Saturday 19 January 2008

Virtue Rewarded: India wins Test match against Australia

Virtue Rewarded.
Kudos to Indian Cricket Team for their bounce back ability! Winners are not know from how high they reach in their achievements, but from how high they can bounce back after falling. Indian cricketers have proved their champion’s spirit. After molestation by grave decisions of umpires, vicious victorious celebration of Australians and rueful coverage of Australian media, it required terrible amount of courage and mental strength to bounce back. And see the way Indians have done it! This victory is symbolic of triumph of virtue over vice.
If Sydney was the graveyard of virtue in ‘gentleman’s game’, Perth is the re-birth of virtue. The nemesis has ultimately rewarded with poetic justice. And what a way to give justice! Symonds, who was given several ‘lucky’ benefits of doubts in Sydney, was given LBW even if ball sneaked bat. Again, Australia is devoid of making a history of seventeenth consecutive test victories, both times by India.
Kumble’s cool composure in interviews outwitted Ricky Ponting’s pointless ramblings. Kumble reflected the culture of decorum and majesty which symbolizes Indian culture. Thus, not only on the ground but even off the ground, nemesis favored India to give its virtuous poetic justice. Today, Indians all over the world are proud of Kumble’s and his boys for making tri-colour flag fly high with dignity and self-respect.

Dilip Barad

Sunday 6 January 2008

Sydney Test Cricket Match: Defeat of Honesty and Integrity of Gentleman's Game

At Sydney Cricket Ground, it’s not India who is defeated, but it’s Cricket. The identity of cricket as ‘Gentleman’s game’ is under sprain since long. What happened in last five days was nothing less that cold-blooded murder of the spirit of Gentleman’s game. Umpires played an imperative role, but they are not the only human agency to be blamed for this bloodbath. They being human beings are prone to err – to err is human. But the way Champions of the Cricket - the Australians, especially the captain Ponting and Symonds bamboozled at the crucial moments of the game is the matter of grave concern. Pointing was caught behind in the first innings and got Ganguly out on the dropped catch in the slips – thus twice, the captain of the world champion team deceived himself, umpires and above all the spirit of the game. The signals sent by this champion team are that of trepidations. It is not the point of worry that the Virtue went unrewarded, but it really concerns that vice has won.

Dilip Barad
Bhavnagar