Age is No bar

Cricket in India and all over the world is all talks about the retirement of its ageing cricketers. Some have learnt the trick, its intricacies and stood a chance playing for their country and some have failed to capitalize on their opportunities and have lost a place in the side. A bunch of players though in their mid 35’s still wish to perform for their sides, people and cricket fanatics think otherwise. So I call this phase of cricket as “expecting retirement”. This is a serious debatable issue.

Outstanding cricketers to the likes of Muralitharan, Jayasuriya, Matt Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and not to forget Indian stars Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have faced such a situation. There is now a need to analyze why people fail to give a chance to their star players just because they are ageing. Though so much has been proved, so much experience has been gained; they still play the game with the same interest, same passion and lots of energy. Cricket indeed is crazy about them. But they are expected to retire once they reach the upper bound. That is the rule of the game.

Matt Hayden and Adam Gilchrist are known for their attacking stroke play right from the word go. Though Gilchrist took a voluntary retirement from the game, Haydos after a couple of failures was shown the gate straight away. Now why dint they give him a second chance? That too to one of the rare breed of cricketers who has amassed so much runs on the board, who was once even regarded as the best player in the side. Do they think somebody young can do a better job replacing the giant batsman? Clueless.

Muralitharan and Jayasuriya also did face this ageing pressure. Jayasuriya opted out in his mid 39 and Murali was then made to go through this situation. One of the leading wicket takers in the world who has scalped 800 wickets in Test and who still has more cricket left in him is barred just because he is nearing his 40. That wouldn’t be fair enough. If there was a drop in the performance levels, then that would be fine but a cricketer who is still able to grab 8 wickets in a test, who still keeps batsmen guessing is bound to play the game according to me. Do they think the young Mendis or Malinga can fill his place? .. I don’t think so.

Particularly some Indians have faced such a situation much harder and much faster. People were expecting Dravid to retire from One day Internationals after he went through a lean patch in the 50-over format. Now why is that situation not happening for a Yuvraj or Ishant who is not able to capitalize on the very many opportunities offered? Maybe they are young enough? We should now face facts. Cricket is not a game only for youngsters, it’s a performance oriented game. You perform, you stay in. Even for the first man on earth who has scored a double hundred, this situation is no different. I’m indeed talking about the batting genius Sachin Tendulkar. People are just waiting to see Tendulkar retire. Why is that? Folks, nobody on this earth can ever replace the evergreen Tendulkar. He still has so much cricket left in him, so much to prove, many records to surpass! I can bet, if people like Sachin, Murali, Gilchrist step down, we are not going to see the same old competitive cricket. Cricket comes as an entertainment package. Let the masters of the game rule it !

Meet Paul, the footballing Nostradamus

Never has a creature shot to such a pinnacle and instant fame as much as Paul, the octopus has. Paul became internationally famous for his 100 percent prediction in Germany’s seven matches at the 2010 World Cup as well as the fitting final. The World Cup and all the fanfare was all an excellent experience and this gullible marine octopus shot to fame from nowhere. He even was regarded as the greatest footballing pundit out there.

Paul, the octopus lives in Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. Paul makes his predictions by choosing between one of the two transparent cubes which will bear a national football team’s flag on the outside and each of the cubes will contain his food, mussels. The container, into which Paul lowers himself first to gobble up his food, is interpreted to indicate his prediction for the game. His prediction skills have reached an unprecedented high with the latest correct prediction of Spain beating Germany in the second semi-final. But perhaps the strangest thing of all is that several zoos and aquariums in Germany seeing Paul predict winners, have been forcing their animals to give their prediction on the game. Unfair .. aint it ??

Paul’s prediction skills were regularly mocked by some of the leading analysts that it is just simple mathematical probability or chance at work and nothing beyond that. Even critics claim his predictions have been spoofed by various sections of the media around the world and had been blown out of proportion; Paul seems to be very famous on the web applications and websites and even on the leading social networking site, Facebook. Also the website called paulpredicts went online soon after the World Cup concluded.

Well.. now that’s not it all. Once Paul was done with all his predictions, the famed oracle creature was in demand from all quarters of the globe with his increase in popularity on account of his flawless predictions. And on the other side, supporters of Germany were disappointed as Paul picked Spain ahead of Germany in the semifinal clash. The much anguished fans of Germany called for Paul to be killed, cooked and eaten to take the revenge of the Germany’s loss in the much famous and grand sporting event. It goes with the cliché’, what goes up must come down!! As if all the above musings were not enough, the psychic octopus has also been made to forecast as to who will be Russia’s next president – Vladimir Putin or Dmitry Medvedev! The eight-legged creature has already cast his imminent vote, which has been sealed until the election year of 2012. So any guesses for this one ??

Though the marine creature has nothing to do with the realities of the outside world, the human community is more frenzied about its immaculate predictions. So much popularity in a very short period; gaining very many international fans all over. Only Paul can do it. No parrot, no camel, no crystal balls. Doff your hats, ladies and gentlemen, for Paul the Octopus, the living soccer seer !!

The legendary Spin Doctor marching Towards his 800 ??

The genial off-spinner from SriLanka has finally decided to call it quits in the test arena. Muttiah Muralitharan will play his last test game at Galle and against India. With just 8 wickets short of 800 in world test cricket, Murali will go into his last game. Muralitharan has always been on top of his form giving his hundred percent in whatever he does. He has remained a nightmare even to the world’s finest batsmen mixing up his deliveries and doing it intelligently. And for a matter of fact, this champion player from Kandy is currently the highest wicket taker in both tests and One-dayers. It for sure, tells you about his commitment, dominance and longevity in world cricket.

Though Murali hails from a family which runs a business making biscuits, cricket always took the priority. Way back in school, little Murali was a medium pacer and then on his coach’s advice the fourteen year young lad took up off-spin. Impressed playing school cricket, he went on to bag “Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year” in 1990-91. While his college cricket was brilliant, his club record was exceptional - 234 wickets at 14.51 runs in 46 matches. And from there everybody thought this young lad will make it big, but he has made it huge in SriLankan Cricket. Remarkable success and humungous fan following to this man who is rated as the greatest test match bowler.

When it comes to breaking world records, he is the man who has done it all after the genius batsman of the game, Sachin Tendulkar. Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers of the game. Murali now holds the record for most one day and test dismissals. Muralitharan was selected as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2000 and in 2006. Muralitharan became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007 in the longer version of the game. He took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo, to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 502 wickets. Muralitharan also overtook Courtney Walsh's record of 519 wickets on his stride. His 700 came when he bowled Syed Rasel of Bangladesh and his 750 when he grabbed the wicket of Sourav Ganguly of India. Muralitharan has taken five or more wickets in an innings on 66 occasions in test cricket, which is again a world record. Records never get tired of him. They come on and on and on.

Though Murali has been spectacular, there was a time when he was tested and tampered with. He really went through a rough and bad phase when he was adjudged of having processing an”illegal bowling action” and that it contravened the laws of the game. The stand-in umpire called a “no-ball” seven times for an illegal action during the Boxing Day test match in Melbourne. Later again in the triangular World Series competition, he was given a no-ball more then a couple of times by Ross Emerson again for an illegal bowling action. But the best part was, he was signaled a no-ball for his leg-breaks than his normal off-breaks. Murali was then forced to undergo biomechanical analysis in Hong-King, but then came the good news that his action created an “optical illusion of throwing” and that he can continue with his action. But again, doubts persisted regarding his action thereafter in the minds of the on-field umpires in the 1998-99 tour of Australia and the SriLankan side got frustrated and almost abandoned the game after their lead spinner was reportedly challenged with no-ball calls.

But Murali has always been awe-inspiring with great levels of determination and confidence in his action and especially in himself. He never lent his ear to the controversies that persisted around him and the way the Australian crowd mocked at him every time he came out to play. Muralidharan has always been a source of inspiration for the young spinners for his plenty of variations under his armory. Muralitharan also has the unique distinction of getting 10 or more wickets in a match against all other 9 Test playing nations as well as capturing over 50 wickets against each of them.

Much has been said about this very legend or the wizard of spin bowling. So many wickets under his belt, umpteen matches played, plentiful missions clinched, so much has been proved and accomplished and he is ever economical, but still the passion for the game never ever dies or fades out. He still plays the game as he is playing it for the first time. Murali has proved it to each and every one of us that he is capable of daunting any batsman in the world. But let’s see if this legendary Spin doctor can pull off 8 wickets given the two innings and land on the magical mark of 800 before he bids adieu to the longer version of the game. Its now an interesting contest on the charts..Lets see if Dhoni’s men are capable enough to guard their stumps denying Murali his 800 or will Murali, putting in all his tactics and efforts into play dominate the Indian batsmen.. Its a question only time can answer!!

Any Octopus to predict this One ??

Cricket fraternities here in India are occupied with their celebrations after the team India clinched its Asia cup after 15 long years. It has been a good and quick climb up the ladder after the disappointing Zimbabwe tour. Team India played their heart out in every department of the sport and outclassed every other Asian team, I would say. And generally the litmus test for accessing every team’s patience and depth in their attack will be a five Day Test game. Test cricket is a different ball game altogether and Team India will face a tough challenge playing a test series against SriLanka after playing an array of one day games. The SriLankans will be looking forward to capitalize on the ‘home ground’ advantage. Also since SriLankans record at home is quite convincing it will again end in favor of the Singhalese and give them a high.

This series comes sandwiching the Asia cup and the upcoming triangular series between India-New Zealand and SriLanka. The Champions in test will face the much competitive and spirited SriLankans and in SriLanka. I think it will be very apt to begin with the possible scenario in the fight for top spot. The situation is so intriguing that it is impossible not to speculate. Both the teams have a very powerful and an impressive batting lineup, a good and solid middle order and a good tail which can amass some valuable runs on the board. While both teams have a bright chance to grab the top spot the chances of Australia making it back to the top too cannot be ruled out. I’m very excited to see how the games shape up and what the standings will be after this short, yet interesting season.

Team India will be all smiles with their dashing opener Virender Sehwag making his comeback in this series after he was injured early this year. It’s high time Gautham Gambhir get back to his form assisting his senior partner upfront. And after a series of failures, Yuvraj Singh should be happy to grab his place in the middle order. The batting will continue to be as lustrous as ever even as the famous trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman enter the twilight of their careers. The amount of contribution we have seen from elite cricketers to the likes of Dravid and Tendulkar has been awe-inspiring and commendable. Even in their mid 30’s they seem to give the game a new dimension and their hundred percent every time they come on the field. Yet another promising player, Suresh Raina is on a dream run and hopefully he will continue to display his confident and punching strokes getting as many runs as possible on the board. This will be the Dhoni’s first game after his wedding and it remains to be seen whether his lady will bring in some luck and whether he is still the man with the Midas touch. Also the bench strength is going one notch higher with the much experienced Subramaniam Badrinath and handy Murali Vijay being the front runners to fill the batting slots should there be any vacancy due to one reason or the other. Wriddhiman Saha will be the back-up wicketkeeper and he must be waiting to cash in on opportunity given to him to prove his batting and glove skills and there is always a Harbhajan Singh to give us the entertainment and keep the scoreboard ticking in the end overs. Looks a good batting up, which is capable of ripping the Lankan attack.

The bowling department looks fresh with Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma getting a nod for this series. Both of them have been out of action for quite a time due to injury and now it will be interesting to see how both of them adapt to the SriLankan wickets. Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan will miss out this series due to an injury and this will be a big blow to Dhoni and his men for sure. However, Abhimanyu Mithun will replace the much experienced fast bowler. The spin trio comprises of the high energy Harbhajan Singh along with Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha. India’s strength in bowling will be their spin when we take the conditions in SriLanka into consideration. Dhoni will also be chipping in Sehwag, Raina and Yuvi in the middle overs as the part timers seem to have a good day with the ball.

It’s a home ground performance test for the SriLankans. It will be very interesting to see who their openers will be with now even Paranavitana joining the squad. Their skipper Sangakkara seems to be in a fine nick. His ability to play both the attacking and defensive strokes to near perfection keeps him amongst the runs. Mahela Jayawardena is also in a good form and his slow transition to a hitter is getting obvious and this five day game will be a good test to his patience and stroke adaptability. Dilshan will again be looking to free his arms and go over the top, his natural ability. It remains to be seen how well he is able to perform the balancing act. The middle order will be quite stable with players like Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews to shift gears. Thilina Kandamby is yet again another player who can play the anchor innings.

As far as the bowling department is concerned, they will rely on the pace trio of Dilhara Fernando, Dammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara. Fernando seems to have got that experience to pitch the ball on the right places. Walegedara also is getting the ball to do that extra swing and bounce. Their lead spinners will be Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath while Suraj Randiv will be the additional specialist spinner.

This series will India's big chance to keep their newly acquired numero uno slot but the Lankans will be keen to give it a fight and take revenge against the Asia Cup Champions. All in all, the stage is set for a pretty interesting tussle on the cards over the next few months with even the World Cup around the corner. Let’s keep our Fingers crossed and may the Cricketing action take over. So any octopuses out there,. predicting the outcome of this series??

Hail Football.. Let the Jabulani take its FreeKick!!

Its all Football fever catching up here in India. The four semifinalists have battled it out on the lush green ground to get a place in the top four. Both of the semifinal games are expected to be more competitive, aggressive and challenging. The Dutch face Uruguay on 6^th July while the second semifinal will see the favorite Germans take against the Spaniards on 7^th of July. Both Netherlands and Uruguay have bounced back strongly into the tournament winning against big teams to the likes of Brazil and Africans respectively whereas the Germans and the Spain have always stayed top favorites in any game.

The Netherlands came from a goal behind to the mighty Brazil to seal a victory 2-1 in their quarter finals. It was indeed a much deserved victory for the amount of football played by the Dutch. The first half was a tightly fought affair with just a goal from Brazil’s Robinho. The second half which saw an equalizer from Dutch’s favorite player Wesley Sneijder. And later in the 68^th minute, which belonged to the Netherlands, saw yet another power scoring goal from Sneijder. Double strike for the man in orange and yeah.. also a place in the top 4. Dutch did build on their lucky break! But, the sad news for the Dutch from that quarter final game will be the yellow cards picked up by Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong which mean they will miss the semi-finals. Watch out for an obvious Sneijder raring to pounce and bounce.

Uruguay’s performance in the World Cup has been exciting and their win against Ghana in the quarter final, saw the last African team being knocked out of the world cup. Ghana pulled up their sock and was in full spirits for the first half; saw a lovely strike from Sulley Muntari just before the half time to take a 1-0 lead against Uruguay. Shortly into the second half, both the teams were pressing hard and the equalizer came in the form of an absolute beauty of a freekick by Diego Forlan. 1-1 beamed the giant scoreboard. As the clock ran down, the jabulani kept whizzing around on the ground until the final whistle and then the extra time followed. No goals again. Penalty shootout came in. This saw a 4-2 win for the Uruguay. The yellow card that Jorge Fucile picked up in this game means he will also miss the semi-final. Another awesome footballer in the form of Luis Suarez proved a real Uruguay hero in the Round of 16, scoring twice to give them a 2-1 win over South Korea. Watch out for Fiery Forlan from any corner of the ground!

The second semi final between Germany and Spain is what we are expecting to be a cracker of a match. The much comfortable victory Germany had against the much fancied Maradona’s Argentina will have them on a high beyond doubts.

This German side is buzzing everywhere on the ground. This young side is beginning to look unbeatable and undisputed champions. In the quarter final game against Argentina, and when the game was just 3 minutes old, came the destruction from Thomas Müller, who headed in a freekick from the man of the game, Bastian Schweinsteiger. Müller is showcasing great football skills but still this man will miss the semifinal game as he picked a yellow card later that game. The second half of the game made things worse for the Argentina stars, as Germany went on to score three more of which two came from Miroslav Klose and one from Arne Friedrich. As a matter of fact, this is the third time Germany has scored four goals in this tournament. And Germans for sure will find it hard to replace their magic star Thomas Müller but two good players to watch out for will be Klose, Schweinsteiger.

The other semifinalist, Spain’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the quarter finals saw a lot of drama. And it was a very very tight game. The Spaniards found it tough to get the going, it was obvious from their ball possession, passing and control. The South Americans pushed themselves that extra mile to pose as strong contenders for the Spaniards. Antolin Alcarez can consider himself lucky not to have been given a red card when he fouled Spain’s David Villa in the penalty box. The jabulani hit the post 3 times so hard before going into the net giving Spain their much needed breakthrough and a win seven minutes from time. Spain started the tournament as favorites but once they succumbed to Switzerland 1-0, and their “favorite tag” went out of the window. Spain also has an impressive disciplinary record, so will be playing their best players as none of them are suspended and going out for the semifinal. All eyes will be on their lead striker David Villa to get an early breakthrough.

My Prediction goes with Netherlands from the first semifinal and Spain with the second semifinal and I foresee the underdogs Netherlands clinching the lady in gold, the WorldCup 2010. But, let’s keep our fingers crossed, and get ready for the overnight action with their jerseys and skull caps. Hail Football.. Adios Amigos!!

The New Face of Badminton, Saina Nehwal ..

The racquet sport of the 17^th century has suddenly reached its pinnacle here in India after an ace Indian shuttler made India proud becoming the first ever Indian to win a super series tournament. Indeed I’m talking about the 20-year-old India’s badminton prospect, Saina Nehwal. Gaining momentum from the three super series wins in a row, she looked confident and in high spirits. She in fact took a big leap forward realizing her dream to become the world number one player, after landing at her career best third in the world rankings recently. She also enjoys the privilege of being the first ever Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the prestigious All England super series championships.

If Saina battles it out on the badminton court against the world’s best players, it has been no less a battle for her father to let her do the same. Both Saina and her family have sacrificed a lot of pleasures and luxury to attain such a competitive and a commanding position in World Badminton. It is a very rare occasion wherein a middle class family would spend more than half of their monthly income to train an 8-year old kid on Badminton without even knowing if it would pay off in the early stages. The gamble for sure had paid-off now in a big way. But the BPCL support late in 2004 had helped her to come out of the financial crunch and ultimately, she was spotted by Mittal Sports Trust in December, 2005. Everything is favoring this 20-year-old Hyderabadi girl and success too seems to have been smitten by her!

Badminton in India has never been this great or has not drawn its due attention after its former greats and Padma Shri awardees Prakash Padkone and Pullela GopiChand left the game. GopiChand is now a very renowned coach who received the Dronacharya Award and is the main force behind the emergence of Saina Nehwal. Saina's rise follows back-to-back title triumphs at the India Open Grand Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series respectively. It took a complete changeover right from her position to her footwork once she joined the GopiChand academy of Badminton. Saina is now the face of badminton today, having taken over from where her mentor GopiChand had left it. She is clearly raising the bar, going places!

Her strategy of slicing the shuttlecock to perfection helped her earn valuable points deceiving her opponents at crucial junctures. The slicing of the shuttlecock is very difficult to react to as it follows a curved path rolling in the air and the deceleration imparted due to the slicing causes the sliced strokes to slow down suddenly and hence put the opponents on the back foot. Her spinning net shot or the tumbling net shot stayed some of the attacking weapons to her already strong arsenal.

This lady is making it big in the International arena and is striving hard to reach the number one spot. So far India’s best has been World’s best. Its true in Chess, its true in Cricket and sooner will she prove her mettle and stamp India’s name on this racquet game, Badminton!! And she has got more good news coming her way and the most recent news being that Saina Nehwal has been offered a police officer’s job by the Haryana Government. So far outstanding sportspersons at the national and international levels had been appointed in this category and that too directly to the level of Deputy Superintendent of Police. So DSP Saina Nehwal on the making ??

The Asian Champs !!

The people of India are now in a celebration mood after the Indian team clinched its Asia cup after 15 long years. It has been a good and quick climb up the ladder after the disappointing Zimbabwe tour. Team India played their heart out in every field of the sport and outclassed every other Asian team. The Asia Cup win will give the men in blue a thick edge over other teams ahead of the bigger event, the World Cup.

The win against Bangladesh in both the league games showed great team spirit and the players gained a lot of confidence. Players to the likes of Gambhir, Rohit Sharma are slowly unwinding themselves showing individual scores can bring about a good team total. The penultimate league game against Pakistan was a cliffhanger of a match, as it was expected to be. The players played with great competitive spirit and especially when India and Pakistan meet, there is bound to be some positive energy with both the players and their respective supporters as well. The final league game against SriLakans was a let down to the Indian team, but they were back with a bang providing the sucker punch in the finals.

The finals between India and SriLanka saw an awesome batting performance by Team India and their quality seam bowling under lights lit up the moment. Dinesh Karthik played a responsible innings until he succumbed to a Kandamby delivery. Raina’s quickie 29 came handy to the Indians when the run rate dropped down and Rohit Sharma yet again displayed a classic performance stitching partnerships with every man who came in. Ravindra Jadeja’s innings of 25 from 27 balls indeed helped Team India to climb to a target of 268 from their quota of 50 overs.

The high spirited bowling from the men in blue struck crucial wickets at regular intervals. The fall of Dilshan in the first over, was indeed a huge loss for the Singhalese. The next man to go, Tharanga let in a Zaheer delivery without attempting a shot, only to find his stumps rearranged and it confirmed the presence of some help for the quickies. Dhoni constantly operated his medium pace bowlers from both ends. And Once Nehra struck the wickets of Jayawardena and Matthews in his first over, the Lankans were put on their back foot. Sangakkara and Kandamby called on their brilliant cover drives to fetch some runs, but they were all short lived. The depth in the Lankan batting attack slowly began to dwindle but one man who made us all twist our heads his way was Kapugedara. The Lankan tail began to get some runs in his company. His swashbuckling batting ability began to gain some attention before the wickets of Maharoof and Kulasekara fell. It almost brought the curtains down for the SriLankans and it was all a matter of time before everything wrapped up and when Murali nicked a jadeja delivery into Dhoni’s army gloves, it signaled India’s jubilant win against the Lankans. Team India outsmarted the Lankans in every department of the game and not to forget the tidy spells bowled by spearheads Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.

The Asia Cup win will have a huge impact on the Indian Team and will give them the much needed confidence and spirit. The boys will all be geared up to showcase their skills and prove their competitiveness in the bigger arena, the World Cup.

Now generally, the litmus test for assessing a team’s stature and dominance in world cricket will be the World Cup, which is coming up next on the charts. Dhoni’s army now has a big job up their sleeve and there is a huge expectation to fulfill the cricket-mad people back here in India. Team India will for sure be waiting to get their hands on the gold lady and go cock-a-hoop over their twin victories!

Save Our Tigers !!

Our national animal is fighting for its life.From around 40,000 at the turn of the last century, there are just 1411 tigers left in India.If we don’t act now, we could lose this part of our heritage forever.

Speak up, blog, share the concern, stay informed… Every little bit helps. Aircel has partnered with WWF-India to help save our tigers.

Explore the site to know how you can help this STRIPEY !!

--------- 8 Days in a Training Camp --------

Im just back from an 8 day residential camp in my college and it was one-of-a-kind experience for me. The only thing which I realised when the camp was announced was that, Iam into my final year and 3 full years have passed in quick succession.First things first.The training camp had aptitude sessions, communication skill classes, outdoor activities, a movie session and a campfire on the penultimate night. It has brought in me a lot of changes and it has taught me so many good lessons. The only negative aspect which I found about the camp was its very tiring schedule. We almost have to sleep by 1:00 am and have to get up at 4.50am. But I know it’s a lot of taxing work from here and life isn't a bed of roses always. Corporate trainings are going to be still tougher and stressing but still you have to give your hundred percent every time, else your performance curve drops down. This camp has also improved my responsibility and gave me individuality and it served as a great platform to express myself.

The aptitude classes were handled by Career Launcher, an education service company. It has well equipped professors from the IITs and graduates from the IIMs. They were so kind not only in imparting their knowledge but also found time to share their experiences in life with 'enlightenment sessions'. An experience from a teacher always strikes a chord in you and we were able to relate to it easily. Though solving problems drained all our energy, we were found asking for more and more as it came with a lot of fun. And what I realized was, every person needs to be strong in every method that is being used in solving a problem to snatch a smart job. Competition is much higher with now even the people from the Arts college giving the graduates from an engineering college a placement scare. Being smart needs a lot of hope and confidence within.

The communication classes gave us a chance to express ourselves and it helped us in putting our views forward with great ease and finesse. It also helped me in exploring more things about myself and in judging what kind of a person I am. I have learnt to be more confident and optimistic as the classes went on. From a very shy person, they have helped me in transforming myself into a very sociable person. I will never forget the hard work put in by my trainers, Mr.Prakash and Ms.Indra. They have thought me so much in life and they have been exceptionally good in making learning more interesting and innovative.

The outdoor activities were very well coordinated by a team called E-ZONE, who are into corporate training and consulting . This is where we thought is our chance to grab to unwind ourselves. The training team comprising of Hafiz, William, Sandy, Arul, and Ramya were so close to us and we would never ever forget them in our lives. They have thought us small things, which matter a lot in taking our life forward. Here is where I learnt what team effort and leadership is. They have been very instrumental in shaping every one of us and for me personally, it helped me in extending my network of friends by a humungous amount.

To put it in a nutshell, I have learnt to be on my own, have built in a lot of confidence and the vigour in me to perform hard. And indeed I have now started loving working under pressure too. In a way, they have made me understand what life is and what a corporate company expects from me. Now its all come down to a striking distance and I will have to deliver my goods upfront at the right time. Now, hit a bingo and go cock-a-hoop over my victory is what I will have to do from here !!!

From a Passionate Cricket Fan...

It has not been a great kickstarter of a season for the Indian Cricket team. The Men in blue are in a bad shape and the performance curve of the team is coming down at a steady pace and is about to hit the ground. Right from the start, we were not able to prove our mettle in the T-20 World Cup. It was followed by the issue of a brawl at a bar in West Indies by some of the players. Now in the ongoing triseries between India-SriLanka and Zimbabwe, we are almost being treated as minnows. What is happening ?? what really went wrong ?? Lets do a small analysis on some of the important and key aspects which really mattered and made things worse for Team India.

First things first. Our key players did not play a vital role. Our openers did not make a huge impact in any of the games of the T-20 World Cup. Our protagonist for T-20's, Virender Sehwag missed the entire tournament, which is a huge let down for the team. Neither did Gautham Gambhir had a good stint in the middle. Things went worse when capable players to the likes of Raina and Vijay found it hard to time the ball with perfection. An other problem was the short balls on a fast paced wicket, which seemed to almost threaten all our batsmen. Now, I dont understand whether the batsmen are incapable of handling a short ball or whether the pitch curators are not producing a fast paced wicket with a lot of bounce in it.

But I agree that the curators are not producing a wicket with a bounce in it. I also fail to understand why that is and what their fear is. Anyways, if we have a weakness, corrective measures should be taken as soon as possible and not wait for a long time unless every international player comes to know about that and blow your top so easily !! In a game against the West Indies, Every west Indian bowler came up with a short ball and grabbed his wicket, as simple as that. And in a game against the Australians in the super eight, it went as a one sided game and as though it was Australia vs Rohit Sharma. Very saddening, where are we going from here ?

From the line up of players for the triseries, I get the view that Team India are not taking this very seriously. Its just another tournament and either winning or losing dosent matter. How can the board neglect every experienced player and fill his eleven with many inexperienced players ? I dont get the logic behind it.. Can a Dinda or Umesh Yadav do the trick better than a Zaheer Khan or a Harbhajan ?.. Do they think that way ? Take Yuvraj Singh, after so many failures, he was in the T-20 team only for the hope that he will get to perform in any one of the games. He is again a huge let down. And I fail to understand why he was rested for the triseries. He should be playing so as to get as many games as possible and try to get that Yuvi-magic back. And now the latest news is that he has been dropped for the 15 member squad for the Asia Cup. We should have atleast had a senior bowler to partner an inexperienced bowler and a capable batsman to raise the bar.

Now to talk about some main prospects of the team. Rohit Sharma is now unwinding himself with the willow. He is doing a very fine job out there, no doubt. He knows his responsibilities and he is clear in what he is expected to do, thats what we want. Ravindra Jadeja is yet another player after Raina, who can do a good job with his bat in the middle overs. His spin bowling comes in as a good weapon to deal hard-hitting batsmen. He has evolved so well into a very matured cricketer. Ravichandran Ashwin with his off-spinning capability clearly needs a mention. A very confident bowler who can deliver the goods at any given position and against any bataman and still grab his wicket. I have seen him from his TamilNadu cricket days, he bowls with a great passion, with a fire in his eyes and most importantly will look for every chance the batsman gives and sneaks through.

There are so many negatives that needs correction in a short span of time .. Yet.. Hoping to see Team India back with a bang in the upcoming Asia Cup. My best wishes for the team ! Cheers !!

Top 10 Wrong Pele Predictions !!

The Brazilian is infamous for his numerous wrong predictions over the years. Romario once declared that "Pele is a poet when he keeps his mouth shut", while coach Luiz Felipe Scolari delivered the legendary line, "I believe Pele knows nothing about football. His analysis always turns out to be wrong. If you want to win a title, you have to listen to Pele and then do the opposite."

In light-hearted celebration of 'The King', Goal.com have put together the Top 10 Wrong Pele Predictions.

10) China 2002

Pele Prediction: China will qualify for the next round from their 2002 World Cup group.

Outcome: China finish bottom of Group C with no wins, no draws, no points, no goals, as well as -9 in their goal-difference column.

9) Spain 1998

Pele Prediction: Spain are favourites for the 1998 World Cup in France.

Outcome: Spain humiliatingly dumped out in the first round after losing to Nigeria, and drawing with Paraguay.

8) Colombia To Live American Dream

Pele Prediction: Colombia will win the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Outcome: Colombia exit the competition in the first round, finishing bottom of their group. Their defender Andres Escobar is also tragically shot dead by an angry fan after Colombia return home.

7) Argentina, France & World Cup 2002

Pele Prediction: Argentina & France will both reach the final.

Outcome: Both countries eliminated in the first round, France without even scoring a goal.

6) Escape To Victory

Pele Prediction: During the famous film starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine, Allies star Pele is brutally fouled in the first half by the Nazi opponents. The injured Brazilian claims there is no way he can continue and is carried off. The Allies are 4-0 down, and a recovery is deemed impossible.

Outcome: Pele returns in the second half and inspires his team to an improbable comeback, even scoring a stunning bicycle kick. Even in fiction, Pele's predictions go wrong.

5) Ronaldo Is Finished

Pele Prediction: Ronaldo will never play football again, and his career is over, following a serious injury for Milan in February 2008.

Outcome: Ronaldo returns in March 2009 for Corinthians, scoring 10 goals in his first 14 games to win the Campeonato Paulista.

4) Nii Lamptey – ‘The New Pele’

Pele Prediction: After starring in the 1991 Under-17 World Cup, which also featured Alessandro Del Piero, Pele proclaims Ghana youngster Lamptey as his successor, ‘The New Pele’.

Outcome: What happens next goes down in football infamy. Lamptey spectacularly fails to fulfil his talent, believing himself that he was cursed by dark forces. The midfielder shifts around clubs such as PSV, Aston Villa, Coventry, Venezia and Ankaragucu, without success, and endures tragedy in his personal life, as two of his children die.

3) Nicky Barmby - Up There With Zidane, Maldini & Ronaldo

Pele Prediction: Nicky Barmby will become a world class star.

Outcome: Nicky Barmby becomes nothing more than an average player, winning 23 England caps, and never even appearing in a World Cup.

2) Africa Will Rule

Pele Prediction: An African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000.

Outcome: It is now 2010, and an African country has still yet to get past the quarter-final.

1) Brazil & World Cup 2002

Pele Prediction: Brazil won’t even get past the group stages.

Outcome: Brazil win the World Cup.