The D.Y. Patil Stadium

On the weekend, when I met my good old school friend, at the bus stop, who works with the D.Y. Patil Catering Collage, we knew we would talk about cricket, the big disappointment it brought in with India losing 4-2 in the series to Australia and also the rains which washed out the final one day match which was scheduled to be played at the D.Y. Patil Stadium, Nerul, Navi Mumbai.

Usually we go around on the bike, to a near by hill called Parsik hill, where we sit and chat for hours together. Sometimes we are found sitting in a restaurant, having tea. And occasionally when he wants to have a drink, it would be at my house. Though I do not drink, I enjoy his company and love to spend time with him.

It was a big occasion for the D.Y. Patil Sports Academy, that was all set to host this huge event, but for the rains. My friend who was the in charge of the catering section and who played a major role in organizing the event, tells that he was bitterly disappointed, so was Vijay Patil the Chairman of the D.Y.Patil Sports Academy. According to my friend D.Y. Patil Sports Academy incurred a loss in corers, as it had not compromised a bit, as far as the international standard of the event was concerned. Moreover, my friend says, “All the hard work and the effort went down the drain”.

Talking purely about cricket, on two occasions, India came very close to winning the matches, but could not pull off the victories. We both were of the concusses that it was a close series and we both feel that Paddy Uption needs to work with the team to help India cross over the finish line.

We also are of the opinion that Praveen Kumar might make it into the zone of an all rounder if he works a little more on his batting. And lastly, there was a news in the media that one of the senior cricketer had called up the selectors to inform that some of the junior players in the team are not taking there cricket seriously. We both wondered if one of them was Virat Kolhi.

Suddenly he looked at his watch and told me that it’s nearing ten and we both knew that it was time to say good bye to each other.

…Shivanand

Picture Courtesy - http://www.dypsa.in

Champions Trophy

It was very painful to accept the fact that India lost to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. As the Indians mourned, one could see that the Indian skipper did not look as confident as he generally is, in the remaining matches of the tournament.

Losing Yuvi due to injury was a big blow before the match. The bowling looked lack luster. Ishant and Bhajji were the shadows of themselves. The Pakistani middle order took full toll of the poor Indian bowling. Not having Zahir and Sehwag also turned out to be crucial. And then Raina was hard done by the umpire with his dreadful decision.

Where is the “Review System” gone? Such silly mistakes by the umpires can really spoil the party for the teams and also affect the result of the tournaments. Why the technology is not used when it is available? Umpires abilities are never under the scanner, but if a player drops a catch, the video tapes of the match are reviewed for any possibility of match fixing.

And then the rain effected match against Australia turned out to the final nail in the coffin for the Indians, as India got only one point from that match. It was difficult for all the Indians to support Pakistan to win against Australia, so that India could qualify for the semi-finals. I could never support Pakistan and I was glad when Australia not only beat Pakistan but also won the Champions Trophy.

Hope Indians get good rest and recover from their injuries for the next tournament, as Dhoni pointed out at the post match presentation after the consolation win against the West Indies.

...Shivanand

Picture courtesy -

http://beta.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00005/IN27_INDIA-PAK_CHAMPI_5850e.jpg