PAK BOUNCES BACK

Yes, Pakistan prevailed over India on Saturday. But by no means was it a tame surrender by the Indians. The Indians kept Pakistan in the hot seat for a long time before the final delivery was bowled. The margin of the defeat might suggest otherwise, but had India managed to complete its quota of 50 overs, the result might have been different.

Chasing a mammoth 315, the Indian tail showed why it has fast become a reliable one. The Indian innings was characterized by many small but dominant partnerships. Viru’s early departure was a big blow to the Indian dreams. Tottering at the edge of the seat, the Indians had lost more than half the side, half way through the target..

That’s when Irfan decided to give his captain some company. The partnership was of immense value, as they never once pressed the panic button, even when the asking rate kept climbing. Dhoni was out there with a plan and the plan almost worked. Earlier Gambhir, Rohit, Yuvraj, Yusuf, Raina all had good solid starts but failed to capitalize on them, an art which they would learn with time. Yuvi couldn’t capitalize on a dropped catch from Afridi.

The Pakistan innings began with a flurry of defense, with Pakistan switching to test match mode. India was short of a bowler, which went a long way in mutilating them. With Chawla and Irfan leaking runs, they had no one else to turn to except the part timers. Eventually Pak posted a mammoth, with smart centuries from Butt and Younis, smart because of the way they paced their innings.

For once, the Pakistanis outthought the Indian think tank.

A FINAL SHOWDOWN

After the DLF IPL extravaganza, the Kitply cup wasn’t what the doctor ordered for the ODI format. One sided encounters have taken the sheen off the series so far. A predictable final line up also added to the misery. Bangladesh was demolished by Pakistan and then by India while Pakistan had their worst drubbing ever against India. One can understand why the interests of the fans have waned in this series.

With such a poor build up to the final, the fans would be expecting at least a thrilling final and a nail biting finish. In a way, that can happen only because, the Pakistan Board has come down very hard on the team. The Pakistanis would be looking to avenge their earlier loss. So it might be possible that the Indians might have their hands full.

Another critical view is that, the Indian openers Viru and Gambhir have done the bulk of the scoring so far, not that the middle order is weak, but that they could be a bit rusty and have many inexperienced guys in the line up and an India Pakistan final is all about nerves. But this might be making a mountain out of a mole hill of a problem. The bowling though looks in safe hands with almost everyone chipping in though Praveen has been the best of the lot so far.

So expect a thrilling final to cap off the Kitply cup at least for the sake of the ODI format of the game.

KAMAL’S MAGNUM OPUS HITS SCREENS

The wait is finally over. The mad rush for tickets has begun. Dasavatharam has finally hit screens world wide and almost everyone feels it is worth the wait. After what seems like ages since the project began, Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hasan’s magnum opus has finally reached D day.

Dasavatharam, featuring Kamal Hasan and Ravi Kumar, a duo who have enthralled audience for long, has had a overwhelming response worldwide. Almost all theaters in the city have already posted a full house board for the next two weeks and probably the board is there to stay.

The record breaking movie has created the waves for long now and even Walt Disney took part, bagging the overseas distribution rights. The viewers so far have felt that the ride was breathtaking. Even with Kamal donning ten roles, fans don’t seem to have enough of him.

Fans and critics alike shared the view that Kamal is a maestro of his art. The audience has also appreciated the fact that each of the ten roles has been exceedingly different from the other.

Celebrities joined the band wagon to salute the maestro for his magnum opus. KB was move to tears. Superstar Rajni Kanth couldn’t believe his eyes. Actor Satyaraj for once was spell bound and speechless. And the list goes on.

The way things are going Dasavatharam, could well turn out to be a mass hit breaching barriers of language and topology. All hail Dr.Kamal Hasan for taking Kollywood to Hollywood.

VIJAY’S VIL - TARGETING FANS

Kollywood’s very own formula film star Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay has ‘vil’ in his sights as his next action flick. Joining hands with Vijay is Dance master turned Director, Prabhu Deva. The duo are back again after their success with the last movie ‘Pokkiri’.

Prabhu Deva has been very successful with his direction and has provided a few hits. His recent success with Pokkiri, capitulated Vijay to greater heights. Ilaya Thalapathy has had a slim run after his success with Prabhu Deva. His ‘Alagiya Tamil Magan’ did not live up to expectations. He had reasonable success with ‘Kuruvi’ but he still hasn’t delivered big time since ‘Pokkiri’.

With the duo back on screen, sparks are bound to fly. With Prabhu Deva at the helm, the screen play is in good hands while nothing needs to be said about the choreography. So fans can expect a rip roaring time at the theaters.

They say, ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ and Vijay with his Vil would be willfully looking to get back on his way to super stardom.

BANGLADESH DENIED FINALS BERTH

A bitter nostalgia was haunting the Indians at the beginning of the match against the home team, the team which had smashed India’s World Cup dreams. And in that context, the result would have pleased many on a hot Thursday evening. Yes, I mentioned evening, as the match was over in the first hour itself.

Electing to bat, Bangladesh found why Praveen Kumar is the buzzing word in the Indian house hold now. With a good deal of lateral movement, Praveen Kumar, dented the confidence of the tame Bangla Tigers and let Rp do the remaining job. With a miserly spell, Praveen made it a test match environment going at one run per over most of the time. Chawla chipped in again with some useful overs at the middle. Ashraful scratched around for some time before Y Pathan ended his misery. If not for Hasan’s efforts Bangladesh might have been embarrassed.

The Indian innings followed a now familiar path. Gauti and Viru laid a firm foundation, followed by some sizzling stuff by Rohit and Yuvi. Gauti was at his best again continuing from where he left against the hapless Pakistanis, making an unbeaten century in the process. Bangladesh never had the bowlers to hamper the Indian flow when they are on song and the match had an early finish.

India is well on its way to a podium finish at the finals. The Kitply cup is virtually in the Indian Kitty unless a miracle happens.

VIRU, PRAVEEN AND Y KHAN DESTROY PAKISTAN

Yes you read it right. It was the Pakistani senior pro Younis Khan who helped India to topple Pakistan. The usually agile Younis Khan dropped Gambhir twice in the slips to fritter away the early advantage for Pakistan. Khan’s Lapse in concentration, Akmal grassing Viru, some off colour bowling, uninspiring captaincy and sluggish in fielders, meant that India won by a huge margin.

Batting first, Viru and Gambhir made use of the early advantage, continuing their good form in the IPL. Gambhir, though lived dangerously, repeatedly stepping down the track, without much success. But he had nothing to worry, as he had the comforting presence of Y Khan’s butter fingers at the slips. Viru began in a subdued style, showing some signs of rare maturity. But that obviously didn’t last long. Soon Viru began a ferocious onslaught. The Indians were never below 6 per over most of the time. Yuvi continued from where the openers left and that meant India posted a mammoth target.



Facing a Herculean task, Pakistan virtually surrendered, Praveen Kumar making merry trapping the top three Pakistanis. The difference between the two teams was there for everyone to see especially when Rohit Sharma plucked a catch out of thin air to send a bewildered Salman Butt to the pavilion. Akmal and Misbah tried to wrestle back some momentum. Akmal especially was severe on anything short and wide. But he played one shot too many and that signaled the end of the Pakistani resistance. Malik’s face saving innings was more a proof to himself of his skills. Chawla completed the formalities for India. It was a total team effort by India.

Pakistanis managed to bury themselves in a self dug grave. With a captain who was hesitant to think out of the box and fielders who were hesitant to throw themselves around, the bowlers had no choice but to endure the stick. That stopped their winning streak of 12 matches which was mostly against the minnows. Hopefully the Pakistanis would get back to where they belong for the sake of some interest in this series.

BALAJI - THE CHENNAI SUPER KING