And So It Ends?

Well, Pakistan is out of the World Cup. They lost to the West Indies and...get this, Ireland!! It was a close victory...but still a huge victory for the Irish minnows! When I drove into Boston yesterday afternoon, there were a lot of Irish milling around Faneuil Hall and spilling out into the roads. I was like, "Ah, Cricket has made it to America!". Then I realized it was St.Patrick's Day. Oh, brother...

India lost their first match to...get this, Bangladesh!! It didn't take an expert commentator to see that the Bangladeshis were full of enthusiasm bringing to the table something that the Indian team did not seem to have: heart.



India's batting was "spineless" as an Indian daily, The Hindu, put it. Given that the pitches in the Caribbean usually favor bowling, India's Captain Rahul Dravid should have opted to field first in an effort to study the pitch. Up to that point, everyone else who won the toss opted to field. If Dravid wanted to try something new...well, he shouldn't be doing that in the World Cup. Incidentally his earlier warning to his team to be "clinical" against the Bangladeshis seems to have fallen on deaf ears. To justify this accusation of mine, all you need to do is analyze what got Sehwag and Uthappa out: complacent, "stylish" batting at a time when they needed to have stayed on their toes and taken the time to study the pitch.

I am going to keep my fingers crossed for India's second match against...get this...no, wait! Let me rephrase.

I am going to keep my fingers crossed for India's second match against Bermuda tomorrow.