Clean Bowled!

Just today I told a friend on Facebook, who wants to date a guy who can play the guitar, that I officially want to marry one that plays cricket. In all honesty, my immense and intense love for cricket is not new. In fact, I've always loved the sport. My feelings for it however, had really been repressed. But that's in the past, I'm all about the sport once again. Okay so getting back to marrying a cricketer, he doesn't necessarily have to be a professional cricketer but basically one who loves the sport as much as I do and plays pretty gosh darn well. In light of this new found realization, I sat down to think about all my favorite cricketers. The following men have won my heart for various reasons. Hey, I'm not one of those girls who swoon over cricketers who are just absolutely cute and how - na ji na! Play good cricket along with being cute works even better for me. Okay so the gentlemen who have bowled me over and how, here we go.

Bowled Middle Stump: Sachin Tendulkar
If anyone in the Indian team knows how to make my heart beat, it is Sachin Tendulkar. Besides being the best in the world, he also happens to own an amazing personality, a humble heart and a cutesy smile. But what really works for me is some of his best shots. When he hits his classic cover drives, I find my heart pacing until the ball reaches the boundary line. The maestro's late cuts, straight drives and his cut shots make me want to collapse. And it's not because it's a great shot, but the manner in which he places the ball along with immense skill just works wonders for me. Add to that the fact that he bowls one hell of a legspin, and voila, the master blaster can blow you away! A great father and a fabulous husband, Sachin really is one helluva dude.

Caught at Slip: Rahul Dravid

My crush on Rahul Dravid ended the day he decided to marry. Hmph. I've always had a soft spot for "The Great Indian Wall". His genuineness and down to earth temperament won me over the first time I saw Dravid play. While he does take some time to set in, when he's completely in the groove, he is hard to destruct. Dravid is known for being one the most technically perfect cricketers that has graced Indian cricket. His pull shots and cover drives are beautifully timed while his fielding at the slips, he rarely failed to miss a catch. And with a smile like that, he definitely does have his share of share of girls running after him. Myself included!

LBW: Kapil Dev

We all have our favorite veteran cricketing stars. My favorite retro cricketer is definitely, Kapil Dev. My fondness for him began after I realized that the cricketer bared an uncanny resemblance to my late grandfather. And it didn't end there. Their personalities and incredibly humble nature matched too. When talking about his skill, well, jitni tareef karu, utni kaam hai. An all rounder, a fabulous successful captain and a patriot, Dev saab is one man who literally is cricket personified. He exuberates "The Gentlemen's Game" with his polite nature and simplicity.

Googly: Virat Kohli

Currently, this young cricketer is making my heart swoon and how! Whether it's his fiery attitude, his cute smile or his batting abilities, it all just works for me. I only took notice of Kohli very recently, so really, my admiration for him is rather new. However, I really do believe this lad is going far. His fielding is always top notch which is great as he sets high standards for the rest of the team to keep to par and he performed pretty well at every World Cup match this tournament. But more than anything, he's superly duperly utterly butterly cute. Works for me!

Caught Behind Wicket: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Smart. Savvy. Shrewd. Dhoni, India's most successful captain, is one guy who took time to win me over. Everyone was screaming about Dhoni and I would simply yawn. However, his quiet but sly nature wasn't one to be taken for granted. Whether he's captaining behind the stumps or batting on the field, he knows his place in the team and is all about motivating the team. His choice of pronouns must be noted. It is rare that he uses "I" or "him"; it's always "we" and "us". Good call! His captains innings at the 2011 World Cup final did it for me. Dhoni won me over and I was out!

Future pati dev, wherever you are, whoever you are...are you taking notes?

Dev vs. Dhoni, 1983 vs. 2011

We all gush over Sachin Tendulkar and for good reason; there will never be a cricketer like him. Never. His passion for the game and his love for the bat is practically unheard of. But if there is one man who comes close to sharing his passion for cricket, in my opinion, it would have to be Kapil Dev. What immediately strikes me the minute I see Dev at any event, in an interiew or even in photographs, is his smile. It depicts humility which is rather odd since he is easily one of India's most successful captains. Better known as 'The Haryana Hurricane', Dev has taken Team India out of many sticky situations in the past but it is his achievements that set him apart from the rest. He retired in 1994 but not before he achieving some of the biggest numbers seen in the cricketing world at that time. Even then, he stood as humble as ever. In 1983, 'Kapil Dev and his Devils', as they were known went on to win and bring home the World Cup. But not without a big fight. Under his captaincy, they took on every other team and walked in as underdogs. What happened next is history. They won the cup honoring India making the his team, the champions.

But those times were different. Cricketers played for the sheer passion of the game. There were hardly any endorsements and cricketers had alternate jobs to being just cricketers. This in turn meant that players played 100 percent for the country when they did get their chance to and also for their love for the game. My mother often tells me that cricketers had alternate jobs too and when the season was over, they went back to being a part of the junta. Nowadays, we're stuck with players who are seen making Crores via endorsing brands and scoring nil on the field. It's probably wrong to make comparisons, but it is vital to do just that. With M.S. Dhoni as captain of the current Indian team, India has done gosh darn well. Today, Team India stands strong and in quite a viable place to win the World Cup. Thus far, the team has performed pretty well under M.S. Dhoni's captaincy and while Dhoni may just take India to the finals, even win the cup, he will never be like Kapil Dev. Dhoni is in fact, known for being one arrogant fellow. Humility is hardly a trait he has (or ever will) master. In fact, I can almost imagine his arrogance level to reach further heights if India wins the cup. But what is it that separates the boy (Dhoni) from the men (Dev). Here's my five reasons.

Brain vs. Heart

You may need a brain to play and win, but what's the point if you're heart isn't in it? Yes, Dhoni know the tactics, the skills and the tricks to win matches, but Kapil Dev, known for being an incredibly emotionally charged player, showed that it was beyond just that. Besides knowing the much-needed skills required to win matches, he did lead the 1983 squad to victory, he played dilon jaan se. How often do you see Dhoni coming out on the field and playing not for any other reason but sheer love of the game?

Societal Changes

Times have changed from 1983. In those days, there was hardly any pressure for the Indian team to perform. In fact, the public and even government didn't regard cricket as anything worthy of importance. And thus, with lack of support from Indians and the government, the Indian cricket team went about playing with absolutely zero expectations. And so, it may have been a lot easier to win the World Cup in that sense. Now however, the team faces immense pressure from not only the fans, who literally get ugly when a match is lost, but also from the Cricket Council in India and even the government who have their political agendas in store. What's most interesting is Dhoni's indifferent attitude towards any external pressure he receives. In fact we see him often claiming that he couldn't really careless about those pressures...just not in those words exactly.

All Rounder Factor

When making comparisons, it's important to discuss the real deal: skill. There is no denying Dhoni as a class wicket keeper and a hit quite a few runs. However, everyone knows that if India has produced one truly all rounder, it is in fact, Kapil Dev. Not only was he known for his great bowling, often taking India out of iffy situations via crucial wickets but even hitting vital runs when most needed. If that wasn't enough, he was one helluva fielder putting even younger players on the team to shame at times.

The Teams

We're talking about two totally different teams with regards to the 1983 team and the 2011 team. Kapil Dev lead a team which had great all rounders including the captain and ex-Indian coach Madan Lal. Unfortunately, the current team is limited with its all rounders. The 2011 team only has Yuvraj Singh as it's complete all rounder so to speak. While the 1983 squad found themselves filled with full time spinners, the current team finds itself stuck with part-time spinners to do most of the hard work. Keeping that in mind, the 2011 team finds themselves with a lot more work to do in order to win the cup.

Ecteras

Some teeny tiny details nitty-grittys too can be spotted. For starters, Dev was much more of an emotional soul while Dhoni is known for being a tad bit hot headed when the situation demands it. And the game has changed too. From a 60 over game, the matches are now 50 overs; the boundary lines have been bought in by a whole 10 yards; and lastly, cricketers are equipped with the best equipment money can buy from the biggest sponsors in the world.

Maybe it's unfair to the compare the Men in Blue (2011 squad) to the Men in Moustaches (1983 squad). Times have changed but despite all odds, the 1983 team walked in as underdogs and won the title. Our team today have walked in as favorites and have done everything to come to the semis. What will happen now? Time will tell. Until then, all we can hope is that Dhoni will take some inspiration and gyaan from Kapil Dev only to play a game for the country, for the team and for his passion for the sport.

For the Love of Cricket!

Cricket World Cup 2011 has begun! Ectastic and elated, I am of course gearing up for a fun filled 48 days. Needless to say, I'll be sitting and Bleeding Blue as I follow and cheer on Team India. The Men in Blue have a lot to show and tell before all in hopes to bring back the Cricket World Cup which they last won 28 years ago in 1983. No Kapil Dev this time around to captain the team to victory. No siree. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to take it upon himself to bring it (and bring it back too while he's at it)!

I've always been a cricket fan (glory glory India!). So this year, I decided to cover Team India during CWC 2011 through my eyes, a Desi girl's eyes, in a segment I've titled: Desi Girl Talks CWC 2011. I promise to be as objective as possible and will shed my bias towards The Men in Blue. You've heard what the boys have to say, now for the ladies!