ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

amolbhatia100 said:
I grew up addicted to the game and I've not even bothered checking for tickets.

I don't like watching cricket matches live at the ground. The crowds are a little too rowdy for my liking.
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The Mumbai crowd is really rowdy and abusive and I love it. :D
RDCR07 said:
Let me try and make you a little more miserable. How can you possibly reject a ticket to a cricket World Cup final in your homeland? I mean this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you absolutely blew it. It does not if you have to stand the whole way, you should have still taken it.
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True but it was just one ticket and there is group of 4 of us who wanted to go so it was a no go. And plus at that time there no guarantee we would even make the final and I'm not as crazy a cricket fan as most here.

Ticket prices are crazy now though. Unbelievably high prices.
 
RDCR07 said:
Did you hit your head hard or is your head still hurting from the headbutt you gave Matterazzi? What in the hell are you talking here? Pitches have to be different and that is what makes the game interesting. Pakistan hasn't toured India for four years but they have playing pretty much all their games in this WC in India and the same can be said about SL.

But then again being the hosts doesn't necessarily guarantee you get the pitch right everytime and yesterday could be seen as an example. Everyone thought it was not going to spin and 10 overs into the game Ajmal started to spin it.
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I meant the difference in pitches across the different countries within one cup competition. Not ban different pitches outright, don't be daft.

That was kinda the point - Pak lost the host status to Sri Lanka so all their games have been played there, not in India, until the semi-final.

Of course its not a big issue, especially all being sub-continent teams, and more to do with playing in one country the whole time then switching to another country to play on a pitch where your opponent has already played. I guess it needs to be done logistics wise, just not perfect.
 
It looks like SL are going to play three spinners against India and Nehra is likely to miss the final with a finger injury.
 
I only wish Kirsten would stay on as coach of India. I have been impressed with the work he has done. But he has already made up his mind that the final would be his last game in charge. Its been a good run Gary. Thanks!
 
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A walk down memory lane for the Indians on the forum...this is the last Indian team to make a WC Final(T20 shit doesn't count, no matter what people say)

2003
Sehwag
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Kaif
Dravid
Yuvraj
D Mongia
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Srinath
Nehra

2011
Sehwag
Tendulkar
Gambhir
Kohli
Yuvraj
Raina
Dhoni
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Nehra
Patel

Obviously Nehra being out injured means, he definitely won't be playing in the final...but that's a significant portion of those beaten finalists coming back(they got raped by probably the best winning team ever in a WC).

From that list, all the players bar Harbhajan are at least equal to what they were back then or better.

That team had
Ganguly
Dravid

but also

D.Mongia
Kaif(excellent in the field, but I always thought not that good with the bat in hand)
 
BTV_is_neutral said:
A walk down memory lane for the Indians on the forum...this is the last Indian team to make a WC Final(T20 shit doesn't count, no matter what people say)

2003
Sehwag
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Kaif
Dravid
Yuvraj
D Mongia
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Srinath
Nehra

2011
Sehwag
Tendulkar
Gambhir
Kohli
Yuvraj
Raina
Dhoni
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Nehra
Patel

Obviously Nehra being out injured means, he definitely won't be playing in the final...but that's a significant portion of those beaten finalists coming back(they got raped by probably the best winning team ever in a WC).

From that list, all the players bar Harbhajan are at least equal to what they were back then or better.

That team had
Ganguly
Dravid

but also

D.Mongia
Kaif(excellent in the field, but I always thought not that good with the bat in hand)
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Thing is we're up against Lanka. It's nothing like that Australian team which was basically almost like a fecking world 11. And Zaheer and a couple of other bowlers basically threw the match away that time. We're a mentally stronger unit now and I don't expect our to get murdered THAT badly.

Big downside is that Sachin was probably at the peak of his powers that year. I believe that had we batted first or maybe had to chase 270, he would have won us the final. He can still do the same but the guy is 38, whatever he does is an icing on the cherry for me.

But yeah in general we're a better team. We've grown every passing year of this decade. We've become a better and better test side, reaching number one since then, and gotten mentally stronger overall under Dhoni. (barring a few debacles like 2007)

Funny thing is both these teams were the last two finalists at the WC, both being beaten badly by Australia, so it shows that they've been up there as amongst the best for a long long time now. One gets redemption for their haunting loss and the other gets even more royally fecked.
 
The main question is how the feck did Dinesh Mongia found a place in our starting XI for the finals.
 
KM said:
The main question is how the feck did Dinesh Mongia found a place in our starting XI for the finals.
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:lol:

I noticed that. I thought that was Nayan Mongia for a second but realized he was way back.

Oh well, time changes things. People probably laugh at Balaji being in our team so often back then but on his day he was a good bowler.

Actually the 2003 team looks bloody great on paper. The biggest thing is self belief though. We've taken giant strides in the last 8 years in terms of mental strength.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
:lol:

I noticed that. I thought that was Nayan Mongia for a second but realized he was way back.

Oh well, time changes things. People probably laugh at Balaji being in our team so often back then but on his day he was a good bowler.

Actually the 2003 team looks bloody great on paper. The biggest thing is self belief though. We've taken giant strides in the last 8 years in terms of mental strength.
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Thing is Bhajji was probably our best spinner at that time, since Kumble was on his way down(only to recover back and become world class). Dinesh Mongia was just a below average player.
 
He was talking about Balaji...

And Dinesh Mongia played couple of good innings for us leading into the WC and hence got a place.
 
Anyone read Mallaya's tweet after the match
"The Indian Cricket Team has managed wonderfully and peacefully to do what our Intelligence has failed to do - Keep Pakistan out of Mumbai !"
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A little unnecessary but made me laugh
 
Watching the highlights again.
Nehra was brilliant. Him and Munaf helped build the pressure early on and also picked up crucial wickets.

If India do manage to fluke it tomorrow, i'll feel for Nehra. I dont like him much, dont think many people do, but missing out because of injury sucks.
Feel for Zak too .......
 
Did Dinesh not bowl a few overs?

He was kind of like Pathan without the explosive hitting.
 
KM said:
Anyone read Mallaya's tweet after the match


A little unnecessary but made me laugh
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They said it on NDTV too. Unnecessary but more towards our own people rather than anyone else.

prateik said:
Watching the highlights again.
Nehra was brilliant. Him and Munaf helped build the pressure early on and also picked up crucial wickets.

If India do manage to fluke it tomorrow, i'll feel for Nehra. I dont like him much, dont think many people do, but missing out because of injury sucks.
Feel for Zak too .......
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Yeah, that ones passed now.
 
Has someone been ghosted in this thread?

Sultan said:
Did Dinesh not bowl a few overs?

He was kind of like Pathan without the explosive hitting.
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The problem with Dinesh as I remember was his lack of footwork. However, he did manage to perform in the run-up to the world-cup in 2003.

he did bowl, and had some marginal success too.
 
You guys might be too young to remember, but India did play a lot of sub standard cricketers in the past. I always thought it was a matter of who you knew rather than talent. There was even a time I started wishing India would lose just to spite the selection process. However, that has changed significantly over the last couple of decades and shows in the improvement and quality of cricket produced.
 
Are Zaheer and Ashish really out tomorrow?

Is that a definite or SAF like spin?
 
KM said:
Zaheer is April Fool by Prateik but the Matthews thing is on cricinfo, I doubt they will be indulge in Wumming.
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OK but how crucial is he to SL? I get the feeling that the top 4 batsmen and Malinga/Mendis and Murali are the most vital.What do you think? You watch these guys more often.

Any chance of Pathan getting picked? I know he hasn't fired but....
 
Inigo Montoya said:
OK but how crucial is he to SL? I get the feeling that the top 4 batsmen and Malinga/Mendis and Murali are the most vital.What do you think? You watch these guys more often.

Any chance of Pathan getting picked? I know he hasn't fired but....
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I think he is very crucial tbh. He provides a different option to rest of their bowlers, plus he is a hard hitting lower order player and an excellent fielder. A good allrounder and ideal limited overs cricketer. Although his replacement Perrera isn't that bad.

I do think there is no chance of Pathan getting picked, Raina's innings in last matches have no doubt closed the door on Pathan's return to the team.
 
The nerves are building again. Less than 24 hours to the game now.

If Nehra is out, it does force our hand a bit though i'm not sure he's going to be out. It a finger fractured on the right hand and doesn't affect his bowling. It does cause an issue on the field but i'd think it would be possible to risk it if we really want to play him.

Its six of one and half a dozen of the other in the decision between an extra seamer and spinner anyway. I'm still in favour of going with 3 quicks. There was a lot of the grass on the pitch in the last game. Though it will be bare for the final, there will be some assistance. I'm not in favour of playing Sreesanth though.

Normally batting first is key at Wankhede and in general in such crucial games but given India's chasing skills over the last couple of years, its not going to be decided on the toss.
 
I'm exactly the opposite. No nerves, and not yet even thinking about the game. I'll feel different tomorrow no doubt, however not like Wednesday.
 
Sultan said:
I'm exactly the opposite. No nerves, and not yet even thinking about the game. I'll feel different tomorrow no doubt, however not like Wednesday.
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Yeah same for me. For the SF, I was shitting it for like 2-3 days, but for the final, I'm completely relaxed. So far.
 
KM said:
Yeah same for me. For the SF, I was shitting it for like 2-3 days, but for the final, I'm completely relaxed. So far.
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:lol:

I couldn't watch the last 5 overs. Had to go for a run and pray that when I came back we'd won.

Still pressure on the final but nothing like the Pakistan game though
 
Its not the kind of nerves I had for the semi-final. I could barely think about anything else the previous day and woke up at 3 in the morning though the game was starting at 5.

There's nerves definitely though. I was pretty young in '83 though I do vaguely remember the celebrations. Its eight years since we've been in a world cup final.

I wish I was back in Bombay. I was planning to travel down during the tournament but the wife nixed it.
 
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