Many of my friends have wondered why I chose a link to my blog as 'funnycri' , honestly, I started with the intention of writing articles on Cricket, on the ongoing matches and not with idea of giving expert reviews, but just to have an overview of how well have I interpreted the game, how good or bad can I think as a viewer, as a fan, as a cricket enthusiast and as expected, I could not follow up on that idea, wrote just two, out of the eighteen articles, on Cricket. Many of my friends, relatives could not follow what I wrote, for Cricket is not so keenly followed by many. I decided I will give a pause and then again continue at the right time. The time has come now. Today morning when I got up, something pushed me, this thought kept striking me and brought me to this place, to start again the purpose for having started this blog. I have not played professional cricket, have not represented districts or state. But I have keenly followed almost each and every match involving The Indian Cricket Team. Cricket has been my passion, I pray during each and every match and I celebrate the win as a festival and the loss as a loss of a dear one. I support my team. It is this passion that has driven me so far. I feel Goosebumps every time Sachin enters the ground, clap and cheer for every ball left by Dravid and shout and enjoy the aggression of Ganguly. For I cannot write or comment on these players, legends they were. I have thereby decided to write what I feel, how I see and what I observe during the 90 long overs in a day for the next five days.
Today when Mahendra Singh Dhoni(its been years since I have called him that, supposed to be a review right, so 'Professionalism' a must) and Alastair Cook walk out in the middle to toss up the coin amidst a cold morning with the fans eagerly waiting in their seats to hear the result, while the coin is still in the air, friends from India, like me, would be glued to the Television and in the minds of the two captains, under tremendous pressure suffering irreparable defeats, each in their own way, with humiliation from media, fans and pressure from their respective boards, all they will wonder is if the coin will flip and land in a way they want to.
Big Test, that is what this series has been called, I do not see why one should not call that so. The rivalry between India and England has always been more than just cricket and sport. It is pride to win The English in its own Den, yes you heard it right, Den. Each and every test playing nation are strong at their home grounds. They are the best in the business, when played there. They know the conditions well, they have thorough understanding of the nature of the pitch and most importantly, they have the support from their beloved fans, who drive all the way up to watch their home team performing well. Pressure does exceed, but it is that pressure that brings the best in you.
Trent Bridge, the venue for First Test, has always had a soft corner for India, as it was in this ground, India won the series in 2007 under Rahul Dravid. There is no Dravid now, nor Sachin nor Laxman. No Zaheer. No Bhajji and Sehwag. The team under MSD is a brand new one, with many yet to make their test appearance in England. Very few are experienced. MSD has the most experience in terms of Batting and then there is high-on-expectations-yet-disappointing Ishant Sharma, who spearheads the Bowling attack, as the experienced frontline bowler. Remember, to beat England in England is not impossible. But it takes more than just a bat, ball and a mere five days to win. It is mind game, psychological victory is a must before even we develop strategy for knocking out the opposition. This team, this brand new look team is very talented, for it is not that easy to get into The Indian National Cricket Team, with severe competition from their peers, they are not afraid to take risks, they are aggressive and it is this aggression that needs to be watched carefully in this series. One need not expect a fiery Johnson-like-aggression, rather one needs the calm and composed-yet-aggressive nature of Rahul Dravid to rattle the opposition.
This is really going to be a tough test, for both the teams, with the seaming and fuming Anderson taking on the the calm and solid Pujara and the swing of Bhuvaneshwar testing the ability of Alastair Cook. Both these teams are wounded and they though they have managed to portray a calm and clear look ahead of the first test, they know, behind that smile is an aggression and a thirst for tasting victory. Lets wait and watch, who grabs the first meal, starting today.
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