denial at its best

listenin to: rmr

yep they boys have arrived, the weather is starting to brighten up and cricket season is ready to explode here in south. i read 2 articles this morning. the first appeared on cricinfo and was an interview with indian coach greg chappel and the latter an article by archie henderson. it is quite obvious what chappel's interview was about- india's recent woes, poor performance form key players and the current sa tour. henderson's article had elements of definite fact to it-india have been slumping of late-yes, their bowling lacks luster- yes. but 2 things irked me. firstly, he states, "India's ODI series against South Africa should be straightforward: a comfortable victory for the hosts and India lucky to win one of the five matches between Sunday's opener at the Wanderers and the closing game at Centurion on December 3. " i can see why few see india as posing any threat to sa at the moment but i wouldn't go so far as to proclaim a series whitewash.

a second comment read "... beyond Sachin Tendulkar their batting is pretty suspect too". poor analysis. granted, the big names have failed to produce lately but from where i stand it would seem that the suspect is tendulkar himself. i wouldn't call batsmen such as dravid, kaif, dhoni and sewhag, suspect. slump mr henderson it is called a slump, albeit a very bad one.

whatever the case, whatever the form, there is something about suppourting a team like india. few understand this insanity- and yes i realise we must be insane to place hope in them sometimes. but it really is inexplicable-this love for indian cricket. yes it jades you, shatters rational thought and is a one stop shop for rollercoaster rides. but it goes beyond stats, centuries and series wins. and you see it every now and then when a wicket falls and there is electricity in the team-even if just for a few minutes. it is that momentary magic that needs to be prolonged just a little longer. i sound like a crazy raving optimist don't i?!?

today like: the sun and coffee.... mmmm
today i dislike: thoughts of packing, ack!