story published in the papers. G met Sachin later and took few photos with him.

Ganesh with Sachin

Today, G transformed from a true ST fan to something very special - a Tendulkar Zealot. For a very brief moment, Ganesh became Sachinesh.

Good on you mate!

--

Update 1: Feel free to leave a comment/message to G. He checks this blog regularly. Cheers!

Update 2: Press photo of G and the tattoo. Look at him...he's beaming with pride. LOL.


Update 3: Here is an article by Indian Express which mentions Ganesh's tattoo.

Maanga Adi!

Thanks Kunal_clicks at Flickr

It was a hot Sunday afternoon. Channel Nine was showing the highlights of a beach cricket game between Australia and South Africa. This game was part of XXXX GOLD Beach Cricket Tri-Nations Series Summer played at Coolangatta Beach, Gold Coast. Jason Gillespie trotted in to bowl to a random South African batsman. There was no intensity in the game. The players were going through the motions for the sake of it. I was bored. The heavy 'Sunday Special' lunch made me feel dull and sleepy. Slouching on the couch, reminisce the cricket I used to play with my mates in Madras, I slipped into a nostalgic reverie...

Rewind back 10 years...

Madras. Summer holidays. Street cricket. Its them vs. us. The best of five 'series' stands at 2 - 1 to our opponents. It's a must win game for us. We were confident and the intensity was high. I am A. I have B and C in my team. They have X, Y, Z. Its 6/6 (six overs per side). Z came up to me for the pakka street cricket version of toss - IN or OUT. Z showed his closed fist and asked "In or Out?". I said to C "Dei, nee sollu". C was the youngest in the team and had the reputation of calling it right when it matters. C cupped his palms under Z's closed fist (C does this so that Z does not cheat by hiding the stone between his fingers, if C calls in) and called "in". "Panni, epdi da eppavume correct-a solra" growled Z.

6PM. We won the toss. It was half-light of late evening and it wasn't going to get any better, so we chose to bat. It is an unwritten rule in street cricket that if you win the toss you, obviously, chose to bat. We would've chosen to bat anyway had we played with the Sun blazing on our heads. We were all out for a decent score of 31 with three deliveries to spare.

The light was fading. Since it was summer holidays, time was not an issue for us. All of us were eager to finish the game. But there was a problem - the state of our team ball. The rubber ball had a small superficial tear on its 'seam'. This is was the beginning of the end for the ball. From our vast experience, we knew all the balls need to split open is a powerful shot or to bounce of a sharp edge/stone on the road. As school kids we could only afford the ten-rupee rubber ball from naadar kadai. The reliable and longer-lasting Cosco or Jupiter tennis balls were a bit dearer.

Rubber balls always give up at the most inappropriate moment. This ball didn't fail to disappoint us. In the second ball of the innings, the ball announced its end with the 'pock' sound after it hit the deck. No one had any spare tennis/rubber balls. What to do? It was late twilight now. The light was fading. Our signal to finish playing was when Meenakshi Mami comes out with bucket of water and kola maavu (rice flour). Mami doesn't like anyone running over her kolam. Usually she'd say,"Pasangalaa, sandhyakalam. Iruttu ayidthu..ellarum aathukku pongo" and wait for us to finish. But today, she was a bit early for the kolam. Maybe she was in a rush. Kolam was drawn and she was off.


Coming back to the ball issue, none of us were willing to go. We were milling around wondering where we could find a ball. The chance of an angel handing us a ball on a silver plate was remote. Kids like us do not get extraordinary opportunities. We have to seize daily situations and make them favourable to us. We have to create/make our own opportunities. The house adjacent to our bowling crease was the residence of Viswanthan Iyer. I saw Viswanathan Iyer's grandson playing with a ball in their portico. Tling...bells rang. Bulbs flickered. I knew where our next ball was coming from. Getting the ball from this ten-year old was not an easy talk because he is a mini-Viswanathan Iyer himself.

Viswanathan Iyer (VI) was a retired man in his early sixties. He was known for his mercurial temper and angry outbursts. He was a man of many moods. VI was not only the supreme authority in his house - he is also the great iyer-vaal of our colony. He treats cricket as a waste of time. He considers playing cricket, that too street cricket, inexcusable. VI proclaims he doesn't watch any cricket telecasts. But the Man is up to date with his views (mostly criticisms) on India's latest defeat. A common friend vowed he would never to talk cricket with VI after a peaceful conversation turned into high-pitched emotional monologue "Yenna captain saar indha Azharuddin. Prasad-a paarunga...Avan nadaiyum, avan moonjiyum. Thoongi ezhundhu vandha maadhiri podaran. Indha kammanatingallan India'ku aada vandhutaanga. These fellows are spoilt.". His face would become purple with rage when he recalled/quoted a spectacular only-india-can-do-it batting collapse "Ninnu aada matengaranga saar. Yedho vechada yeduka pora maadhiri, wicket thooki vitterinjitu poranga. Ivanga aadratha paatha, yennaku pathindu yeriyardhu". Since then, the common friend would think twice before entering our street.

VI, expectedly, was never happy with us playing cricket outside his house. He made a fuss whenever the ball went into his lawn. After VI did some home-renovations, he told us to play another place, may be in a ground. We chuckled and told him there were no grounds nearby. Back in our minds, we were like "aama, Chepauk Stadium, Nehru Stadium ellam tharandhu vechu engala "Come on, Come on" kuparanga paaru!, sariyaana tubelight mama neenga".

Street cricket layout

Coming back to the ball issue, VI's grandson, lets call him 'o' (for reasons which will be know soon), was playing with a tennis ball. I put to him an offer which was too good to refuse. The offer was: He would get a two gaajis - one over in the beginning of the innings and one over in the end. He can just sit on the compound wall and watch us play i.e. he doesn't have to field. "Naaa...amma kitta kett...", I intertupted him and said "Nee Amma kitta, aatukutti kitta, kettu vararthukula time ayidum. Ippo nee variya ilaiya?". He gave me a look which was a mix of surprise, excitement and suspicion. He agreed. o was an ordinary kid with no outstanding virtue of muscle or cricket-ability. o was our 'oppukuchappa'.

Game on. The target for X, Y and Z was 31 in 6 overs. B was our opening bowler and Y was the batsman in strike. B was our strike bowler and Y was their best batsman. The duel between B's bowling and Y's batting was stirring to watch. An outsider may not find the clash of B's bowling and Y's batting engrossing - let alone they realise there was a battle in the first place. For us, the game hinged on this battle. B and Y are good buddies off the field. The moment B, with a ball in his hand, marks his run up with a sengal and Y takes the leg stump guard, there was no friendship or fellowship between them. Fierce competition. The intensity raised a notch. Everyone was focused. No one spoke. This moment, this particular moment, where we are oblivious to the happenings around us, each and every person in both teams wait with a bated breath on what would unfold next is, for me, the essence of street cricket. Street cricket, in those moments, is more than a game. It is a feeling, a sensation. It is this passion which is the genesis of many fine Indian cricketers. There is no phenomenon like a street cricketer.

6.40PM. The score was 22 from 4 overs. They needed 10 runs from 12 balls with two wickets in hand. Easy you may think. Cricket is a funny game - always throwing up twists and turns. Y was batting. C bowled a half-tracker outside off stump. Y tried to loft it over the bowler's head but ended up getting a top edge. C back-pedalled, almost lost the ball due to bad light, but somehow sighted the ball and caught it in the last moment. We were back in the match. It was getting darker, but it did not matter to us. We just had to get one more wicket. We quickly got into positions. Just then o was called in by his mother. He quicky jumped of the compound wall, promptly took the ball from C and left. End of the day's game.

Thanks to Mai An Hoa Flickr

B, Y and I were going to watch India vs. West Indies Test at C's place. 8.30PM. We met outside C's place waiting for the match to start. There was a cool breeze, monotonously repetitive noises of night insects, the rustle of neem leaves - it was an idyllic evening. Y, sitting on his bicycle - Street Cat, said "Man, I almost had that shot...twas a pazham ball, if only had I watched the ball more closely, we would've won the game". I responded "Machi...you were foxed by the pace, the lack of it. You did expect that ball to be a tad slower". X and Y nodded in muted agreement. B brought his bat (the free bat given if you buy Boost, one of the leading Health food drink) that night. He was shadow-batting and mimicking the stance, signature strokes of Tendulkar, Mark Waugh, Jadeja etc. There was a pile of jalli stones beside us. Y took the bat from B, grabbed a handful of jalli stones. With his left hand, Y tossed a stone in the air, as the stone rised up and came down, he gently stroked it along the road. Y displayed perfect execution of various strokes, the power in his hits increased with every stroke. B and I sat on the compound wall listening to crunching sound of stone meeting the bat and tried to spot each stone as it made its way to the street's dead end.

Suddenly, Y with a smirk on his face, chirped "Idha paar (Check this out)". He,once again, tossed a stone up in the air. This time the stone went little higher and away from Y than usual. Y attempted a flat batted hit, more like a tennis-forehand. The stone hit the toe-end of the bat and BANG! We looked at each other and ran.

Thank God it rained the next day. We knew we broke something in either VI's or Meenakshi Mami's house.

Two days later, we were back playing for the first time after that night. The incident was lurking in the back of our minds. C and X, who live in the street, did not mention anything to us. When we were just about to finish for the day, VI came outside. We were almost sh*ting in our pants expecting a dramatic denouement. "Dei pasangalaa, inga vangada. Rendu naal munaadi, naanga aathla illadha podhu, enga aathla thirudan vandhirdan. Idha paaru...(pointing at the front door) glass-a odachu, ulla vara try pannirkan. Door grill irudhadhu naala pozhachom. Indha area'la aal nadamattam romba jaasthi-a irruku. Neenga yaravadhu suspicious-a yevanachu paathela da?". Y, putting on a puppy face, in a beautiful Thirunelveli-jilla accent, "illa mama. Indha area-la kadavaali pasanga remmba jaasthi aitaanga! Nallaa-ve illa". VI sighed and said "Hmm...Seri, neenga pongo".

As we walked back, the three of us felt a heavy burden off our chests. That night, we assembled again outside C's place to watch the final day of Ind v WI test match. We were sitting on the compound wall just staring at VI's residence. I said to Y, "andha shot-a nee marupadiyum correct-a adikala...aana, machan, adhu Maanga adi".


Disclaimer: All characters are fictitious. Any resemblences are supposedly coincidental :D

Barmy Army Chants

A follow up on crowd chants. Below are some by Barmy Army.

Note: The chants/poems below were NOT written by me. They are all Barmy Armys' creations.

Shane Warne

He's fat
He's round
He bounces on the ground
Shane Warne, Shane Warne

Muralitharan

Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
Gently down the stream
Murali Murali Murali Murali
Chucks it like a dream

Throw, throw, throw your ball
gently down the pitch,
Murali, Murali, Murali, Murali,
isn't life a bitch.

Throw, throw, throw your ball
gently down through the air,
Murali, Murali, Murali, Murali,
where is Darrell Hair.

Shane Warne

(To the tune of 'My Old Man's A Dustman')
Shane Warne is an Aussie
He wears a baggy cap
He wears a Nike earing
He is an Aussie twat
He's got his little flipper
He's got his box of tricks
But when he bowls at Strauss
He hits him for a six

Shane Warne’s Villa
(To the tune of Tony Christie’s ‘Amarillo’)
Show me the way to Shane Warne’s Villa
He’s got his diet pills under his pilla (pillow)
A dodgy bookie from Manila
Nursey’s on her mobile phone

Repeat x3

La-la lar la-la la-la lar, Fat Git!
La-la lar la-la la-la lar, Take a bung
La-la lar la-la la-la lar,
Warney where’s your mobile phone?

Justin Langer

Langer is an Aussie
He wears the gold and green
He is the biggest whinger
That we have ever seen

He wasn’t very happy
When we called Brett Lee’s no ball
He’s got a very big mouth
And he’s only five feet tall

Ricky Ponting

I can’t read and I can’t write
I must be Australian
I can’t read and I can’t write
I must be Australian

I can’t bowl and I can’t bat
My names Ricky Ponting
I can’t drink and I can’t fight
My names Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting
Ponting is the captain
Of the Aussie cricket team
But once the match is over
He is a gay drag queen

Ricky Ponting
Ponting’s special friend
Is a man called Glenn McGrath
You’ll see them holding hands
At the Sydney Mardi Gras


...Australia's response:

Sung to the tune of 'Advance Australia Fair' - Australia's national anthem. Written by Australian songwriters - Greg Champion and Dave Brookes.

Fred Flintoff is a criminal,
Trescothick is a bore,
And Michael Vaughan’s a mummy’s boy,
And Ian Bell never scores.
Paul Collingwood can’t get a game
And Pieterson’s a flop,
If they’re the best old England’s got,
They might as well give up.

Crowd at The Gabba

It was a hot Saturday afternoon at the Brisbane Cricket Ground (colloquially called The ‘Gabba) in the first test match between the Trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand. The scorching heat and humidity made me run towards the sparse strip of shade in the Grandstand as the sun tilted towards west. Under this thirty-six degree heat, Tim Southee was under the cosh as Simon Katich smashes consecutive fours. Daniel Vettori, the NZ captain, has a word with his tired bowler and they make few changes to the field set up while delicately balancing attack and defence.

Amongst all this action, there was something strange happening in the background. Something…it has always been there but there is something more to it now. Ah, it’s the crowd, no the crowd noise. A section of the crowd in the adjacent grandstand, mainly Australian supporters – majority of them holding a plastic tumbler of cold beer on one hand and a plastic soft-drink bottle on the other, shouting:

“Cullum’s a wanker,

tum dum, tum, tum dum” (by tapping the plastic bottle on the seats)

Whenever a new player takes field position near that particular section of the crowd; they welcome him by chanting on his name. I have heard this particular crowd chant before in test matches in NZ and I should admit I found it quite funny the first time I heard it (especially the way the rhythm is maintained by tapping the plastic bottles for “tum dum, tum, tum dum” or by clapping).Calling a person a wanker is insulting. But it didn’t stop there. NZ players were subjected to continuous abuse from crowd with comments like “Faggots”, “F**k off Kiwis/NZ” etc. This resulted in a verbal and physical altercation between Australian and NZ supporters. Ten people were evicted from the stadium.

Australian crowds abusing players is not a new phenomenon. They are well known for their foul-mouthed outbursts and racial gibes – a Muralitharan, Ntini, Gibbs, Caddick or Harbhajan Singh (albeit gave a few himself) have faced the brunt and can vouch for it. Big screens in major cricket grounds regularly flash the ICC anti-racism code, but it has little or no effect.

While the group was doing their preposterous deed, I was beginning to wonder: Here we have a group of people having a good time with mates or fellow cricket enthusiasts, watching cricket over few beers. It’s all good fun, they take the Mickey out of the players – which is OK as long it doesn’t get too personal (‘wanker’ chant , even though not terribly insulting, is over the line) and gradually or suddenly – I don’t know, they get incensed or get carried away with the fun and pass a offensive and/or racist remark. Why? You may think I have already answered the question in the previous sentence. The offensive and/or racist remark is the end result. My question is how they arrived to that stage which makes them utter those remarks. Why did their behaviour, which initially was cheerful and sporting, turn into a mob-like behaviour? Would each member of that group behave the same way if they were isolated from the group? Why, when together as a group, is there a deliberate suspension of decent and responsible public behaviour? Or does the mere fact of being in this collective presence give them an ideal opportunity to vent and display a false sense of ego? I do not understand this psychology.

I am sure certain individuals in that group would know, subconsciously, that their action were not correct. But they probably shun their conscience and went with the flow. Who ever are the individuals that composed the group, whatever their occupations, character, beliefs, intelligence – they let themselves down that day. Shame on you guys!

IMHO, the reason for this type of behaviour could boil down to the aggressive nature of Australian culture and the way of upbringing children in the society - parents inculcating right morals to their children at home and education at school. This type of behaviour is hereditary...so sadly, I don’t see it changing any time soon.

Oh by the way, NZ lost the test match. It’ll probably add more fuel to the fire for the Adelaide crowd.

My top 10 Ganguly moments

This is my top ten memorable moments of Sourav Ganguly's career. There were numerous moments to choose from, but I chose the instances where I/we would remember Ganguly for the person/player he is.

Here it goes.


10. On a collision course. Running between the wickets is not Ganguly's forte. 'Quick' singles are not really a feature in SG's batting. But when he does decide to take that 'quick' single, obstructions of any form doesn't help. Here is a Minties moment...

10. The comback innings - This was Ganguly's first international game after his excile due to Chappell row. 51 not out vs South Africa, Johhanesburg, 2006. Determination and grit under intense pressure.


9. Stop wasting time! Ganguly argues with Mohammed Yousuf.


8. Taunting the Iceman, yea bring back the Biff! - Irritating Steve Waugh by being late for the toss (I think it was not deliberate, well who knows?), getting the red rag out of the pocket in the Goa one-dayer, howling send off to Steve Waugh after his dismissal...It all counts!

7. The Man with the golden arm. The partnership breaker. Five-fer in Sahara Cup 199?, crucial wickets Adelaide Test '99, vs Aus Kolkata '98, vs Pakistan '0? and other matches I can't remember.


6. 143 vs Australia, Brisbane. Gutsy knock. It set up the series for India and was a precursor to some great batting in the series.


5. Ganguly - Tendulkar partnership vs SA, Jo'burg, 2001-2. Brutal knock!


4. Test Debut century vs England, Lords 1996.


3. "I was asked to step down as captain" - Ganguly spills the beans in a press conference after scoring 12th Test century against Zimbabwe in 2005. Followed by the Chappell's email...Beginning of the end?


2. The sight of Ganguly charging down the track to a spinner. In this video, Muralitharan is the victim. 183, vs Sri Lanka, World Cup 1999, Taunton.

1. Natwest Trophy final celebration, Lords. Nothing beats this.

Some notable moments & innings which just missed the cut. They are:

• Double hundred vs Pakistan, Banglore
• Verbal encounter with Stuart Broad in 4th ODI vs England (Don't **** with me buddy!)
• 87 on a difficult pitch vs SA at Ahmedabad '08
• Tense hundred vs Australia at Melbourne '00
• 80 odd vs Australia at Melbourne '03 (before Sanjay Bangar caused a run out)
• Final moments of his final test

What are your 'Ganguly' moments?

Dada says Tata

Sourav Ganguly has retired. It was a bit sad to see him go - not because he was India's most successful test captain or one of the greatest one day batsman of all time - but he is a fighter, a natural & charismatic leader and one of the great personalities of the modern game.

I was a never a big fan of Sourav but I had this quiet admiration of his approach to the game, his intuitive - bordering towards impulsive - captaincy and the confident attitude with that touch of arrogance.

Ganguly's reign was synonymous with India's emergence as cricket's superpower. He will always be remembered as the symbol or representative of the new generation of sportsmen, why even young Indians, who dare and give a good fight.

Ganguly, in my opinion, can not be classified as a batting genius. His shortcomings in his batting are common knowledge to anyone who have followed Indian cricket. Watching him bat can make you stand up from your seat and applaud or cringe in the same seat. I will miss his leaden-footed waft outside the off stump, the WTF look he gives just after the waft, the look of being shot-down just before he faces a fast bowler (OK this was during the period when he was terribly out of form - e.g. India tour of NZ in 2002), the silken cover-drives, huge sixes coming down the track against the spinners and the uncanny knack of picking up a wicket to break a huge partnership (No wonder he is/was called 'the man with the golden arm').

Sourav, thank you for everything. We will miss you. You were a freakish legend!