Sachin must rise in Lanka

While Sri Lanka would have no doubts in going ahead with their winning combination in Galle, India will depend heavily on the seniors to tackle the spin duo of Murali and Mendis. Sourav Ganguly, India's best comeback man in recent times, may have to lead the fightback with Rahul Dravid, one among the best in the world to play slow bowlers. Even though Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir seem to be in good nick, India may not be able to handle the pressure without vital contributions from Sachin Tendulkar. ....

Posted by Soumitra Mishra at 23 : 14 | 17 comments

India must win the 'trust' after Govt

By the time India's first Test match against Sri Lanka begins in Colombo on Wednesday, the Manmohan Singh government's fate would have been sealed in the Parliament. Whatever the outcome of the floor test, democracy and decency have suffered. Open horse trading, defections, deal brokering and downright vote buying throughout last week reflects the image of Parliamentarians, which was never very good but has plunged to greater depths. Even the image of the Prime Minister, an honest economist-turned-politician, has been dented after his party's abject surrender to JMM....

Posted by Soumitra Mishra at 17 : 52 | 4 comments

Let Sachin, Sourav play only Tests

It was the evening of October 29, 2004. A bunch of Oz cricketers were punching the air, embracing each other at the Vidharba Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur. Brett Lee was screaming for an Australian flag while Matthew Hayden was lying on the grass with beer in hand. They did what Steve Waugh's world conquerors failed to do in 2001. The Final Frontier was conquered. Australia won a Test series in India. Adam Gilchrist, who was leading Australia in the absence of an injured Ricky Ponting, said: "It....

Posted by Soumitra Mishra at 16 : 28 | 72 comments