India Wins Cricket World Cup 2011

India has won the Cricket World Cup 2011. India is the champion of the world of Cricket. Blessed by God Almighty, India has won the ultimate prize in Cricket - sending the entire nation into a state of frenzy.

In the biggest showdown in the world of cricket, hosts India took on co-hosts Sri Lanka in a high voltage final at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on 2nd April 2011. 

Sri Lanka won a controversial toss and decided to bat first. They scored a majestic 275 runs, inspired by a great century by Mahela Jayawardane. 

Chasing under pressure was never India's forte, and the top order collapsed. However, powered by a great sheet anchor knock by Gautam Gambhir and super cool innings by uber cool captain - MS Dhoni, India won the World Cup it style. Gary Kirsten - India's coach - was also a great influencing factor in this victory.

Winning moments like these are rare, and India have done it in great style.

India had last won the World Cup in 1983 - under the leadership of Kapil Dev. And in 2011, just less than 10 hours back, entire India was on tenterhooks. Sachin was playing in what was most likely his final World Cup match, and the entire nation wanted Team India to win the Cup.

The toss was a disaster. MSD threw the coin and Sangakarra made the wrong call. Incidentally, neither the referee nor MSD had heard what the Sri Lankan captain had called. The referee insisted that the toss be done again. The Lankans won it this time and chose to bat. The entire country contemplated whether this toss-gate would result in the loss of the Cup 9 hours later.

Sri Lanka got off to a good start - but not a great one. Their top players - Tharanga, Dilshan and Sangakarra - couldn't score freely and were out without scoring heavily. 

Mahela Jayawardane stepped up and took on the responsibility of steering the innings. He scored 103 runs - proudly cheered by his wife. The lower order batsmen too hit some great boundaries and sixes. Sri Lanka made it to 275 runs, a score which would have scared most Indians.

Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel had kept their cool in the most important match of their career. Yuvraj too bowled his quota of 10 overs, taking crucial wickets. The surprise selection - Sreesanth - took some stick. Yet, he didn't let the match  completely slip out of India's match.

And when India took to the field to start the batting, the hopes of the entire nation rested on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. 

Sehwag got out in the first over of the match - caught leg-before-wicket to Malinga. My thoughts raced by to 2003, when Sachin had got out to McGrath in the finals against Australia. Would India lose the finals again? 

Next came Gautam Gambhir. If there is any man in the Indian team who is the most under-rated, it's Gautam. If there is any man who plays without seeking any attention, it's Gautam. 

Sachin Tendulkar looked to be in great touch, scoring good runs. But then came then moment which the entire nation feared. Sachin Tendulkar got out for 18 runs, and people across the country felt that the Cup had slipped out of India's hands.

Virat Kohli came into the middle and scored a respectable 35 runs. He was caught out by a stunning catch by Dilshan. At this moment, India were under immense pressure. The fire was on. And in walked the uber-cool skipper, MS Dhoni, ahead of the man in form - Yuvraj Singh.

If you have noticed MSD keeping the stumps, you would notice that he goes about his job with heavy concentration and supreme determination. India needed these very qualities at this moment. 

Dhoni rose to the occasion. He went about scoring runs with a quiet pace. He kept Gambhir on his feet and made him do the same. And after doing all the hard work though the middle of the innings, India were standing at the door steps of victory.

Gambhir got out on the score of 97, with India needing just 53 odd runs. I had got into a superstitious habit of not sitting down for the last 20 overs. Incidentally, I sat down for a single ball and Gambhir got out. That made me curse myself, but only to make a resolution of not sitting down - until India wins the World Cup.

Once Gambhir was back, the Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh joined his skipper in the middle. Both the champions went about scoring the runs with ease, never letting the pressure get on to them. At the same time, they didn't let the strike rate to climb.

They say - Strike while the iron is hot. True to this axiom, when Kulasekara came to bowl in the 47th over, Dhoni and Yuvi ripped apart his bowling to bring India on to striking distance of a victory - a victory which could not have been stolen from the nation - come what may!!

And in the 49th over, the skipper MS Dhoni won the World Cup for India, hitting the biggest six of the match, in great style. India had won the World Cup. India were crowned as the Champions. India had won the title - sending the entire nation of 1.2 billions into a state of euphoria, pride and happiness.

If you have to relive those moments, it is these three minutes of magic. The entire country wanted Dhoni to finish it in style with a four. He delivered a sixer - the most stylish one. He didn't start celebrating until the ball had landed in the stands. After that, it was just party all the way. 



Jubilant and emotional scenes were seen across the entire nation. Almost every single player said that they had won the Cup for Sachin. Sachin was his modest self in the victory, crediting the entire team. MSD was his frank self - playing a captain's knock in the most important match of his career, backing his decisions, laying any doubts about his leadership capabilities to rest.

Importantly, a great team work powered India to this majestic victory. Different player fired when it mattered the most in different matches. India made true of the saying - the sum is more than its parts. 

After a long gap of 28 years, India had won the World Cup. I was not even a 28 day baby when India had won the Cup back in 1983. And today, it is a proud moment to see India being crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Jai Ho!!! 

(All pictures courtesy - Getty Images, Google and The Times Of India)

ICC Cricket World Cup Finals 2011

Fresh Fresh 
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India wins Cricket World Cup 2011
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The stage is set for the battle for the supremacy over the world of Cricket. It will be India Vs Sri Lanka in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup Finals on Saturday, 2nd April 2011 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Both India and Sri Lanka have been co-hosts for this World Cup -  staged across the Indian sub-continent over the last 40 days. The sub-continental giants - both of whom have won the World Cup once - will be taking on each other in the finals at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

India were touted as the favorites for winning the championships. They have lived upto that expectation, losing just one match on the road to the final. Sri Lanka too were considered as a strong side. They too have grown from strength to strength to block the tickets to Bombay.

In the semi-finals, Sri Lanka played against New Zealand. After restricting New Zealand to just 217 runs, Sri Lanka kept their cool in the difficult run chase - winning by 5 wickets. 

The top order fired for Sri Lanka, as it has done all through the tournament. Guys in the middle order also digged in to take the team to a glorious victory. Importantly, it was their champion spinner - Muttiah Muralitharan's - last match on Sri Lankan soil. And Sri Lanka heads to the final with the intent of wearing the Champion's Crown once again.

The other semi final was between India and Pakistan. It wasn't a cricket match. It was a battle. The hype before the match was simply too huge too comprehend. 

Adding to the pressure was the fact that the Prime Minister's of both nations - Dr. Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan - were meeting on the sidelines of the cricket match. This is what they called as cricket diplomacy.

India batted first and the Indian top order looked as if they were firing. Only Sachin was able to dig through the innings, with the blessings of the generous Pakistani fielders who dropped him four times. India managed to score a respectable total of 260 runs.

In the second innings, MS Dhoni - India's captain - led the team into the field. The entire nation contemplated Dhoni's choice to play Nehra over Ashwin - expecting it to back fire. 

Pakistan got off to a great start. But India took wickets at regular intervals. All the five bowlers bowled like champions in the most important match in a decade. The Pakistani team fell like nine pins. Misbah-Ul-Haq, the eldest Pakistani player, scored at a snail's pace, virtually awarding the match to India.

And with two wickets a piece, the five Indian bowlers wrapped up the Pakistani innings with a bowl to spare, winning by a majestic 29 runs.  

With this, the euphoria is set to rise further - culminating in the final's in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar, India's Demi-God will be playing it in front of his home crowd. The entire nation will be hoping that India wins.

If there is one star which is missing on Sachin's proud chest, it is the victory medal of the World Cup. And Sachin would be making every possible effort to win the Cup for India, in what should be - for all practical purposes - his last World Cup match. ( A few blog posts back, an anonymous visitor left behind a comment, saying - Sachin will play two more World Cup's. You never know what the future holds.) 

But as they say, Cricket is a team game. And the entire team needs to back up Sachin. India needs a fiery start from Virender Sehwag and a stable knock from Gautam Gambhir. Yuvraj Singh should score a decent knock and Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni should make a respectable contribution.

Among the bowlers, Zaheer Khan has to lead the attack once again. Harbhajan has to bowl with all his guile. Munaf Patel was impressive in the big game against Pakistan and should keep his cool. 

And, if - once again - you have too choose between Ashwin and Nehra, Nehra should get a place in the playing eleven. But you never know how the uber cool skipper - MSD - would think. Whatever may be the choice, the chosen player should play his best.

Most importantly, it's the captain - MS Dhoni. He is the captain of the ship which has sailed so far. He is the general of the army which has won all these battles. Dhoni would have got a lot of flak - be it for his selections, or for his interspersed poor keeping, or his mediocre batting through the Cup. 

Whatever may be the case, captaincy is his stronghold. He should construct his best thoughts over the next two days, prepare a plan for every single eventuality which may shape up in the game, and lead his team with confidence. He has a team which is extremely talented, and has a huge heart. He just has to rally them like a bunch of champions and take them to the glorious pedestal - a victory in the Cricket World Cup.

As for what Sri Lanka needs to do, I will just leave it to the Lankans. They are India's opponents - and any tips are not advisable.

However, it will be worthwhile to analyse Sri Lankan's for the benefit for India. The top three batsmen - Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara - are the most dangerous. India should prepare a very strong plan to get these guys out.

Among the bowlers, Malinga has been very very dangerous with his slingers. Sachin and Sehwag should rip apart his bowling, and demoralize him completely. 

The spin twins - Murali and Ajantha Mendes - will use all their tricks to get the Indian's out. India should play them with utmost caution, and capitalise on their weak deliveries.

Simply speaking, India have an uphill task against Sri Lanka. A long fifteen years back, in 1996, when I was just a little school going boy, India played Sri Lanka in the World Cup semi-finals at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta. The Indian batting crumbled under pressure and India lost poorly. Sri Lanka went on to win the match, under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. 

I just want one thing. India should avenge that defeat and win the Cricket World Cup 2011.

For the next two days, the entire nation will be on tenterhooks. After celebrating the victory against Pakistan, the entire nation will sit down and prepare the plans for winning the World Cup. From trains to buses, from schools to colleges, from TV to Radio, from corporate boardrooms to the neighboring tea-shops - it will be just one thing - India and World Cup. Everything else will take a back seat.

You don't have any Octopus Paul predicting the winners. But if you are interested in following someone, it should be the guru of spin bowling, the wizard of spin - Aussie spinner, Shane Warne. He has been predicting winners with amazing accuracy. Do not forget to check him out on his twitter page before and through the match.

I strongly hope and pray to God that India emerge victorious in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011, in the World Cup final.

And by God's grace, if this wish comes true, entire India will erupt into a state of joy and euphoria. Just three days more - and India will be crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Dhak Dhak Go, India Go!!

Cricket World Cup Knockout

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 being played in the Indian sub continent is just past its league stages and the quarter final line up has been framed. The stage is set for the knockout matches to begin.

The mood across the world is of sombre and anger. The terrible Tsunami in Japan has resulted in immense loss of life and property. On the other side, a war is being fought in Libya - wherein an internal civilian conflict has snowballed into a war between Libya and Coalition forces, comprising more than 10 nations.

The World Cup matches in India too are said to be under threats from terrorists. The players of various nations are showing great character in playing under such trying circumstances.

The last few matches of the group stages made an upset quarter final lookup quite possible. However, the top teams managed to pull it off and will now be battling it in the quarter finals.

 

At the quarter final stages, two matches are scheduled to be played in Bangladesh and one each in India and Sri Lanka. The semi finals are in India and Sri Lanka, with the final scheduled in Bombay.

The first quarter final is between the Asian giants Pakistan and the erstwhile champions of the world cricket - West Indies. 

Even though West Indies figured lower than Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket rankings, they have made it to the knockout stages with a good show of cricket. Pakistan were tagged as the underdogs and they have lived upto the billing, by topping their Group A. In my opinion, if Pakistan play the way they have been till now in the Cup, they should emerge as winners. 

The next match is the one which is being most looked forward too. After all, it is the hosts India taking up the winners of the last three Cups - Australia. 

There is a lot at stake here. It will be the World Cup swan song for many a great players. Sachin, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee come to my mind right away. And all of them would want to finish their careers with a high and this match stands between them and World Cup glory.

India were deemed as the favorites, but have choked in crucial moments. Australia too have wilted under pressure, as can be seen in their last match against Pakistan. 

It will be difficult to predict the winners of this match. If you have to go by the form book, Australia can win. But the hopes of an entire nation - India - will rest on Dhoni and his men to take them through the quarter final, only to setup a battle royale against Pakistan a week later in Chandigarh.

The next one is between South Africa and New Zealand. Both teams have done well in the league stages. But they have a historic reputation of being chokers in the elimination round matches. Whoever manages to keep their cool in this match will come forth as the winners. My money is on South Africa to win this one.

The last of the quarter finals is between the other hosts - Sri Lanka - against the men from England. 

England were virtually knocked out from the Cup. Yet Andrew Strauss promised his country men that they could still win this Cup. Amazing confidence, I would say. Sri Lanka too have been looking weak and strong, in waves. 

While Sri Lanka look to be the favorites to win the match, a resurgent England might just pull it off. And if things go the way in the next match too, they will  be on the way to Bombay to play the finals.

The next 10 days promise to be exciting for cricket lovers across the world. 

Just as with any Indian, who has been with - eat cricket, sleep cricket - I too strongly hope that India win the cup. And if they have too, they have to play like champions in the next three matches. 

Sachin has to the ruthless batsman he has been over the past two decades. Zaheer Khan has to bowl with the heart of a lion and lead the weak Indian bowling attack. Sehwag has to be the swash-buckling batsmen, ripping apart the opposition bowling attacks. 

Harbhajan has to bowl his best for the next thirty overs - using all the tricks in his bag. As for the rest, they have to play the role they have been given. 

Most importantly, MS Dhoni has to be the super cool captain which has bought him this glory in the past five years. 

And finally, if "All goes well", it will be party time across India on April 2. Until then, its fingers crossed.

Cricket World Cup - Mid Term Review

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is in progress in the Indian Sub Continent for the last three weeks. And as the time is progressing, the frenzy is building up.

Here's a low down on a few things which have caught my eye in this World Cup. Being played in my time zone, I have managed to catch a few of the matches.

Starting with the teams first.

India were considered to be hot favorites. But only time will tell on whether they will manage to live upto their reputation. If their on field antics are to be considered, then they have hardly done justice to their favorite tag. 

They have managed to score three wins - all against the minnows - Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands. And against the two top teams, all they have managed is tie against England and a loss against South Africa.

England have been more fickle - having lost against Bangladesh and Irish. South Africa have been swinging between being chokers, losing in a low scoring match against England while keeping their cool in a humdinger against India. 

West Indies, who came lower than Bangladesh in the ODI rankings have been more balanced. And Bangladesh with their decent performances seem to be knocking on the doors of the Quarter Finals.

While this has been the story in Group B, Group A has been equally unpredictable.

New Zealand seem to be going strength to strength - winning four of the five matches they have played. Pakistan too have been playing nicely.

Australia have been going about their tasks quietly, doing what they do best - win. And Sri Lanka is facing the heat, struggling to win the matches.

The other nations in this group - Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya - haven't been able to do much apart from being "also rans".

Among the players, Sachin has caught the attention. He is fine form, scoring nicely, to be the second highest scorer in the tournament. Shahid Afridi's leadership has been inspiring for Pakistan. 

Virender Sehwag's confidence and calm has been noticeable. Of course, you also have had Kevin O'Brien scoring the fastest century in World Cup Cricket, in 50 balls.

Frankly, no other player comes to my mind - whose performance I would rate as inspiring or great. I strongly hope that we have better and more electric performances in the coming matches.

Coming on to the systems. 

One thing that has caught my attention is the Decision Review System - which allows the batting as well as the bowling sides to appeal against the Leg Before Wicket (LBW) decisions handed down by the on-field umpires.

It has seen some wrong decisions being turned over in the favor of bowling side. And you have had cases where a batsmen had been ruled as out, only for the decision to have been reversed after a review. All in all, it has bought in more stability and uniformity in the decisions.

Another thing which has been troubling  my mind is the lack of a good anthem for the Cricket World Cup. The song - which is said to be the official song - is simply not upto the mark. 

First of all, it is in Hindi. That makes it difficult for teams and spectators of all nations to relate to it. Secondly, it does not have the kind of spark  required to ignite the passions at the World Cup. 

The Football World Cup 2010 had a great anthem. I'm sure that India does not have any dearth of talent to produce an anthem which is comparable as this one, if not better. Hopefully, we will see an better one next time.

All in all, it has been a good World Cup. In group A, the top 4 teams - Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka - seem to be on the way to the Quarter Finals. Group B is more wide open, with India, West Indies, South Africa, England and Bangladesh being in contention.

Hope the best and the strongest teams make it to the knock out stages.  This will help us have sparkling games in the coming days.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

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Click here for India wins Cricket World Cup 2011
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Click here for a view on the finals

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In India, they say - Cricket is a religion. And Sachin is the God.

For the unknowns, Cricket is a game. And Sachin Tendulkar is the most cherished player in Indian cricket.

And for the knowns, this introduction is not needed. 

What also is not needed is a reminder that the biggest festival in the game of cricket - The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - is set to start in the less than 10 days from now in the Indian Sub-continent.

The World Cup will be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh jointly. Pakistan was initially decided as one of the co-host. But a spate of terror attacks in the country in 2009 resulted in Pakistan losing its chance to be one of the co-hosts.

Stumpy will be the Mascot for this World Cup.

Cricket is a game which is played most commonly in the Commonwealth nations. Considering this, you will see most of the nations participating in the game to be Commonwealth nations. The Netherlands in the exception.

Fourteen nations will be participating in this year's World Cup. Four of them are the associate members of the ICC while the remaining ten are the permanent members.

The World Cup will be played over 42 days - starting 19th Feb 2011. The finals are scheduled in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011.

The matches will be played across 13 stadiums across the 3 nations - 8 in India, 3 in Sri Lanka and 2 in Bangladesh.

What makes this Cup special is the fact that it is 10th edition of the Cricket World Cup.

What makes it special for me and you is the fact that it will be played in our country. India as a co host are one of the favorites to win the World Cup.

Back in 1983, India won the third edition of the Cup in England - beating the mighty West Indies.

Four years later, the Cup travelled to India. Australia won the Reliance World Cup in 1987.

Circa 1992, the Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand. Pakistan, under the able leadership of Imran Khan, emerged as the victors.

The Cup was back on the Indian Sub-continent in 1996. India managed to reach the semi-finals but were blown away by the eventual winners - Sri Lanka.

Later in 1999 and 2003, Australia were the champions. They played like lions - under the leadership of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

The 2007 World Cup is the one of which I have the faintest of the memories. Played in distant West Indies, I don't think I even managed to see a single match. Australia were the winners once again.

But off late, the Australians are no longer the ruthless warriors.

India, under the wings of their charismatic captain, M.S. Dhoni are the new superstars. At this moment, they are right at the top of the ICC rankings.

The draw is out and each group comprises of 7 nations - with round robin games to be played between each country.

In Group A - Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan - look like the favorites to go into the knock out stages.

In Group B, you have India, England, South Africa and West Indies looking like the most likely candidates for the next stage.

But in a stage big as the Word Cup, you have a few rookie nations who can upset the applecart of these biggies. Bangladesh, Ireland, Kenya and Zimbabwe have the capability to beat these star nations.

As always, all of India hopes and prays that India will win the World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar - at the age of 37 - will be playing in his sixth and last World Cup. And he would definitely like to crown his superb career record by winning the World Cup for India. 

And with the final to be played in Bombay a.k.a. Mumbai, Sachin will just have one thing on his mind for the next month and a half - lifting the Cup with his proud hands.

Sports Stars Of 2010

In about a month, the first decade of the 21st century is coming to a close. 

And it's time to have a look at the super stars who made the sports world their very own in 2010. These are the people who are bound to be the shining stars of the next decade.

While some players have fallen from grace for their activities outside the sporting circles (read Tiger Woods), you have many many others who have exhibited superb talent and magnificent skills to become the champions in their respective sports.

Starting with football.

2010 was the year of The World Cup Football. It was played in South Africa in June-July 2010.

The perennial favorites and the glorious under performers Spain won their maiden World Cup.

While Fernando Torres couldn't live upto his expectations, Iker Casillas kept his cool in front of the goal. David Villa was however the real hero for Spain, scoring 5 goals and taking the nation to the elusive World Cup victory.

Moving on to cricket.

Cricket for me, these days, begins and ends with Twenty20 (Indian Premier League to be specific).

For me, M.S. Dhoni was the super star of the years. He earned three stars on his proud chest.

First off all, Dhoni lead Chennai Super Kings to a victory in the IPL in April-May. Later in the year, they went on to win the Champion's League Twenty20. 

And lastly, but most importantly, Dhoni went from being a bachelor to a married man - marrying his sweetheart Sakshi.

Coming next is Formula 1. This is one sport I follow diligently - making it a habit never to miss a Sunday race.

However, this year was sadly different. I couldn't catch up with a single race  - live - thanks to a silly cable operator never showing Star Sports when needed. A busy work schedule didn't help either.

But that didn't stop me from checking out with the results of the races.

It was a year where Michael Schumacher made a comeback after a hiatus.  Fernando Alonso was driving in a strong car - the Ferrari - after a long time. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were driving the powerful McLaren.

While all these guys stood up and gave a majestic fight, it was the young German - Sebastien Vettel - who came up trumps in the Formula 1 championships. His team - Red Bull Racing - won the constructors championships.

Tennis is another sport which I try to follow.

In men's tennis, Roger Federer started the year by winning the Australian Open. And Rafael Nadal came up as the winner in remaining three Grand Slams.

Needless to say, he finished the year at top of the ATP World Tour Singles Ranking - by a lofty margin.

Women's tennis was a bit more balanced. Serena Williams won two Slams - The Australian Open and The Wimbledon. 

Francesca Schiavone won her maiden Grand Slam at The French Open. And Kim Clijsters successfully defended her title at The U.S. Open - a very significant achievement considering the fact that she is playing after becoming a proud mother.

But at top of the WTA Singles Ranking is someone who didn't win a single Grand Slam. 

She is Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark.

And she is winning attention for her looks along with her excellent game.  

I was a bit pleased with her being the champ - since I had thought she would win a couple of Grand Slams, which she eventually didn't. Yet, ending the year at the top of the table is a proud achievement.

Finally you have Saina Nehwal from India. With her excellent badminton game, she has risen to World Ranking of number 3. And for a brief period, she was also ranked as number 2. And as of today, she is once again back to the number 2 spot.

2010 was a spectacular year for her - with Saina winning the gold medal in  four significant championships.

She is just 19 years of age. And, without any questions, she is bound to take India to greater heights and make the country proud.

All in all, these sportsmen and sportswomen have displayed enormous talent, superb tenacity, brilliant skills and great will power to be at the very top of their respective sports.  

Double Century

Three years and two hundred blog posts. 

This has been the journey of my blog since I started writing on this very page. 

Just a fortnight back, I posted the 200th post - without realizing that I had crossed a vital landmark.

Landmarks should be stepping stones to further successes. And with this in mind, I look back at a few blog posts from my collection - the one's who bought in the best traffic, and the one's who didn't bring in much of traffic but made me happy.

My first traffic spinner was Ana Ivanovic, the Serbian Tennis Star, with her photo shoot for Sports Illustrated with Pink Tennis Balls.

This photo shoot of hers has been an hit with online community crazy about Female Tennis Players. And when Google listed my blog page right at the top of the result, the traffic flowed in.

Check out the photo shoot on my blog post and see who catches your attention - Ana Ivanovic or the Pink Tennis Balls?

Next one were the all famous "Football WAGs".

Between June-July 2010, when the World Cup football was in progress, the players took all the attention.

And immediately after the World Cup, their wives and girlfriends were in focus. The ladies who garnered the largest attraction were Sara Carbonero, Alex Curran and Sarah Brander.

These ladies too bought in a lot of traffic. Read about their claim to fame on my blog post.

And most recently, it was a blog post on Mao Zedong, who bought in a lot of viewers.

Courtesy Google, an image on my blog post was listed as the first image in Google Search, with "Mao Zedong" as the search query.

Check out my opinion and links between Mao Zedong, Maoism and Maoists here.

But blogging is not all about bringing in more traffic.

It has more to do with writing things which are close to your heart. Things which reflect your very self. Things which highlight your learnings. Things which make you feel happy, and sad.

Here's a list of my top blog posts in this category.

I didn't know that I could write so much on Eyes.

And on Smiles, which can set a few things straight.

This blog post on Attractive Hairstyles was completely offbeat.

And this blog post - on Parenthesis - reflected the complex relationships in our modern time.

And I can't resist listing the next two blog posts.

The first one is on Enchanting Perfumes.

And the next one is on the eternal theme - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

There are many more which may be worth reading.

Surf around my blog if you would like too. And let me know your opinion.

Accepting Problems

Remember these lines - "Houston, We've Had a Problem". 

These famous lines were said by the astronauts abroad Apollo 13 - who, on their way to the moon, faced one adversary after another.  

With their life at stakes, they accepted there were serious problems in the space ship. With help from people on the Earth, a unified team worked strongly over the next seven days after the problem was reported - to bring the team back to earth, successfully saving their lives.

This has gone down in history as one of the best examples of solving critical, life threatening problems.

Moving on to Commonwealth Games 2010.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 are just a week away. Being hosted in New Delhi, India - they will be conducted over a period of 12 days - from 3rd October to 14th October.

As you might be aware, the Games have been embroidered with controversies. 

The sports infrastructure is not upto the mark. The city is not considered to be ready for the Games. The Games Village is considered to be in inhabitable conditions. 

All of this just 7 days before the games. This is when the finishing touches should have already being put - so that you can sit back and reflect on your effort over the past many years.

But that is not the case. We are struggling to put together an acceptable infrastructure for the Games. And that would be the case till the D-Day.

72 countries from across the World will be participating in the event. But just a few days back, some of the major Commonwealth nations threated to pull out of the Games - citing poor security, bad habitation conditions, inadequate sporting infrastructure as the reasons.

But as always, the officials continued to be in a state of denial. They refused to accept there was any problem.

The Games Organizing Committee (OC) secretary general Lalit Bhanot shamed India with his poor comments. 

“These rooms are clean to both you and us. However, it may not appear so to some others. They want certain standards in hygiene and cleanliness which may differ from our perception,” commented the high profile sports administrator. 

This attitude was well summarised by Dave Currie, who is the New Zealand's Chief of Mission.

"We’ve lost faith in the OC. They were in complete denial. It’s very hard to work with someone if they don’t admit there is a problem", Dave commented.

This brings us to the most crucial point of any activity execution - Problem Acceptance.

Accepting Problems is one of the most fundamental and important points during execution of any activity.

Not all activities can be executed without any hitches and glitches. There are bound to be some road blocks. There are ought to be some challenges.

But then you need to overcome these problems. You need to climb over these barricades.

And you can do so only if you accept that there is a problem. 

If you play blind to such problems, all that you will end up doing is keep running into them. 

But then again, you need to be a jumbo to throw aside such problems with your sheer weight. In most cases, you don't have the strength to cast them aside - and you end up falling right in front of them.

And in an activity which is being executed by a group of people, all of whom have a stake in its successful execution,  it is very important that all the people have an unified opinion of the issue at hand. 

This may not be the case at the beginning when the problem surfaces. But effort should be to bring about a united opinion - so that steps can be taken towards resolution of the problem.

Otherwise, we would end up in a situation like the Games, where one party looks for a resolution - and the other simply refuses to accept the problem. 

Net result - Increased frustration for the person or group who accepts the problem. And poor showcasing of the activity which is being executed.

This is well illustrated by a few quotes - like the ones below.

“You won't find a solution by saying there is no problem”
~ William Rotsler

“No problem is too big to run away from.”
~  Charles M. Schulz

“If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem”
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti  

So next time guys, if there is a problem - be ready to accept it. And if you are working in a group, bring about an acceptance in the group about the problem at hand.  And then put all your skills, knowledge, efforts, energy et all  to bring about the resolution of the problem. 

The rest can be left to God Almighty!!

The Wayne Rooney Phenomenon

Flashback to June 2010.

The Football [Soccer] World Cup was in progress in South Africa. This is the single most popular sports tournament in the World. 

More than 200 national teams attempted qualifying for this premier event, played once in four years. Only the best 32 managed to make it to South Africa.

England was one of these 32 nations. As always, a lot was riding on England at the World Cup. 

They have a host of stars in their national team - Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Peter Crouch, Ashley Cole et all. Another set of super stars - David Beckham, Michael Owen - were on the bench due to injury. 

The English Premier League is one of the most commercial success stories in club football. And many a times, their WAGs (read Wives and Girlfriends) make more news than the players themselves.

Come World Cup - and the entire nation starts thinking that their team is destined to win the Cup.

Wayne Rooney was the guy who was considered to be the lynch pin of the English attack. 

Playing as a striker all year round for Manchester United, he was expected to score goals for England. After all, scoring goals, and lots of them, can make your team a winner.

After having scored 34 goals in the 2009-2010 football season, he was expected to be a likely winner of the Golden Boot Award at the World Cup.

And with this kind of expectation riding on him at the World Cup, he was expected to be in an upbeat mood. A positive approach towards the game was anticipated by the entire nation.

However, he failed miserably at the World Cup. He did not even manage to score even a single goal. 

England had managed to scrape through Round 1. But they faltered in Round 2 - losing poorly to the Germans. And within less than 20 days of the start of the World Cup, England were knocked out of the tournament.

While most players would have headed home in view of the shocking exit in a tournament which is played once in four years, Wayne Rooney made his way to Barbados on a holiday - with his wife Coleen and son Kai.

Pictures like the one below enhanced Rooney's image as a doting father. While the loss of the World Cup made the English fans frown, the smile on Kai's and Coleen's face made many a people bright.

A holiday after playing in a high profile tournament would be a well deserved break for any player. And it should not have gathered much attention.

But then came the news that the Rooney's had booked the holiday just two days before England's knock outmatch against Germany!!

Did Rooney sense that England was not capable of pulling it off against Germany? Did he think that the chances of England winning the game in the next two days was negligible - negligible enough to give him the confidence of planning a holiday two days after the game?

Had he lost the mind game much before the actual game on the field? 

What made him give less importance for something which takes place  once in four years - and holds a very significant value to any sportsman, to any nation?

All these thoughts made the English fans wonder - Two days before the critical knock out match against Germany, where did Wayne Rooney focus on? On the game in Bloemfontein or on the holiday in Barbados?

While the answers to these questions can be answered by Rooney himself, we as mere mortals find ourselves in similar situations - occasionally or regularly. 

These are the times when personal pursuits overcome professional quests. 

This is what I call The Wayne Rooney Phenomenon.

Needless to say, there is nothing wrong in it. 

P.S. The last thought made me go the Wayne Rooney way today. :-)