Youtube restricts video posts on Cricket - BCCI complains "Copyright Infrigement" !!

After a very long time i had a chance to watch Cricket! My Nightmare started there…

It was the third day of the first test match of Airtel Gavaskar-Border Cup 2008. I started with Ganguly and Dravid. As usual DADA was on good mood (I think he was treating every ball as Vengsarkar's face!!!) and The Great Wall of India was shielding the "Indian would not loose" castle (and not "India would Win") in his own way. When he was out i already started to lie down on the sofa reading paper and occassionally peeping into the screen to know the status. Then came Dhoni baba and as usual dancing here and there all the time but when dancing was atmost needed his legs were frozen and got out!! Then came Bhajji and Zaheer....OMG! by this time, I was literally performing Pooja for a draw. My blanket, by now, was covering my face with a small window to still watch the brutality of the Aussies over Indians whenever i had the guts!! The Rain God briefly answered my prayers and did not forget to bless Harbhajan and Zaheer. THINK RAM & SITA ARE STILL KIND WITH BHAJJI!!! I honestly admit my earlier fears were wrong and these two were pure entertainers on that day. You should have watched them playing – awesome. By now i could relax better. I had refreshing tea and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the session.

BTW, I put some of those on my youtube page, but it was automatically deleted today bcos of some copyright infringement with BCCI !! I got that deletion confirmation mail, for all the posts that i made on Saturday, from Youtube today morning.

I dont understand the word "Copyright infringement" The mail from youtube gave me a link for the definition of Copyright infringement. I have seen tons of cricket video's on the internet, even in Youtube. I wanted fans like me who would have missed the oppurtunity to watch this treat could enjoy those at thier ease. What is wrong with this? BCCI being the most richest cricket board in the world should not humiliate the cricket fans like this. Video's posted on Youtube is free for everyone to watch and is not charged. BCCI should be aware of this. How much more they think that they make by hurting the fans?? My kind advise to fellow netiziens is to kindly take a look at this page before you post something on Youtube!

Indians should bet on their Batsman while Lankans on their bowlers! - Asia Cup 2008 Finals

After a frenetic 11-day period that saw 12 matches, Sri Lanka and India have survived the crammed schedule, the heat, and a few wobbles to make their way to yet another Asia Cup final. Historically, these two sides have been the strongest in the tournament, winning seven of the eight editions so far; Sunday's game will be their sixth meeting in Asia Cup finals. India and Sri Lanka clashed in the tournament’s last final at Colombo in 2004 and the Islanders won by 25 runs. Only three players from the current Indian squad played in that match — Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan while the Sri Lankans have seven players from that final doing duty here.

The STAR Cricket Asia Cup final against defending champion Sri Lanka at the National Stadium here on Sunday evening, presents Dhoni and Co., another opportunity to assuage genuine fears about the Indian team’s resilience in coping with a rich legacy and the resultant vacuum as Tendulkar copes with a body that has stretched itself thin over 19 years of top flight cricket while Dravid and Ganguly have been omitted on the basis of ageing shoulders.

India will depend primarily on its batters to deliver in the final of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka on Sunday. The Indian bowlers have not made much of an impression on the batsman-friendly track at Karachi's National Stadium, but the batsmen have chased down huge totals in the tournament so far. The Indians, however, will be keen to improve their bowling and fielding against the islanders. The Sri Lankans with their double-barrel-gun combine of Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara, have bludgeoned bowlers without any remorse. Jayawardene has slowly found his feet and Chamara Kapugedera and Chamara Silva too have chipped in and the Indian attack needs to shrug its rust and stick to the basics as emphasised by bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad.

In the past...

• Sri Lanka haven't lost to India in the last six finals between the two teams - they've won four while two were rained out. The last time India won a final against them was ten years ago, in the Singer-Akai Nidahas Trophy.
• Sanath Jayasuriya averages 51.54 at a strike rate of 100.17 in finals against India. In 11 innings he has scored one hundred and four fifties, including a 99.
• Muttiah Muralitharan has an excellent economy rate of 4.03 in finals against India. In seven innings, he has taken nine wickets at 28.22.
• India's top five (Gambhir, Sehwag, Raina, Dhoni and Yuvraj) all average more than fifty in the tournament, with Dhoni the only one with a strike rate - 97.88 - less than 100.

India last won the Asia Cup at Sharjah in 1995. It is time to regain the cup that at one stage was India’s monopoly since its launch in 1984. India has won the tournament on four occasions. But before that Dhoni’s men should forget about cramped schedules, flat pitches, sultry weather and perhaps take a leaf out of their rivals who always seem to be on their toes in the field. For Sri Lanka, playing in Pakistan is often about revisiting memories of that famous 1996 World Cup triumph at Lahore.

The teams (from):
India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Manpreet Gony, Piyush Chawla and Pragyan Ojha.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), K. Sangakkara, S. Jayasuriya, Chamara Silva, T. Dilshan, C. Kapugedera, T. Thushara, M. Muralitharan, C. Vaas, A. Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, N. Kulasekara, Jehan Mubarak, M. Udawatte, K. Weeraratne and F. Maharoof.

Umpires: Simon Taufel and Tony Hill; Third umpire: Zameer Haidar; Match referee: Alan Hurst.

Match starts at 3.30 p.m. IST.

India-Pakistan-Bangladesh TriSeries - Kitply Cup 2008

After IPL's success as a being a thriller among the indian public the tri-series in Bangladesh will be a test of patience. Spectators will have to appreciate the building of an innings as they sit through the pedestrian run-rate of one-day cricket, and watch as overs are bowled without a six being hit or a wicket falling. For the Indian and Pakistani players involved with the IPL, the challenge will be to readjust their batting styles to the longer format: not to go for broke from the onset, think about keeping wickets in hand, and to give a few overs to the bowler if he's in the middle of a dangerous spell.

The tournament's format - three league matches - is such that it allows no room for error. India and Pakistan have the mos t to lose. One slip-up and it will be down to net run-rate to qualify for the final. The irony is that if there's an India-Pakistan final, it is more likely to fade from public memory as most one-day matches eventually do.

Series Fixtures:
1st Match: Bangladesh vs Pakistan at Mirpur Jun 8, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST
2nd Match: India vs Pakistan at Mirpur Jun 10, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST
3rd Match: Bangladesh vs India at Mirpur Jun 12, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST
Final Match: TBC vs TBC at Mirpur Jun 14, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST

The Teams:

Bangladesh Squad

Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Mashrafe Mortaza (Vice-Captain), Abdur Razzakz, Alok Kapali, Dolar Mahmud, Farhad Reza, Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mushfiqur Rahim (w.k), Nazimuddin, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Dhiman Ghosh, Junaid Siddique, Mosharraf Hossain, Rubel Hossain

India Squad

MS Dhoni(captain,w.k), Yuvraj Singh (Vice-Captain), Piyush Chawla, Gautam Gambhir,Praveen Kumar,Pragyan Ojha, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina,Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Manpreet Gony,Robin Uthappa

Pakistan Squad

Shoaib Malik (Captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (Vice-Captain), Bazid Khan, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Anjum, Kamran Akmal (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed,Naumanullah,Shahid Afridi, Sohail Khan,Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Sohail Khan

The Kitply Cup marks the restart of a hectic international calendar. It may not be the most eye-catching tournament but nevertheless, India and Pakistan won't want this series to be remembered for their inability to make the final.

Lost Opportunity Cost - Chennai sobs silently!!

Hi all, quite long time since i updated about cricket here in my blog. Guess a reason.... and you are correct - i was bit upset over the way Chennai Super Kings lost the match. I am a big fan of Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni was definetly not the major factor (although he is a crowd puller) but because i am a tamilian.

Honestly speaking, i was not happy (which is not a matter at all for the rest, if not, for the players atleast!) about the way Dhoni handled the things when they were expected to put in a total of around 185+ in their final match against Rajasthan Royals. They didnt capitalize the excellent start provided by Raina and Patel. They were simply cowards against the Royals after a bit slog start. Here Dhoni, to keep the momentum, should have sent Badrinath and if not atleast should not have send Morkel. An average indian would have reacted better in that suituation than Morkel. He was a utter flop. If Morkel was no better than an average indian, Dhoni was worse still! He should have send Badrinath ahead, which he did notv(as expected). Atleast he should have set an example by playing his natural game, when the suituation warrants him to do so.

Oh Boy! he was pushing the balls for singles and rotating the strike with C.K'Dera. Dera was already struggling to even face the ball during this period. I mean, literally, he wanted to piss off there. Dhoni played COOL. C'mon, being cool is good but should understand the suituation. Dhoni should have hit more. That is why he was the highest paid player in the series. Except for his two (lucky) sixers, he was mere a flop on that day.

I was cursing him during his batting and the way he was rotating the strikes. I almost predicted the match by the end of the first innings. Poor Super King fans. With some hopes sticking around, i continued to watch the second innings. CSK's gave a brave fight back initially which eventually faded. The time when Royals rose to 103 in 13overs, i thought match is had already slipped and comfortably landed in the safe hands of Royals. With a heavy heart i went to bed. You should have watched the reactions of Dhoni for every wicket of Royals falling down. MAN! i tell you, you look like a country pig wanting to fart but got a bamboo stuck in his ass!! Yes, i mean it. No reactions from this Indian Captian. You cannot anymore paint a picture as being cool Mr.Dhoni (and now you are no more my icon). Your face shows it all. Why dont you cheer up your team when they are worth of it?

Its high time Dhoni. Live up to the hopes of this millions. Tear away the false mask around you - Being cool and be yourself. We loved you when you were so humble and a big hitter (when u started to play for the nation). We cheered you when you were handed over the CAP. We were with you when you failed. You captilized it for your personal benefits (you were in numerous advertisements, linked with film stars and what not). I dont see anything wrong in it. It is human nature! But dont forget your mission and role. Dont let things sit on your head, let it slip away sooner and come back with power - as you used to be once!!! We are waiting to see our real hero - The Dhoni from Ranchi !!!

Chennai super kings pack the Kings XI home once again

The Super kings sent the King's XI packing by winning by 9 wickets in the second semi-final of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

On a pitch offering generous bounce to the fast bowlers, Chennai's pace attack of Ntini, Gony and Albie Morkel bowled in the perfect channel, denying the Punjab batsmen any room to execute strokes through the off side. Bowling and fielding with exceptional intensity and focus, Chennai Super Kings restricted Kings XI Punjab to just 112 in the second semi-final in Mumbai and gave themselves an excellent chance to fight for the title. Chasing 113 runs to enter the final, Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina guide Chennai to victory against Kings XI Punjab in the 15th over.

The Chennai Super Kings will meet the Rajasthan Royals, the tournament favourites, in the finals tomorrow in Mumbai at 2000Hrs (IST).

Indian Captain Vs Vice Captain - Can CSKs rock the boat once again?

Tonight is the big night for the Indian cirket fans. The stage is set and ready to start soon as the two captains clash each other. On the big occasion of their semifinal clash on Saturday evening, the two captains will play decisive roles in guiding the fortunes of their teams—Mohali and Chennai.

T20 cricket is all about pluck and luck, adventure and aggression. It’s also about making things happen rather than wait for things to happen. Which is precisely why Yuvraj Singh’s return to sublime form will give his opposite number Mahendra Singh Dhoni a few more reasons to worry about. If Yuvraj is all fire and aggression, Dhoni has a cool head and a strong mind.

Mohali surely look good to go all the way. Yet, Dhoni’s determined bunch of cricketers are more than eager to rock the boat once again. They have already defeated Mohali twice in the league phase—at home and away. So, maybe Dhoni knows just what it takes to get the better of Yuvraj’s men.

Then again, don’t be surprised if the big semifinal turns out to be a low-scoring affair given the fear of losing early wickets or the nature of the track. In any given scenario it will be a battle of guts and gumption of those being able to connect the big hits and those managing to strike the stumps down. Above all, it will be a challenge between two dashing young men of Indian cricket—one who is a proven leader and the other who is showing that he isn’t any less when it comes to getting the best out of his team.


Sparks will fly.

Royals march into Finals Majestically

Rajasthan Royals 192 for 9 (Watson 52, Yusuf 45, Maharoof 3-34) beat Delhi Daredevils 87 (Dilshan 33, Watson 3-10, Munaf 3-17) by 105 runs

Rajasthan Royals capped another emphatic performance in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) with a convincing 105-run win over the Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-final played on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

This was Shane Watson's match. Imposing himself on the first semi-final, he boosted Rajasthan Royals with an electric fifty before rattling Delhi Daredevils' top order with an outstanding opening spell. Shane Warne had complained about being deprived of home advantage but his side adjusted perfectly to the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, putting on a show that illustrated exactly why they have been the stand-out team in the competition.

Losing the odds to get into semi's - Chennai super kings kissed the dust!!

Chasing a mammoth target of 212 runs to win, Chennai kept the momentum through-out the chase but failed to register the much needed victory to secure a place in the semis. Super Kings were cruising at 157 for three at the end of 15 overs but failed to get 55 from the last five overs with seven wickets in hand to make their semi-final hopes uncertain.With 14 points from 13 matches, the MS Dhoni side will have to win their last match against Deccan Chargers on May 27 in Hyderabad to make the grade.

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said hot and humid conditions at Chepauk and losing the toss were instrumental in his team's 10-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. Having been pushed to a do or die situation to progress to the next stage in the tournament, Dhoni said, "We need to win against the Deccan Chargers on May 27 to enter the semifinals. The Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils match will be in the back of our minds. We cannot ignore that match result."

Can Chennai Super Kings find themselves in semi's?

The equation for the Chennai Super Kings to enter the semi-finals is simple - they need to win one of their last two league matches. Winning against the top-placed Rajasthan Royals won't be an easy proposition, but Chennai can nudge into the semi-finals if they can repeat what fellow contenders Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils have managed earlier in the tournament. Rajasthan have entered the final four but don't expect them to take it easy. Their intentions were made clear by captain and coach Shane Warne, who, after their latest triumph against the Kolkata Knight Riders, said he hoped the "Rajasthan Express keeps rolling."

Chennai's main area of concern going into the match will be the state of their batting. In their previous match they wasted a confident start given by Stephen Fleming and Parthiv Patel, collapsing from 60 for no loss to 112 all out to hand the Bangalore Royal Challengers a rare victory. To avoid another such mishap, they will need their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to be at his aggressive best with the bat and to display the calm he brings to the job while leading India. Their chances will also depend on the batting of S Badrinath and Suresh Raina as well as the all-round capabilities of Albie Morkel. The weather may also play a part in the contest, with the possibility of showers later in the evening.

Tournament position

Rajasthan Royals: P11, W9, L2, NRR +0.950

Chennai Super Kings: P12, W7, L5, NRR -0.209

Match facts

Saturday, May 24, 2008Start time 16.00 (local), 10.30 (GMT)

Kings XI into Semi's by beating Deccan Chargers by 6 wickets

Kings XI Punjab continued with their winning momentum and beat Deccan Chargers by six wickets at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. Kings XI Punjab have already cruised to the semi-finals with the IPL tie between DDdevils and KKRiders being washed out on Thursday.

Openers Shaun Marsh and Kumar Sangakkara laid the foundation of this win as they scored 84 runs for the first wicket. Both of them slammed half-centuries. Sangakkara smashed his second IPL half-century in 25 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes. His first had come against Mumbai Indians.Deccan Chargers finally got the breakthrough when after shining with the bat, Rohit Sharma struck with the ball and removed Sangakkara (50). But that did not deter Marsh from playing his natural game and smashing his fifth IPL fifty in eight matches that he played. He scored 60 runs with the help of three fours and three sixes. He picked another 'Man of the Match' award.

Punjab skipper Yuvraj failed to play a big knock once again and chipped just 17 runs before RP Singh lunged on to a superb catch at the boundary off Pragyan Ojha's bowling. Ojha struck again and removed another dangerman Luke Pomersbach for 13 runs.