Clasico #1's A Draw

          So, the first of four Clasicos in quick succession has ended in a draw. The match took place at the packed Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, with the crowd going all out for Real. Flags fluttered, banners were held up, the team badge formed with paper. There was a minority of Barca supporters too, but they were outshouted by the Madridistas.           Barcelona kicked off. They kept possession with their short-passing style most of the time, applying pressure on the Whites. Real seemed to find it hard to string many passes together, but created chances led by Cristiano Ronaldo nevertheless. The first scoring opportunity for Barca was created with an uncharacteristically late 18 minutes on the clock.
          That was more or less how it went in the first half, Barca attacking, Real getting possession, entering the attacking half, taking a shot maybe, and Barca regaining the ball and starting over. The pressure was still on Real.
          The hosts kicked off in the second half and seemed to be able to control the ball better. Raul Albiol tackled David Villa unnecessarily harshly in the box, leading to the referee sending him off and awarding Barca a penalty, which Lionel Messi promptly put past Iker Casillas. The latter kept well throughout the game, but when your own teammate and defender turns violent, one can't do much. Messi exulted, and for a while it looked like it was going to be a widely predicted Barcelona victory. But Real, who needed the three points badly, had other ideas.
          They attacked frantically. Marcelo's was one of many penetrations into Barcelona's half, but when he was brought down by a defender and the referee pointed to the spot, a draw was on the cards. Cristiano Ronaldo netted the ball past Victor Valdes to make it 1-1, which was the way it stayed till the end eight minutes later. After the star player's equaliser, both sides pushed forward to get the full three points, but the score didn't change. The final whistle blew and the second La Liga El Clasico had ended in a draw.
          Both goals, from arguably the two best players in the world, were from the spot, which also said something about the quality of defence and keeping. The pressure also made the game a little more ill-tempered than necessary, leading to a lot of players from both sides see yellow. But it was a good and memorable game.
          Three more Clasicos coming up in just over two weeks. I can't wait!

Capsule Cricket

          We are currently witnessing a bonanza of cricket in a capsule. The game started off as five-day, then sixty-over cricket appeared, then was shortened to fifty, then the world saw the appearance of the shortest form of the game, merely twenty overs a side. And in the rare event of a tie, one over will suffice to decide the winner, possibly of an entire tournament. Cricket is trying to emulate football, I suppose. Action packed into ninety short minutes. And it's the most popular sport in the world!
          The IPL proudly and rightly declares about itself - It's Awesome. It's a 240 ball rollercoaster. And it is. An over can turn a game around. The new generation, of which I am a part, does not appreciate dreary five-day games filled with dour defence. No, not at all. The World Cup has proved that one-day cricket's life is yet prolonged, but the future of cricket, I think, is Twenty20. We want a game where the highlights show is as long as the game itself, where the ball is repeatedly whacked into the stands. Elegance is the worry of the older generation. As long as there is action, we're fine.
          We're getting there. Bingles (boring singles), ever present in one-day cricket, are a tiny part of T20, only there to give the strike to the better batsman or keep the strike at the end of an over. They are never continuous, always punctuated by boundaries or wickets. And the ongoing IPL is showing that it is not a batsman-dominated format. The battle between bat and ball is still extant, the only compromise is on cricket that is elegant. That too is kept alive by the stalwarts like Tendulkar and Warne who play the shorter version of the sport.
          Is T20 cricket the ideal format? Maybe not. But it is definitely here to stay.

Long Time No See!

          It's time for us Chennaiites to ditch the blue and don the yellow, for the mother of extravagant cricket carnivals is here! The IPL began yesterday in style - at Chepauk, not far from my own residence, the spectatators were treated to music, dances including SRK dancing to Tamil tunes and a final-over thriller.
          CSK did not get off to the perfect start, not in the least. Murali Vijay hit one to the boundary and attempted one more, only for the ball to be pouched by a Knight. Raina came and stabilized the game, creating a partnership with Aniruddha Srikkanth before departing. Dhoni came in ahead of Badrinath, Styris and Morkel. He played a cameo, scoring off boundaries and left after a to edge was caught by the keeper. Styris came and left, and Morkel arrived to take the score past 150.
          Knight Riders needed 154, which is not too challenging when you have players like Gambhir, Kallis and Yusuf Pathan in the line-up. They started off well, punishing Morkel and Southee. Dhoni stumped Bisla, only to have Yusuf come out. He hit one in the stands before being run out for just 11. Surprise man Tiwary walked out ahead of Gambhir and Morgan. Kallis got his fifty before being caught at short fine leg. Again, Gambhir's entry was delayed as Morgan entered. Raina dismissed him cheaply and Gambhir came on to the field, finally. KKR still had the advantage.
          But when the skipper exited after scoring just one, the match looked like it had turned. They required 33 from three overs, nothing is impossible in T20. The penultimate over was expensive, and the visitors needed 9 off the last over, not too hard at all. Southee came along and bowled three yorkers off the final three balls to seal the game for the hosts. Needing four off the final delivery, Bhatia hit a single. And CSK had not embarrassed themselves by way of  opening with a loss.
          Dhoni already holds the World Cup, IPL, Champions League and No. 1 Test Team. He'll be looking to play like this and do the first ever IPL two-in-a-row.
          Whistle podu!

The Run-Up

          All around me people are talking about the World Cup final. And there's nothing wrong with that, because this event only happens every four years, and it's perfectly human to anticipate it eagerly. And there's India playing to go with it. This is only the third time India is among the two teams left to win. So is the case for their islander opponents - a lot is at stake!
          This is the first all-Asian final since the birth of the event. Fitting, because the centre of the game, like Europe it is for football, has truly shifted from England, its birthplace, to the region where the sport is a religion.
          Somehow, India have been named favourites. I don't think so. Maybe I'm a cynic, but the fact is that in every game, only one of the two main aspects - batting and bowling - has clicked for India. Sri Lanka is not like that - they too have world-class batsmen and superb bowlers. True, their middle-order may not be great, but that's partly because they don't need to be - the top order usually finish it or set it up for the next few to finish it painlessly. SL are also not the kind who forgive mistakes like Pakistan did.
India come into the final with two big snatches to their credit - holders Australia and Pakistan. Sri Lanka however, had it rather easy - England and New Zealand. This could mean two things - that India are fatigued after the two high-octane clashes or that they are confident to pull off a third. Or that Sri Lanka, after stammering against NZ, may falter against India, or are saving the best for the last.
          This tie features two stalwarts who are probably playing their last World Cup games - Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan. It will be a dream to see the latter bowl to the former - if the Indian star hasn't walked off already by the time the spinners begin their reign. The country will want to see Sachin get his 100th 100, the World Cup Final being the perfect stage for that Bradman-esque feat. Murali would also want a final shot at overtaking Glenn McGrath's record of 71 World Cup wickets.
          Two keeper-captains face-off, hoping to lift that trophy. India has the supporters at theWankhede behind them, many of whom bought the tickets for huge prices. While Sri Lanka has has a more reliable side. The teams are playing for the 30th time since June 2008, so there is no question about the teams not knowing each other. What matters is who will finish with a smile, and who will have their head bowed once again. I want to see good cricket, and like the rest of the country - an India win. But it should be a deserved one.
          Who will come good?