Congratulations,
we won the big game against Pakistan

Khullamkhulla's apprehensions are proven wrong and we are so glad about it. We played better than Pakistan. We certainly batted better than them.

We did not only win this game but cricket lovers across the globe watched Tendulkar of yore in action. The pleasure of watching him dispatching the balls outside the boundary, far outweighs the heart stopping moments when he almost got caught.

This great victory was set up by the trio of Sachin, Sehwag, and Kaif. It was followed by a responsible knock by Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. It started with Tendulkar deciding to face the first ball. This was an important decision that showed Sachin's concern for his 'Saathi' batsman at the other end. He protected Sehwag from the first few deliveries of dreaded bowling trio of Pakistan. He demonstrated to the younger sibling the ordinariness of Pakistani bowling attack.

We got a bit worried when the prince of Kolkata walked in to bat after Sehwag's dismissal. By God's grace he got out and thus Tendulkar and Kaif could work together and build up the Indian innings to a level that took the pressure off the following batsmen. Kaif's promotion to number four spot was a wise decision. I doubt if Ganguly had much to do with this. He should be there all the time. Ganguly should now worry about his position. His attitude to the game does not make him suitable even for the tenth spot. He cannot be batting in the middle order when ones and twos become very important to keep the run rate going. He cannot be batting at the top order because he will be pissing Tendulkar off by his penchant to keep the strike to himself and not to be professional enough to give enough importance to running ones and twos and threes and fours. He is totally out of place in the present Indian team. He stands like a sore thumb amongst other players who are levelheaded, hard working, and self effacing.

One finds a lot of similarity between Ganguly and Vajpayee here. They tend to carry on with their foolhardiness and ignore well meaning advice. They have unhealthy egos. They refuse to acknowledge their weaknesses and thus do nothing about them.

Earlier Anwar Saeed of Pakistan hit the only century of the game. He too was unwilling to run for ones and twos. He was always advising the batsmen at the other end that there was enough time and they could post a good total comfortably. When it came to the crux, their good total was not good enough.

Tendulkar, Kaif, and Sehwag ran for singles and twos. They also ran for a rare four. They rotated the strike. Tendulkar played like any other player in the team. Running hard for every run, even if it was the other player's run. He encouraged others to work hard. There were no close calls for a run out.

Tendulkar and Kaif partnership ensured that run rate did not plummet. Kaif was not flashy. He was seeing the ball well and playing good shots. He looked reliable. He was simply unlucky to get out. His was a chanceless innings. He was being ridiculed by the Pakistanis but he kept his cool and continued to provide invaluable support to the master blaster.

Finally, the wounded tiger got out on a delivery that could have been safely ducked. He was distracted and tired because of his cramp. The rising Shoib delivery took him by surprise. Some commentators called it a great ball. That is bunkum. It was an ordinary bumper. Tendulkar was capable of dispatching it for a six or simply ignoring it. His physical state prevented him from doing so. He was also not very comfortable with a runner.

Khullamkhulla thinks that Sehwag must learn to play cross bat shots on some of those short pitched deliveries that get him out when he tries to drive them with a straight bat. He can play these deliveries better by using cross bat shots like the 'hook'. He has to learn a lot from Tendulkar here. In cricket, you cannot afford to be impulsive. You should rather be intuitive. You have to have a frame of mind that makes you see every ball clearly and apply your shots judiciously for maximum effect. You have to be in total control. You don't dispatch balls after balls beyond the boundary with closed eyes and wild flourishes of the bat. You do it consciously and with great mental discipline and involvement in the game. Bradman is the best example of that. It is very spiritual. You have to be in perfect harmony. You will be smiling within while playing those beautiful strokes all over the field.

The world of Cricket still waits for a long Sachin Sehwag innings. One hopes that it happens in this world cup, may be in the finals. That will make the finals unforgettable in this otherwise largely lackluster World Cup.

Young Indian bowlers have yet to learn a few things as to how to bowl in an important game. Ashish Nehra bowled foolishly. He did not have any control over the ball. He was bowling anywhere and everywhere. His last over was shameful. In fact Indian team will be better of with our green eyed all rounder from Mumbai. He is as good or as bad a bowler as Ashish Nehra. He is also known to have made some runs in crunch matches.

Now about a tell tale interaction that took place between Ravi Shashtri and Rameez Raja. This is how it went.

Ravi Shashtri: Sachin is in pain? What are the rules? Cannot he take a runner?
Rameez: Pakistanis may not agree to that. They would like to see him in pain.
Pause, while Ravi overcomes the shock.
Ravi: Rameez, you speak like a true Pakistani.
Rameez: Thank you for the compliment Ravi.