Glimpses of Genius - Thanking the Creator and his creation.

The biggest annual sporting Extravaganza that the cricketing world sees came to its riveting climax late last evening. As Akon stood there singing ( or quite possibly lip syncing Smack That ) and Kat smiled Jai Ho, I sat by the idiot box wondering what do I do with my evenings from this evening on.
Trully, the IPL moved from being an anticipation to an addiction and just like any other honest addiction, this one needs me to detox.
As The first post IPL day begins, here are a few thoughts of what I would be grateful to IPL for :

a. The presence of the Greats : Many have written about Glen Mcgrath's absence from the the game. And there've been a few who've said, there's a reason he retired and he should stay retired. To them I say, Gilly retired, Hayden retired, Warne retired, Kumble retired and Thank God, that they decided to not stay retired. The game owes a lot of joy of its audiences to these greats. These geniuses proved again, without a doubt, that world cricket misses them, every game, every moment. The Mighty Australians are no longer quite so mighty, and its so obvious, how does one replace Gilly, Hayden, Warne and Mcgrath, the world is yet to see equals to these greats. The Greatest wicketkeeper batsmen, the most explosive opener, the most accurate pace bowler and without a doubt the greatest tweaker of the cricket ball. So I request the Delhi Daredevils, do give us the honour of letting us see these greats in the IPL. I don't know whether Delhi Daredevils would've played any better but I do know, a bowler who the best in the IPL ( Munaf and others ) have idolised was at their disposal, pls. use him.

b. Captaincy to the Fore : Whoever said IPL was just a matter of Slam Bang Madness is obviously finding himself confronting the actual truths. Planning your innings, holding on to your wickets, bowling a good line, making the right bowling and fielding changes, much of these strategy decisions that made a difference in all other forms of cricket, came to an equal prominence in the games as we clearly saw. Right bowling changes made all the difference as we saw with Kumble bringing himself on in the finals. The Super Over clearly highlighted what strategic decision making could do and without a doubt Shane Warne proved what a great leader of men he was, again. Captains have played a vital if not all encompassing role in charting a successful course for their teams this IPL, more than ever.

c. Class - to the fore - Very clearly, the IPL shifting to South Africa had one visible impact. Last year, in Indian pitches, in Indian conditions, the local players thrived, many good domestic players, got themselves noticed and how.....Rohit Sharma, Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravinder Jadeja, Avishek Nayar etc.
This year though, barring a few names ( Rohit Sharma again ), it was the turn of the true class acts to come to the party. The top 10 run getters this tournament would typically be the top 10 run getters of any tournament. Hayden, Gilly, Raina, Duminy, Kallis, Sachin, AB, is there a sporting arena where some of these greats haven't left a mark on. Its indeed a matter of great honour for Raina that he finds himself mentioned with these greats. It also shows the exceptional potential of this classy batsman. Part Ganguly part Hayden but all class. So, a lesson for our domestic players, get used to being in the big league and take your opportunities with both your hands.

Finally,

Its so attractive to have an ideal mixture of sports and entertainment finally in cricket. There's so much glamour in all big sport today, football, basketball, formula 1, tennis - and the glamour quotient is such a vital cog in the wheel for the game to keep running smooth. The presence of IPL which without a doubt is the largest cricketing event in the world today but for the World Cups, will not just bring in the players and the competition but also bring in the crowds, the movie stars, the audiences and ever so often...... A SOLITARY DOG.......

Here's wishing Dhoni and the boys a good T20 WC.