At two minutes to 8 AM, I was congratulating myself for exactly estimating the distance and speed of my car to reach Airline Hotel on time. Even had the punch line ready: “Staying with RCB for two weeks makes a man punctual for life”. Guess what, the last stretch of the road was a one-way. Siva reached on time (as in ON time) and called me promptly. I was late by two whole minutes. Ray Jennings’ stare would have pierced through my soul.

We begun the catching up chat and were soon joined by Shashank and Prasad (the cool dude in the snap below). Discussion shifted right on to the annual fan- magazine proposal. We had questions as to how big the magazine would be, what the content shall be, how would the layout be and whether it would be sold or just available at the stadium on match days. So on and so forth. Shashank will take the detailed questions forward with Nidhi.

All four of us ordered Idli-vada simultaneously. By the time the waiter brought them, we were joined by Akash who is a software engineer (surprise, surprise). He too ordered Idli Vada.

Akash and I have already met in the Chinnaswamy stadium. He was one of the winners of the twitter contest and hence got to see the Champions League matches with Lalit Modi. He recounted some interesting stories from the experience.

The hot topic was the upcoming auction. There was some confusion as to how many players RCB can go for and which players are eligible for the auction. Shashank was well informed on the topic. Siva called up RCB team analyst Prasanna to clarify further.
International players, who were not bought in last auction, are eligible. The trading window between clubs is now closed. RCB has not traded any of the players. As per the auction, RCB can bid for two players (in place of Nathan Bracken and Misbah-Ul_Haq). Nearly same is the case with other clubs too.

There would be a huge pull for Pollard. Apparently RCB would go for him. But so is the case with another rich club Mumbai Indians. They desperately need a dashing finisher in their team. It would be a fight to watch for between these two giants.

Speaking of Mumbai, we discussed about the Ranji final in detail. As Siva mentioned earlier, we were intrigued by how RCB fans from other states were supporting Karnataka in Ranji . RCB, or any other club for that matter, is comprised of international players and players from other states. It is a truly global entity. Of course, there is always a regional element, but it is not the sole criterion as is also evident from the fan base and players. I have seen Virat Kohli (a Delhi lad) merrily uncorking the champagne on the night he played a major role in ousting Delhi from the Champions league, even though RCB had already been eliminated. But he would be ruthless in slaying Karnataka in a Ranji match. Perfectly understandable and natural.

Ranji teams are region based and that is how the loyalty should be, if one goes by the logic. Shashank took the point further when he expressed fears over fans expressing joy if Dale Steyn runs through Indian batting order in the upcoming series .

On that hilarious note, we decided to part. I got up to take some snaps and realized that ours was the only all-male table. All those pretty faces that show up in the fan-base on the right side, please show up in the meet as well.

While driving back, I wondered who would I support if there was a match between Indore and Bangalore. Conclusion was “Whichever team is winning on the day”.

No matter how much is being said about Sachin these days, I (like half of India) still stay hungry for more and more articles and quotes and stories and anecdotes and analysis and the list goes on.

The fact that Sachin is once-in-a-lifetime batting phenomenon is already established. Any further records might just serve an academic purpose. Still many of us have a wish-list for him to achieve before he retires.

His record of most international runs looks almost untouchable. Over 30k runs and still going strong. But there is an acknowledgeable threat from Ricky Ponting as a contender to end up with more Test runs than him. Right now Ponting is nearly one and a half thousand runs behind Sachin. Rahul Dravid is just three hundred runs short of Ponting.

However, a look at the international cricket calendar from now till 2010 end leaves an Indian fan worried. India is going to play only 10 Test matches while Australia is going to play 18 Test matches (if one includes all The Ashes matches). So by 2011, Ponting would leave Dravid far behind and if one goes by averages, he would be around 600 runs short of Sachin. These batsmen score nearly 1000 runs an year, which means that if Ponting’s career outlasts that of Sachin even by less than a year, Ponting might very well end up with the record.

Ponting is about a year and a half younger and started playing international cricket much later which implies that he is in a good position to outlast Sachin. Of course there are various other factors; some would say that Australians don’t keep a player in the team simply to allow him to create a record (like India is accused of playing Kapil Dev in his last matches). But right now, none of the batsmen are a burden on team by any distance. All we can wish right now is that BCCI schedules more Test matches in Indian calendar.

Coming to Sachin’s other records now. He has 88 centuries and 142 half centuries. He has scored 5 centuries in 2008 and 5 in 2009 until mid November. We would need him to play at least for a couple of years more to get to the century of centuries. Even if 100 centuries look difficult, he would definitely end up with 150 half centuries by 2011 World cup. Not even Ponting looks probable to better this tally.

Would Sachin score a triple hundred before he retires? The chances are less. All of the batsmen who have scored a triple century either open the innings of bat one-down. Scoring a triple century needs a combination of prime form, luck and supporting conditions. If the pitch and conditions are good, chances are that top three batsmen would already have scored a lot of runs and a team would rather declare or get all-out before the two-down batsman scores triple hundred. I would put Rahul’s or Ponting’s chances higher than that of Sachin to get a triple hundred.

If you look closely at the statistics of highest scoring batsmen, you would notice that Sachin’s proportion of ODI runs is much higher than Test runs when compared to others. Again, there are reasons, like India plays higher percentage of ODIs than other nations. But the most important reason probably is that Sachin opens in ODI while comes two-down in Tests. Contrast that with Ponting who always bats one-down or Brian Lara who used to bat one-down in Test and two-down in ODIs. Naturally Lara has more Test runs than ODI. The data for four of the batsmen discussed is at the end of the article.

The batting position also explains why Sachin is so far ahead in ODI. His records in ODI might never get broken. You would need an extraordinarily gifted individual to bat consistently for over 20 years and that too as an opener. I don’t think I would live long enough to see that happening again. But I would keep watching the old videos to relive the glory days again and again.

Sachin Tendulkar:
Tests Runs: 12877
ODI Runs: 17178

Ricky Ponting:
Tests Runs: 11345
ODI Runs: 12311

Rahul Dravid:
Tests Runs: 11038
ODI Runs: 10765

Brian Lara:
Test Runs: 11953
ODI Runs: 10405

Following are the results of a poll conducted on RCB blog :



If I were Pratibha Patil, I would invite the WCWHB party to form the government. The single “Other” {Nirdaliya) is all they need to woo to reach the critical halfway mark. In fact, even the second biggest opposition party with 32% votes wouldn’t mind giving outside support to WCWHB, a party that is keen to follow traditions but is brave enough to entertain experiments.

So strong is the winning party’s philosophy that the ideologically opposite and right-wingish NCAA (No Cheerleaders at all) party members are being speculated as lunatics. More about this loser party, later.

Let’s have a look at the demographic distribution of supporters of these parties. As is the norm in media, I would ignore the Nirdaliya.

1. WCWHB: Hope shines out from the party’s name. Remember Obama’s campaign. Those who voted for WCWHB, saw a colorful future. The fusion promised the taste of old and a sight of new, a beautiful amalgamation of different cultures . A few nerds too joined these guys just out of curiosity. They mistook the rhetorical beginning “Why can’t we” literally.

2. ILWMG (let’s have foreign cheerleaders): Some might accuse this party of patronizing anything foreign. The nasty ones can even smell racism (I love WHITE Mischief Gals). Truth is that this party liked what it has seen so far (understandably) and hence is resisting the change.

3. IP(We should have Indian cheerleaders): One might recall “Videshi Hatao, Swadeshi Apnao” days. The party should now look at the benefits of globalization that this country is reaping. Whenever Ross Taylor hits the ball for a six, we would love to see Indian cheerleaders dancing with dandiya sticks, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the foreign ones with pom-poms to compliment them. By the way, dandiya sticks would be so cool with some steps.

4. NCAA: Sadist would be a stronger word for the party. One out of the four is a not-so-considerate-wife. The second one doesn’t have a Tv and follows cricket on cricinfo. Third one is a religious fundamentalist with misplaced interests. Fourth one is Kallis himself, the one whose sister Janine dances for the opposition. As a cheerleader in the IPL 2008, Janine started dancing at the fall of a RCB wicket only to discover it was brother Jacques trudging back to the pavilion. "I don't mind really," said Kallis. "Except, she really did seem to be doing her job very well when I was out. She didn't have to look so pleased!"

I am so glad that the party I voted for won. It helps recover from the blues mentioned here after the CL got over.



Conclusion: Cheerleaders, as a rule, are all good.

-Prashant Dhanke

To be honest, I didn’t expect the Chinnaswamy stadium to be full and that too with fans cheering on top of their voices on the Diwali evening. Not when RCB was already out of reckoning and a security scare. Neither did I anticipate that the team would actually finish off the Daredevils with 29 balls to spare.

Therein lies the explanation. The 40,000 strong crowd believed in the team and was there to show its love and support. The team responded to that faith and to Ray’s parting words in the team meeting “Let’s create something special tonight; thousands would be looking at us for the inspiration”.

No one who was present at the stadium this Diwali would ever forget the night. The sky was lit with fire-works for ages. An official told me that the stadium has never been so noisy since the 1996 India-Pakistan Quarter Final. No mean feet by any standards, my friends. The victory lap after the match might very well be the scene by which this tournament would be remembered ten years from now.

Having sung the glory of the night let me also tell you about a couple of relatively unimportant facts. Over half the Daredevils supporters with blue flags in the crowd were fake opportunists . Flags, both blue and red, were being distributed freely outside the stadium and with typical Indian mentality some grabbed whatever they could. A stand on my left was half blue when Sehwag was blazing, and turned completely red by the time Ross went on with his job.

I also happened to meet winners of the twitter contest held by Lalit Modi. All the guys were seated in J-corporate box and they got a taste of what I meant by “unlimited supply of food and booze”. One of the winners, Hrish had my number and we met near the bar. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that some of them have been reading my posts. They insisted on clicking a photo with me. Since my face isn’t a value-add on any snap, we came up with the following solution:



Later on these guys succeeded in scoring a snap with Sunil Gavaskar himself.

PS: I would be writing a few more posts which were planned but couldn’t be completed due to the early exit. Although, the comments sections have been deserted off late, I know your souls are begging for more.

The team had a gala time last night at Anil’s place while celebrating Kallis’s and Anil’s Birthday and Diwali. We were simply blown away by the Anil and his wife Chetana’s hospitality. Along with the tastiest food which comprised of Thai and Indian cuisine, on offer were drinks and cocktails.

I got a call from a friend in the midst of the party. It was a joy to casually mention my whereabouts.

Team gelled well with the small group of about 40 other guests. Little kids were the actual heroes as players lined up to have snaps with them. The team analyst Prasanna brought his son Sachin and daughter Lara to the party. Siva’s wife and son too enjoyed the company of players.

Though I did have my scotch on the rocks, none of the players went beyond diet coke. Players found much better ways to entertain themselves. Ross was a hit with the cook-force. On being told that he s not doing bad with the Paranthas, he responded with, “Wait till tomorrow morning to find out.”

Roelof freaked out the first time he heard a loud fire-cracker go boom. Dale, in absence of any wild-life, went about clicking people in awkward poses. The sense of timing required in the wild did help him get some excellent shots.

Virat, Praveen and the company were busy pulling each other’s legs. Kumble invited Kallis to cut the cake, which Theo, the team’s protection-head, liked so much that he gobbled up six pieces of it in no time.

On our way back to the bus, Anil’s neighbors were eagerly waiting with firecrackers. The bus was waiting around 200 meters from Anil’s place and each family on our way back got one or the other player to light the crackers for them. Check Siva’s space for the photos.

At the bus-entrance, I found Ray talking to a twelve year old. Ray got the boy every player’s autographs and said, “I want to see you playing for RCB six years from now”.

A Very Happy Diwali to all of you, friends. May the festival bring joy and prosperity to you.

We are on the ground for practice session today. The team is playing a game of football today. We have Vinay,Dale, Rahul, Akhil, Roelof,Manish and Theo (Protection-man of the team) on one side while Robin, Virat, Kumble, Bishnoi, Ross, Bhuvaneshwar and Praveen on the other side.

Two days ago, the team practiced under the lights. For someone like me, who hadn’t played cricket beyond a mentionable level, it was quite a revealing experience.

I slipped twice on the dew while trying to escape the ball coming from the nets on the other side. The lights really pierce your eyes when you look up towards a ball being hit in air. Plus we have the attention-seeking insects. They keep sitting on your hands or love dancing in front of your eyes.

Then I walked behind the batsman when Dale and Vinay were bowling. I stood some 15 feet behind the stumps, safe in the knowledge that a net lies in between me and the ball. It was hard not to recoil and blink whenever any of the Steyn’s delivery escaped the bat and hit the net right in front of me.

After the practice session, we returned to the players-room. All players were glued to the Deccan chargers vs Trinidad match on Tv. The otherwise silent Rahul still screamed like a schoolboy on watching Pollard hit a flat six.

When Mohammed was hit by a bouncer, Dravid, Roelof and Dravid started discussing the hits they have received on their heads. Kumble recalled being hit badly on his chin once. “You aren’t a cricketer if you haven’t been knocked down even once” concluded Boucher.

On our way back to the hotel, Virat and Praveen took it upon themselves to teach some “colloquial” Hindi words to Ross & Ray which might come in handy while sledging on the field. The foreign players were already aware of the most common ones. I must say, Ross has admirable linguistic abilities. He was quick to pick the nuances of gender specific grammar in Hindi (e.g. “Jayegi for a girl and “Jayega” for a boy) and was soon hurling complete “meaningful” sentences. Praveen warned Ray and Ross not to use the newly taught skills in the hotel.

It was a laugh riot all the way. Siva had posted some of the photos during the ride in his posts. Thankfully, his camera captures only the images.

As of now, the football match is over. Yellow team (the one with Vinay and Rahul) defeated the Reds by 5 goals to 3. They have started another fun game now. I would dedicate another post to describe the games that they play in practice sessions. The latest game ends with Reds winning and Praveen receiving a high-five from Ross with a “Taali de bhai”.

We are still not out of reckoning my friends. There still is a possibility for us to scrape through. We have three more League matches remaining. Following should happen in those matches:

1.Cape Cobra Vs Victoria Bushrangers: We want VB to register as emphatic win as possible.
2.Cape Cobra Vs Delhi Daredevils: We want Delhi Daredevils to win, but not by a huge margin.
3.Delhi Daredevils Vs RCB: We, of course want us to win by a huge margin.

To summarize, we would want Victoria Bushrangers to finish with 6 points while the other three teams to finish on 2 points each. Even after that we need net run-rate to favor us.

Stranger things have happened in cricket and in real life.

Just came from the team meeting. The mood was much lighter today as compared to the earlier meeting. Boys looked pretty confident and resolute. But the most notable trait was the camaraderie amongst the players.

It’s heartening to see a budding young Indian player sitting between the best South African wicket-keeper and the fearless New Zealander. The last victory, the weeklong stay and the coach’s efforts, together have combined to bring the boys so close that it appears as if the team had been playing together for years.

In the meeting, the coach applauded the team’s effort in the previous match and highlighted the fact that the team never let the intensity slip till the last wicket was over. He even got calls from his peers from South Africa who noted the determination with which the team kept the match in throughout in hand.

Ray felt that we can still improve our fielding and called on youngsters like Virat to set the examples in the field.

Ray also mentioned about the two of the senior most players’ birthdays this week and called on players to gift them victories in the next two matches. Kallis would be celebrating his 34th Birthday tomorrow. Anil’s Birthday is on the day of Diwali when we would be facing the Delhi Daredevils. How big can a day get? By the way, the three fanatic fans have personal invitations to Anil’s B’day party.

The meeting ended with this wonderful video that Ray has prepared using Siva's photographs to highlight the joys of success and togetherness.