The fireworks at the end of the match at Newlands were real awesome to watch and the Chargers’ cheergirls were hot as usual. But it was Gilchrist’s fireworks that were the real scorchers and it was Rohit Sharma’s splendid knock that was scorching hot, so much so that the Royal Challengers and KP were smoked out of the contest in just the first 20 overs. What a start it was with 20-20 seemingly back to its blitzkrieging self as the runs flowed and the ball disappeared all around the park thanks to the start that good old Gili had in store for everyone. The Chargers captain sizzled with a 45-ball 71 to set the tone and young Sharma then proved why he is the heir apparent of VVS in the Indian middle order with a stroke-filled 52.

Once again the Bangalore bowling attack was ripped to shreds on a track that was flat and on a day where clouds kept away from paying a visit to the Newlands. The explosive lineup of the Chargers were on full steam with Styris, Gibbs and others playing decent support. The score of 184 looked a daunting task and with the Bangalore top order folding up and walking back a bit too early even a mini-blinder from in form Dravid was no where sufficient to get close to the required target.

With Edwards striking first ball to dismiss Ryder for a golden duck, RP making the ball talk and Ojha sending a KP who danced down the track on the walk back to pavilion, the boys in red never had any momentum about their innings. Sure, Virat Kohli (50) sparkled and Dravid (48) briefly raised hopes of an unlikely miracle, but it was all too much for a unit that looks more and more disjointed. Just like we said earlier in the day, the Chargers were simply a class above the opposition… In fact, several notches above!

It is the battle of the South with the Deccan Chargers taking on the Bangalore Royal Challengers in their second encounter of IPL Season 2 and while the performance of the two teams will be keenly witnessed, the twin factors of rain and pitch seem toe be the taking points of this T20 fest so far. It will be interesting to see how the Newlands track will play out, but expect the team that wins the toss almost certainly to bat first. Chasing under lights right now seems to be a bit of a bogey in South Africa that most sides wish to steer clear of.

With Bangalore dishing out and the taking a drubbing in its two games, at this point it seems pretty hard to understand how good this team really is. Their last performance against Chennai was a lot like the ‘Test team stuck playing IPL’ situation we saw in the inaugural tournament and if your two main batting stars in a 20-20 contest are Kallis and Dravid, you are sure neck deep in trouble. At this point Bangalore look like stuck in the first gear. The Chargers on the other hand looked electrifying against a mediocre Kolkata and with their rejuvenated approach and Gibbs in scorching hot form; they will be hard to beat.

Unless this is another real sticky wicket like the one Bangalore trounced Rajasthan on and until the Chargers play some poor shots, it is hard to see at this point how any other prospect except a Deccan triumph. Watch out once again for RP Singh who seems to become RP Swing every time he lands in South Africa!

Prediction: Chargers should outclass Challengers here.

The player of the match after the first two contests on day one of the IPL second edition that made a hasty exit from the sub-continent to the rainbow nation seems to be a pretty good indicator of what we can expect from the rest of the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid stole the show on the first day with Warne, Kumble, Hayden, Vettori and Murali then following with five star performances. Quality cricket will matter in this version of the IPL; unlike the mindless slogging of the last edition. The ball will take in this edition and at the end of the day true quality will shine through; unless the sun decides to suddenly come out and shine!

The cheerleaders are back and this time there is no moral policing to keep them under drapes- quite literally. That seems to bring about a refreshing change and one less headache for both the organizers and the ever-dancing cheerleaders. The spectators seem to enjoy themselves and Twenty20 is back at its unabated best. At the moment the Chargers’ cheerleaders are leading the race on off-field attractions (read as distractions), with the Bangalore gals hot on their skirts!

There is surely a lot more to cricket nowadays than just the batting and the bowling!

Life and Cricket ate very alike and that is the beauty of this beautiful game. Every time someone passes away we tend to glorify them in a way that is often exaggerated and often justifiably as there are too many emotions attached to be objective. Likewise, when a cricketer calls it a day, he is often put on a pedestal that is too high and even the mediocre are hyped up as the great. This is all the more true when modern media at the end of the day is looking for stories that are sensational. When Sourav Ganguly called it a day, the reaction was no different either.

Sourav Ganguly is probably the most apparent bundle of contradictions in world cricket. Dubbed as the ‘Prince’ both for his elegance on offside and his royal mannerisms on and off the field, Ganguly is anything but ‘Royal’ when facing a fast bowler at full steam. Ganguly’s frantic movements, rapidly blinking eyelids and petrified look rarely inspire confidence to anyone sitting in the dressing room. But all that can be also easily swiped away with that one gentle nudge on the offside that sees the ball race away to fence. Classy yet clumsy, Ganguly brought both to the crease.

The same continued for his captaincy which seemed to be more annoying to the opposition than inspiring to his own team. Ganguly’s ways of getting a message across to the opposing team- making them wait 5 minutes for the toss, 5 more minutes after every break in the Test match as he takes his own time to walk out, another 5 to change his gloves once every two overs and just a few more minutes spent in wandering away to square leg pondering about what is for dinner that night. And while he indulges in his own style of playing cricket, opponents, umpires, match officials and even teammates have to wait. Yet he could come back, make an inspired bowling change and all that would be forgiven in his own country.

Ganguly was an inspirational leader as much by accident as by luck. He would be the first to admit this himself. His amazing streak of captaincy was kick-started by a brilliant knock by VVS Laxman, spun together by a purple patch of Harbhajan, Defended on foreign soil by the solidity of Dravid and shouldered largely by the brilliance of a Sachin. Yet, it is hard to fault him as cricket is indeed a game of 11 and not one and he did have his moments under the spotlight. To judge Ganguly would be difficult, probably even harsh as he was always a batsman cut-out much better for Limited Over cricket.

One of the reasons it is hard to rate Sourav as a batsman very highly is simply because he seems to have just not played enough test match knocks that really stand out. Barring the 144 in Brisbane which was inspirational stroke play against a competent attack, Ganguly has never been the same batsman in Test cricket that he was when he started off. The fact that he only got 5 centuries outside the sub-continent of which 2 were in his debut series in England, really show his batting up. Yet there is no doubt that he was an immaculate player in the shorter version of the game with 12000 being scored in electrifying form. Once again Ganguly the Test batsman and the ODI batsman were world’s apart!

The country loved Ganguly for his batting, hated him for his niggling injuries, embraced him for his captaincy magic and despised him when he lost form with the bat, elevated him to the status of a savior when he was at his prime and then labeled him as ‘leech hanging on to his spot’ when his best was past- Sourav Ganguly managed to polarize the country like nobody else did. His influence on Indian cricket is something that will get diluted with time but his contribution is undeniable. Yet somehow he stands alone and away from the other great batsman of his era.

Sourav Ganguly is simple not a batsman who is in the same league as a Dravid, Laxman or Tendulkar when it comes to skill and ability. Yet, he is a very fine left-hander whose elegance was a treat to watch and a captain who brought change to a stagnant system. Unlike the others, he will probably be easily replaced in terms of performance and runs scored by those who step into his spot. Unlike a Warne, McGrath, Kumble or Lara who have called it a day in recent past, Ganguly’s absence will be felt far less by his own team.

But dissimilar to all the others of his generation (barring one Shane Warne), nobody could coax controversy and sell stories like Ganguly. If you remove the shades of ‘nationalism’, then Ganguly is just another fine cricketer who walks away into the sunset. Many have before him, many will after him and just like we wish every one of those, we wish him nothing but the very best and thank him for all those memories.

The story of one VVS Laxman is a story of a man who has maintained dignity, balance and complete class irrespective of what life has thrown at him. ‘Elegance’ is the first word that comes to mind when you think of VVS and his conduct, both on and off the field. There is never a controversy surrounding his cricket and never has he conducted himself in that invites trouble. Laxman brings a charm and simplicity to cricket that is very rare to find in modern day game that is consumed by ultra-professionalism and over-indulgence in exaggerated nationalism and passion.

Watching Laxman bat is like poetry in motion; it is more like a work of art from master where each stroke of the brush flows with effortless ease and a manner that makes you feel that everything is just a “matter of fact”. Then there is the added bonus of shots that only seem to be specialized to suit his game. It is not very often that batsman consistently whip the greatest leg spinner to play the game against turn through mid wicket and sometimes even square on the leg side. That is all the more when you take into account that the ball is taken from outside the off-stump and Laxman is not even to the pitch of it.

Yet, Laxman just makes even that appear like a daily routine. There is never an exaggerated expression or even a visible effort. Everything flows smoothly like a top notch Rolls-Royce. There is not a moment that is a bore when VVS is at the crease and there is nothing in modern game more pleasurable than watching him bat. In a world that is constantly raving about power-hitters like the Pietersens and the Dhonis, Laxman is like a species on the verge of extinction.

The sad part of the VVS story though is the fact that in the famed middle order, he is the one who seems to be the first in line to get the axe. Not so much because the board dislikes him, not because he does not have team support, but because modern media loves controversy- something Laxman is not a part of. Ask any Indian captain and he will tell you what an invaluable asset VVS is to the test side and that is without even taking into account his slip catching. Laxman is perceived as the last impressive of the ‘Fab Four’, not because that is true, but because he does not get involved in politics or has sensational statements to make like many others in Indian cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar is probably an exception to the rule of judging cricketers. As a generation that grew up along with him, idolizing him and even adopting him as a member of every family in the country, it is almost impossible to judge him without a sub-conscious bias. Laxman though is arguably the best of the rest when it comes to pure test match batting skill. The harder the track gets to bat on, the better is Laxman’s contribution to the side. When a man scores 2000 of his 6000 runs and 6 of his 13 test match centuries against the best side of his era (Australia), then it is hard to comprehend why he still needs to prove himself after every two innings.

Unlike a Sourav Ganguly, there is no political backing that Laxman ever received from the top brass of BCCI. Unlike the reaction in Bengal, Hyderabadis don’t take to the streets and burn effigies to help him retain his spot. He also does not indulge in the glamour version of the game (50-50 and 20-20), to have a lasting impression on the majority. Rahul Dravid is probably a more technically sound and resolute batsman in defense, but there is no doubting whom you would much rather watch bat when they are on song. Since 2001 it was Laxman who should have batted at number 3 for India, but somehow seems to have gone back to 6.

Yet, you never hear VVS complain, crib, make sensational statements or even murmur a little note of unhappiness. He just comes back and practices and it has been an incredible privilege over the years to have watched many of those practice sessions in person. Watching him go about in his 3 hour practice sessions at times is also as wonderful as his batting in the middle. There are no nervous mannerisms, no, ungainly shots and never is there a lack of balance- even when he is just at nets.

Today, VVS Laxman turns 34 and there is plenty of cricket left in that flowing willow and those skillful wrists. With Rahul Dravid’s own form being on the slide, it seems that VVS has a more important role to play in the next few years by moving up to that number 3 spot. With Mark Waugh long gone, VVS is the last great elegant artist with the willow- an honor that is unique and an honor that even the great Sachin Tendulkar cannot claim to share!

Happy Birthday VVS Laxman