In a different League!

Its 12 midnight, and here I am blogging away randomly. I have an All Important League cricket match against arch rivals Jamuna Hostel tomorrow at 7 A.M. I should be asleep getting as much rest as possible. But I am too excited to sleep. I would think spending 4 years at IIT should have been enough and brought a been here done that attitude. But this time I am as excited as a freshie, a newbie in front of his debut match (at IIT... sorry for the gen pseud). But its hard not to be excited. Alakananda is into the league phase (where only the top 4 hostels qualify to vie for the Schroeter Trophy) for the first time in the last 3 years. Its not as if we werent good enough before.We had a great opener, and decent batsmen all the way through, and an explosive bowling attack with 2 very quick bowlers. Yet all we did was disgrace ourselves at every outing, losing comprehensively even to minnow hostels. The method of defeat was embarrasing most times! Many times I have asked myself... what is it that we lacked? looking at the present team now, the happy bunch that we are.. a ready answer suggests itself to me! TEAM SPIRIT. It is such a pleasant change from the previous times when certain people used to be forever sniping at each other behind their backs. The team meetings are so much fun, with Ghattu, our esteemed captain most often being the butt of (cruel?...nah)jokes. But to his credit the guy takes it really well! And everyone is treated equally, with even the freshies coming up with good suggestions.Credit again to ghattu for letting that happen!
And during match situations, no one has ever shirked responsibility, with everyone ready to cover for someone else. Even the Extras have shown admirable commitement, with them showing up at every match and practice session and constantly encouraging. This again is so different from previous years when the captain had to announce the team only at the ground to prevent people from not showing up!

All in all... its been a pleasure being part of this team and has taught me a lot about what and how important team spirit really is!

Go team... Go Alak!!! We can go all the way now that we are into the leagues!

p.s: just in case my esteemed readers think, ghattu has been excessively praised above, here are a few ghattuisms:

Ghattu at the innings break in the match against Ganga: We have fucked, we will fuck again! talk about motivation for the team...Woah!!

Ghattu encouraging the bowlers: common guys, all it takes is one ball to get a batsman out!
Nikhil: no, in your case, even one isnt needed (referring to ghattu's 0 balls faced run out!)

Tone it down will ya??

chk out this article which pretty much sums p my point of view towards Greg Chapell!

Money's Worth??? You Bet!!!


Australia 434-4 (50)

*R Ponting c Dippenaar b Telemachus 164 105(b) 13(4) 9(6)

South Africa 438-9 (49.5)

*G Smith c Hussey b Clarke 90 55(b) 13(4) 2(6)

H Gibbs c Lee b Symonds 175 111(b) 21(4) 7(6)

A Score Board I can never ever forget!!

What a match, simply unbelievable! Still shell shocked at the moment! A match which has given new meaning to what a chase is all about!

Wondering what it would have been like to face the nerve wracking pressure the players would have faced! surely lost a few years... Surely, cigarettes are healthier!

Alakananda watched this match with the signal clarity of the TV being at its worst, and yet today was the day, when TV transported all our minds to South Africa to watch history being made! Never was the picture in the mind's eye clearer! never before has Tony Greig found so keen a listener,with all hanging on to his every word! Every one desperate for some memories of this great match to be cherished later!

This match today transcended all barriers, including the sound barrier! The Indian team wouldnt have recieved louder and more boisterous support from our hostel than the south africans today, and I am sure this would have been the case almost every where!

Hats off to Graeme Smith and his team for their towering achievement!

P.S: If ever there exists a cricketing god, he ensured that justice was finally done to the South Africans!