Next Day After Exams + Do Or Die Contest For India = Did I Say Awesome?

Sri Lanka has just made things easier for India. By defeating Bangladesh by a huge margin of 198 runs, they have relegated Bangladeshi net runrate to -2.002. India on the other hand have a net runrate +2.507. So, India just need to win the Sri Lanka match as it will be difficult for Bangladesh to surpass Indian runrate. India can breathe a sigh of relief now in terms of net runrate.

Friday match will be a cracker of a contest and my exams finish on Thursday night. Go India!

Update: Cricinfo plays out the numbers game here.

Update: It is all over for India at this World Cup.

Down – Out = Team India

So much has already been written on India’s defeat to Bangladesh. I just want to wish all the best to Team India for their game against Bermuda tomorrow and then against Sri Lanka on Friday. Let us accept it, Bangladesh played out of their skins and now they have the ability to defeat any team on their day. We need to support the Indian team during moments such as these. I hope and pray that they will bounce back. Go India!

Indya.com provides us a list of top 10 run-getters in World Cups. Of the 10, only Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara are playing in the upcoming edition. At least for two of them this will be the last World Cup and they would want to say good-bye in style.

Tendulkar is the top scorer with 1732 runs in 33 matches followed by Javed Miandad with 1083 in 33 matches. Vivian Richards has the highest average of 63.31 whereas Aravinda de Silva has played the highest number of matches (35).

Sachin Tendulkar has an ODI career average of 44.12 while his WC average is a mindboggling 59.72. Ricky Ponting averages 42.48 in all ODIs and 41.58 in WC. For Brian Lara these figures are 40.54 and 43.45. So Lara has performed marginally better in terms of averages in World Cups. Tendulkar has an enviable WC record and Ponting’s average in WC is lower than his ODI average. But who can forget his 140 n.o. in the 2003 WC final that effectively took the game away from India?

Who among Tendulkar, Ponting or Lara do you think will score the maximum runs in this WC? Drop a comment with your pick.

Some guy Bhupinder Singh Sr. who happens to be one of the selectors for Indian cricket team because of some archaic zonal quota system and whose only contribution in international matches has been a three wicket haul against lowly UAE is blaming Rahul Dravid for the test-series loss against South Africa.

WTF indeed!

I found this video on YouTube.com. He sings rather well, I must admit.

I never thought I would see Inzamamul Haq and the Pakistani cricket team on the front page of New York Times. But then we live in interesting times.

Good job Darrell Hair, it was not possible without you.

Here is the story.