Australia - champs of the last 3 WCs!

Australia's had an amazing run at the last 4 WCs... being winners in the last 3 and runners up in the 4th. They have also won a 4th in 1987. The 4 victories have been all in different countries (1987 in India, 1999 in England, 2003 in S Africa and 2007 in West Indies).

While in the last year or so the team seems to be the weakest it has been for a long time, the strength of the new gen is amazing. In fact the team hasnt lost a single match this summer! And has also seen the emergence of so many strong newcomers.

Cameron White and Shane Watson are very very strong performers. Both have the uncanny ability to turn around a match in completely different styles - be it smashing the ball around the park or just playing a calm and solid inning when the need is such.

Warner is another great slammer but doesnt have great depth in his armoury. Either he performs at 4th gear or just stutters... while he currently seems to be a permanent in the 20-20 version lets wait and see if he makes it to the ODI squad in the next year... Would be surprised if he makes it as against his NSW team mate, Hughes! What a talent!!

Between Clarke and Ponting are the 2 finest one day players. Both with great experience and class.

David Hussey and Haddin are match winners too and key to the success of the Aussie depth. Ryan Harris, Mitchel Johnson and Nannes are bowlers who have the ability to generate great pace and swing to claim important wickets early in the innings! On Indian wickets these early strikes are crucial. Will be very interesting to see who will lead the spinners slot in this team.

If the Aussie team gets their on the 5th WC it will be really amazing. Something which would be on par if not better than Federer's Grand Slam record!!

PS: Hope u guys enjoyed the 2nd 20-20 game between Aus and NZ today! Super over.. what a concept :-)

Who will be the stars for 2011

One year out its obviously very difficult to say who will shine and who will fail.
Going through the teams, its fun to highlight the key guys and lets see how they shape up between now and the finals!! Today am going to cover my fav team and its key players

India: The team that gets the most attention these days! A number of demi gods in the team... Including Sehwag - who will be key esp if India reaches the finals. Ghambir is another key component in the team having improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Its crucial that the two Delhi boys stay fit and stay in good form over the next 12 months. Virat Kohli is a rising star and if he plays as well as he did vs SL in Eden Gardens he will be our match winner. The crux of the team will continue to be Sachin and if his current form continues for the next year, India is in with a great chance. Then there is Yuvi, Dhoni, Raina and Rohit Sharma. One of the 4 will need to bolster the middle order. Dinesh Karthik and Yousuf Pathan will be the jokers of the pack. Both great stroke makers and lets see who makes it to the 11 most consistently till the WC. The bowlers are the weak link.. will Zaheer bowl with pace and cleverness? Will Ravindra Jadega still be in team? Will Bhajji's doosra work? Who will partner Zaheer as openning bowler? I wouldnt be surprised if a completely new tactics takes shape in the next few months. Will we see India openning the bowling with a spinner again? It might be a smart tactic to play 1 left arm pacer (either zaheer or nehra), 3 proper spinners (bhajji, mishra and jadeja) and 3 to 4 part timers like pathan, sehwag, yuvi and sachin playing a new role in ODI. On slow batting pitches in the sub continent its key how well the part timers control the run rate.

2011 will see some of the smart 20-20 bowling tactics making a mark in the 50 over game. Esp in terms of the importance of dot balls, the slower bouncers, bowler rotation strategies and the mastery over the yorker through the innings.

The team that adapts best will be the one to reckon with.

Waiting for God to show us the way...

DAY 2

So I have indeed made it to the 2nd day of the 350 day count down to WC 2011.

Its going to be an interesting journey, something which is going to test my patience, perseverance.. its like an tuff endurance test... the harder you run, the harder it gets!

Will keep it light and easy for me to keep going and picking up interesting nuggets along the way...

The 20-20 game between NZ and Aus is turning out to be yet another damp squib! Shane Watson and Steve Smith are guys to watch out for at the 2011 Tamasha...

Game on, guys...

With not more than a year to go for the tourney to start, SRT has kicked off the count down to the 2011 Cricket World Cup Tamasha! With the sustained growth of the 20-20 hype, the never ending IPL drama, the security concerns of playing the sub continent, the continuous 'retirement' of big stars, the WC needed a bloody special 200* to launch the campaign..

Ladies and gentlemen, 2011 is going to be the best ever WC... We will surely see many totals of over 400, atleast a few double centuries (now that the floodgates have opened), some fantastic spells from quite a few brave bowlers, and some young Turks making marks in the game. Its gonna be one super tamasha.... Bollywood Tamasha at its best.. For all those who have enjoyed the ODI growth and excitment of the 80s and 90s will surely want this tournament to seal the arguement that 50-50 is not passe! Admit it guys... each one of you have enjoyed some of the great innings played by SRT, Ponting, Afridi, Dhoni, Jayasuriya, Gibbs, KP, which just cannot be completely replicated by the 20-20 circus.... In anycase 20-20 gets over just too fast and its like a crazy shoot out which some love, sometimes! The 2011 WC Tamasha is going to close the debate once and for all.... and show us all that there is place for all 3 formats...

Its all very exciting and am looking forward to creating a special journey in the build up to the 2011 WC. Lets see how long I am able to keep the momentum in writing this blog.. my 1st ever attempt in writing... so no great hopes here...

While this journey starts today, am going to be praying everyday from today that on April 2, 2011 Sachin is there to lift the cup in Mumbai to bring alive every Indian's dream ever since 1983....

Game on, guys.........