Cricket cricket everywhere...

Phew...Just a few days back and I was super excited at the prospects of Team Hyderabad winning the second version of IPL.And in style they won. Not less than two weeks and the mania is back. The popularity of T20 seems to be going overboard with every month and everyone seems to be cashing in on it. But how much seems to be enough?

Thanks to the men of the earlier decades that we still have some other games like soccer and tennis in the offing which saves us from the over whelming dosage of cricket. Though I cant deny the fact the cricket is and will remain the most popular game in my country India, but the fact is do we need to buy each and everything offered in the name of cricket? After all I certainly can't deny the fact it is the only game to have brought pride to the nation time and again.

After all the hoopla, the World Cup T20 starts of today in England, another cricket crazy nation. Though it seems now-a-days that the game actually originated in the Indian sub-continent rather than in England. The inaugural ceremony though turned out to be the damp squid thanks to the heavens downpour. And by Gods Grace, thankfully, I won’t see Mandira Bedi with her most weird hairstyles and awful costumes.This time we have a newer face Shonali Nagrani for Company who adds the oomph factor to the game. Though she has been given the task to sit in the studio and ask some stupid questions and simultaneously doling out 10,000 Rs for a right answer, she does add to the glamour of the game.

And good news to all those people like me who even after browsing through the so called entertainment channels for hours cannot find anything worth viewing. At least I know what exactly I will go through when I sit back and watch a T20 match for the entire three hours.

Over to the game, it should be a smooth sailing for us since we play minnow teams Ireland and Bangladesh in the group matches. And to top it all one thing that's surely attractive is the T20 World Cup trophy which is much prettier as compared to the badly designed IPL trophy. On the flip side the cheerleaders are absolutely next to trash!! Can you in your wildest of dreams imagine a T20 match without the pretty cheerleaders dancing their way at each and every big move in the game? Over the 2 years, I have started associating T20 with cheerleaders and lo there are a few of them hopelessly shaking a leg or two as if they haven't been paid their dues.This would definitely take away the eye candy of many such ardent fans.

But we, particularly as Indians have reasons to keep our heads high. One, we are the defending champions and without doubt would want to retain the crown with us and two, I was delighted to see two of our very own brands Reliance Mobile and Hero Honda with their banners right in the center of the field. Now that's what I call an achievement as far as Corporate India is concerned which proves India as a nation surely has the capabilities to rescue the world out of this economic crisis.
Here's wishing the Indian Cricket Team to go for it once again and prove that they are and will be the King of T20...

Another victory for T20..

All you T20 fans still trying to figure out who the mystery blogger posing as a Kolkata Knight Riders player is,here's some more good news...The 16th Asian games to be held in 2010 in China touted as the Olympics equivalent for the Asian continent will now include the T20 event. Test playing nations like India,Pakistan,Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have already qualified for the event.

In fact,the major reason why this was included in the games was the immense popularity that the T20 World Cup as well as the currently in its second spell IPL T20 series has garnered.With the inclusion at the Olympic level, we can surely be guaranteed of our T20 quota of entertainment in the years to come even if the IPL ceases to exist(which seems to be nearly impossible).

Also close on the announcement, excitement has once again started to build up as viewers would be able to get the dose of a India-Pakistan match which they have been deprived of owing to the recent attacks in Mumbai and the subsequent non-action on the part of our neighbour to nail the perpetrators.This would also give the Pakistani cricket team the much needed impetus since now no Cricket playing nation is willing to participate in matches held on its soil.

As far as China is concerned,its a very good opportunity for them to once again repeat the success of staging world class event after the splendid organization of the previous Olympics Games. Also being the host nation it qualifies automatically for the T20 matches.. They might be leading in terms of manufacturing and Olympic gold medals,but lets see how they match up to the magnitude of cricketing skills that India possesses.

Till then, we can hope to bring the Asian games Gold medal in the T20 event to where it belongs, India...