India wins the ICC World Cup 2011 ...

When you do not have a comfortably sailing to the final you win it...

Congratulations to India for winning the world cup 2011. In the end they played better and deserved to win despite their lucky escape in the semi against Pakistan. Forget that.

They played like champions today. Despite loosing two early top gun wickets of Sehwag and Tendulkar they played most methodically to reach the target. Hats off to the Gautam Gambir and Virat Kohli partnership. Then Dhoni played a master stroke, he came himself instead of Yuvraj who could have or could not have played, to lead from the front and see how responsibly he played without being bogged down unlike Misbah neither did he play any non-cricketing stroke like Afridi.

There is something to learn from these boys - unity of purpose, planning and commitment.
I hope our team was watching how they planned their batting up to the point they won. No rash non-cricketing strokes, no T20 strokes and no bogging down unlike our boys on the fateful day.

Srilanka made terrible mistakes by not taking some good bowlers like Ajanta Mendis etc. they had no good pace attack and the best spinners were not playing.

Now coming to the main point. Pakistan topped the tabled and is bundled out in 2011. In 1992 they got into the knockout because Australia beat West Indies and Pakistan sneaked in and went on to become the World Champions 1992. Similarly in 2009 Pakistan won the T20 Championship after being humbled earlier and were about to be eliminated. But when it sneaks in with utmost difficulty it wins the final. But when we top the table we never win. This is an observation. Now you ponder over it.

Same with India, they sneaked in with great difficulty after loosing to South Africa and tieing with England and were not exactly comfortable with others. They beat the minnows. Their most difficult match was against Pakistan. Seems like they kept the best for the final and bravo they did the job. http://samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=30243

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Winning-WC-is-proudest-day-of-my-life-Sachin/videoshow/7853426.cms

http://www.ndtv.com/album/detail/the-cup-of-joy-10136?fromphotowidget

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Shahid-Afridi-praises-Dhonis-captaincy/videoshow/7829997.cms

Rest later.

Murli The Bolwling Bradman takes 800 Wickets...

The drama was there till the last ball of the innings...

Both friends and foes were on edge and this time both were praying for the success of this little man from Sirlanka called the great Muralitharan who is the first to take 800 wickets in Test Cricket.

He had to see the heart break of one run out, that of Laxman and only one wicket remained between him and the record and a plumb LBW was not allowed. One kept wondering if any bad luck would not intervene between Murli and his record. The infamous Galle weather was also threatening. Besides Murli was telling the captain regardless of his record get Indians out lest the weather intervene and Srilanka not win.

No. He wanted his last test to be a winning test. So you see a lot of drama was going on all the while and continued till the end. It was one seesaw.

People remembered Bradman how he was out for a duck on his farewell test and his average slumped from 100 to 99.94 while every one prayed nothing like this should happen now. Finally he did have luck. Ojah snicked one at second slip to Jayaverdane. Wow! He made it.

Congratulations Murli. Don't forget 8 wickets is a big ask for a guy playing his last test and against a side that is known for its batting with guys like, Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman in the team. On paper India is a formidable foe although not always on the ground. Yet for Murli to make them bite dust is no small achievement. The guy deserves every bit of adulation.

For once it seemed the world had only one team - that of Muttia Muralitharan.

Even his critics and enemies were praying for his success.