The Best Blog winner for week 8 is Subrajit mishra for his post, The Buzz. Congrats, you have won yourself a color mobile phone.

Well what to say! It has been a crazy beggining already....The latest buzz??? Why, its the World T20. Started with a bang,isn't it. Well for all cricket enthusiasts like me,sitting at home chewing some chips and watching T20 is like an addiction.The sight of the sixes,the fours, the stumps flying and the adrenaline involved in it really gives you the rush!!!

What a start we had with the Nederlands running over the Englishmen and leaving them biting...well something even worse than dust! Now the English seem to be ready to really go with the host jinx...to those who dont know the hosts have never won a world cup, be it the 50 over one or the world T20. But its not all over as they face off against a really unpredictable and volatile side like Pakistan in a couple of days. Pakistan were given a nice drubbing a few days ago by the world champs India. To see what kind of frame of mind they would be in would really be interesting.Well a seemingly easy group on paper has been brought to life by the Dutch,i would say and hats off to their courage i would say.

New Zealand powered its way past the Scots but not before the Scots powered their way to an imposing 89 of the 7 overs at hand.But the imposing presence of Mccullum,Ryder and Taylor led the result in New Zealand's favour in the end.

Speaking of courage,well we had the Bangladeshi Tigers steaming up for India as well.But the champs have really mastered the art of T20 i would say. Being placed in the easiest of groups( with due respect to Bangladesh and Ireland) has worked to their advantage as they have got some time to rest the injured guys like Sehwag. Zaheer was up and about in the match but was still far from his best. The difference was of course Yuvi and the new kid on the block, Pragyan Ojha. One with the bat and the other with the ball they just wove magic webs around the opponents which the Tigers found hard to negotiate and come out on the top.So in the end it was India stamping their authority and showing that they meant business when defending the world cup was concerned.

In the end i would say, watch out for the minnows for in this mini version of the game the minnows can be quite a handful!!! Adios amigos!

by: Subrajit mishra/Jun 7, 2009

The sport of tennis is undoubtedly the best sport in the world. it attracts the best talent in the world with some players becoming legends. The individual nature of the sport gives it a competitive edge.

The booming serves, the accurate forehands, backhands, cross-court backhands and forehands, the drop shots, the adrenalin pumping players, their aggression, their agony and ecstacy, the roaring (or booing!) crowds charges the atmosphere with the crowds egging on their favourite players to win the match. The comebacks and the upsets all add to the excitement of the sport. The ladies add even more colour with the never ending Russian beauty brigade headed by the queen, the 6'2" bombshell Maria sharapova, with a male following which is across all countries and even those who don't understand tennis know her.

Perfect ladies and gentlemen off court turn into these fist pumping, hard hitting, cursing gladiators on court. The point scoring system is 15,30,40 and game. When both players are at 40 each, it is called deuce. A player has two serves, if he/she misses both, then it is a double fault, an unreturnable service is called an ace. If the opponent wins it is called a break of serve. If both players are tied at 6 games a piece, they go for a tie-break.

The four major slams each have a distinct character with Wimbledon a very traditional tournament with white clothing, the royal box and strawberries and cream. The other major slams are the Australian Open, French open at Roland Garros, and the US Open at Flushing Meadows. Winners of grand slams create history and are regarded as the best in the sport. Besides there are numerous tournaments organized by the assosiation of tennis professionals.

by: abhijeet chatterjee/Jun 6, 2009

Well friends you all must be wondering why INDIA got the perfect start on the opening day, its because the Oranges have made an upset over the english. This well help India when they will be in Super 8. This is so because if we follow the seedings then India will have to play oz, south africa and england.

It would be a very tight group. So if Oranges manage to get through the super 8, India would then have to only worry of oz and south africa. So this way i meant that India had a good opening day. Seeing in other way there has always been one minnow team which cause upset at the world cup . This augurs well for the cricket as this minnow country start following cricket in a big way, which directly helps cricket expand globally. You never know after a decade there will be around 15 nations who all be competitive which is good for cricket.

As per India's first match against Bangladesh would be no pushover and will keep the men in blue on their toes. Fitness might be a worry for them, but after a long time India has a bench strength who can fill anyone's shoe very easily. The main test for the indians starts in super 8. By that time i think all the concern regarding fitness would be over and the team would playing at their best.

by: saurabh sinha/Jun 6, 2009

My favorite sport is football. The atmosphere of the game brings people in the mass together. Football is a game with fast pace, with big gladiator like men who enjoy playing the game. With the game played in many type of weather it makes it even more fun to watch.

The atmosphere of going to the games is so much fun from the tailgating party before the game until the end of the game. Granted the traffic after the game is killer and very fustrating, but the whole experience is well worth it in the end. If your team wins it seems like an even better experience then if your team loses, but at the end of the day you went and had fun eather way. back to the game; people fill the stadium until its packed whether it's an NFL game or just college game, it is all the same. I like the game better, the band, the people who go to the games even when the team stinks and doesn't win at all, and most of all the players play hard all the time. Its all about the team, not the player, sometimes the pros forget about that aspect of the game.

Because the game goes at such a fast pace anything could happen at any time during a play. Some of the players on a football team can be around 300 pounds and hardly have any fat on their bodies. Some of the players are really hot in their uniform it's like wow. Football players are modern day gladiators giving, at least most of the time they do. They fight for their team with no fear which makes it great.

In conclusion my favorite sport is football and I know that a lot more people like me also love the game also. It is becoming this country's number one pastime because of its tailgating, the pace of the game and its entertainment value.

by: tasneem shaikh/Jun 5, 2009

When I was a kid (yeah, I know a loooooong time ago, please don’t remind me!), I used to put a Christmas wish list down on paper. A letter that I would actually post in one of these big Re mail boxes in the Road corner. All it did was probably make the mailman smile when he saw “FOR SANTA CLAUS”, in my big, scattered writing.

And here I am, in a grownup world, where I see some of the best players – and some of my good friends – try to steal the thunder of any event related to our sport. Yes i call it our sport. TENNIS is what i have been following all through my years and every sec of my life, and with which i feel so close even watching it on television But I thought, why don’t I make a wish list now? You never know. It might work! Some influential officials and all players might read it, and some of it may come true. Well, that’s being a little optimistic – even if I know for a fact that Federer is well read amongst influent people and top players ;-). So, there you go. I know, I’m a spoiled brat by asking all this, and some of it may not please some people, but Christmas time doesn’t necessarily mean we have to be nice to everyone anyways. Right? Oh, one more thing, this is not in any specific order. And forgive my poor sense of humour (I am an Indian tennis freak, remember. Just be happy that I’m not on strike!)

So if Roger!!!! if you can read it from somewhere and can understand how big an idol you are for me. and how much i appreciate you for all your achievements.. I along with my friends always wanted to be playing tennis like great people and now with you on the court all those greatness has sealed in one name and that's you..... so if from anywhere you are reading it let me know if you can fulfill me dreams list revolving around my favorite sport TENNIS...
 
: Want to See you once, Want to play you once, once to show you that i am not a bad player at all and if ever you plans to play doubles tournament , you know who to take then... Want to See your magical tennis bat.... and above all want to make every one jealous about you being with me as my mentor for the game....
 
Federer let me know when should i open my eyes.........
 
I thank indianfantasyleague for this opportunity to let me share this for a platform ....

by: rohan grover/Jun 3, 2009

The Best Blog winner for week 6 was sur5s8kum1rr for his post, Get Ready for the Excitement of French open. Congrats, you have won yourself a color mobile phone.

The second Grand slam of the year, The French Open starts at Roland Garros on the 24th of May.The qualifying events are already underway.Roland Garros provides the tennis lovers, a unique experience.The red clay courts,fine climate,fashionable spectators all combine together to make it the most attractive tennis event.

Quite different from other Grand slam events, rankings hardly matter at the French Open.Over the years Roland Garros had some surprises at store both in the men's and women's sections.In the men's event Michael Chang, Andres Gomez,Sergi Bruguera , Gustavo Kuerten,Albert Costa ,Juan Carlos Ferrero , Gaston Gaudio and in the women's events Iva Majoli ,Mary Pierce ,Anastasia Myskina all were least expected to win the title.

At Roland Garros patience ,not power is what matters.Baseline play and long rallies are the norm here. This year in the men's event the ' Spanish Magician' , Rafael Nadal is likely to lift the trophy for the fifth time in a row.But all eyes will be on Roger Federer who is yet to conquer that dreaded ghost of the Roland Garros clay court which so far prevented him from adding the French open crown to his kitty .Federer's C.V will be more attractive if he wins this elusive crown this year. By winning in clay at Madrid, Federer has sent strong signals to Nadal. Federer will be looking at another summit clash with Nadal to take revenge at Nadal for the humiliating defeat the latter inflicted on him in last year's finals.

Title race in the women's event is wide open with Serena William's injury and sister Venus's inconsistency. Russian players Dinara Safina,Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvenerova and Svetlana Kuznetsova along with Jelena Jankovic of Serbia are potential title contenders.Newly crowned World No.1, Safina wants to do justice to the WTA rankings by winning her first Grand slam title.Kuznetsova will try for her second Grand slam title .The reigning Champion Ana Ivanovic is having a poor run for quite some time .Don't be surprised if Victoria Azarenka of Belarus or Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark come up with some upsets.

Indian fans will be following the fortunes of the mixed doubles team of Sania Mirza And Mahesh Bhupathy. After winning the title at this years Australian Open if the Indian duo wins here it will be a great boost for Indian tennis.

But whatever be the end results, high quality tennis and sheer excitement is guaranteed for the next fortnight.As far as tennis lovers are concerned,it is game..,set.. and match ..to.........Roland.. Garros

by: sur5s8kum1rr/May 22, 2009

When the first IPL had started, there was a lot of hue and cry about it being a threat to cricket (Test matches and ODI). Many had apprehensions about IPL, regarding killing cricketing talent in the country, specially about the bowling and Test match specific skills. Some people couldn't keep off their eyes off the huge money involved and always cribbed about one thing or the other. When there was nothing left to complain, they started criticizing the cheerleaders, as a threat to Indian culture and traditions. Every one wanted to the path of this drama and entertainment, right from the media people and bollywood stars. In the midst of all these, IPL-1 was successfully conducted as well as entertained in all parts of Indian subcontinent.

This IPL-season 2 is no different from the first one, in the sense that it also had its own share of arguments and controversies and uncertainties, exactly before its start. No one can forget the security concerns raised during the scheduling of the matches. The matches got postponed, rescheduled to different venues and finally got shifted out of the country. The cricket fans (or rather IPL fans) got emotional and argued "How can Indian Premier League be conducted outside India?". Some politicians, knowing it was election time, used this opportunity to argue for poor security provided by the government. Many were skeptic that this IPL wouldn't be as hit as the first season, attributing the cause to the lack of ground support in SA. People had got so busy in these controversies and discussions that they failed to view "the other side" of IPL, which I intend to put forward, further in my post.

First and foremost, the message that I get from the government's decision of not allowing IPL to be conducted during election period is that the Indian government will not bow down to the pressures of IPL, where huge money and big celebrities are involved, thus compromising our security. We, as Indians, have known our limitations in security and hence have not risked our lives just to provide entertainment by a private association, however rich that might be. It has sent a strong message to the money minded business guys.

The next positive thing to notice is that the pitches in South Africa are bowler-friendly. This is unlike the last year where Indian pitches enabled huge exaggerated scores and gave little choice to bowler's strategies and tactics. Now as the matches are going on, we can see the more action coming from bowlers' quarters. Hence, this IPL avoids giving undue advantage to the batsmen gives a fairer deal to all players. This will also help in reducing the general
misconception that Twenty20 is just a do or die game. We see many senior players, who couldn't do much last year, now performing well. Apart from these, there are many young Indian faces that have got a chance to test themselves outside India. Thus, they will truly get a taste and exposure of international pitches and weather conditions. Some might argue that rains in SA have affected most of the matches; but then rainy weather is also part of the match.

by: Amit munjal/May 22, 2009

"Cricket is a Great Leveller"
I'm truly aware that while reading my first line you feel that what's new in that thought in respect of the cricket crazy nation India to which I belong but I always take cricket as my inspiration in life,you just start comparing some circumstances of life to this game and the gameplan of your life changes and I'm not talking futile because it has happened more often than not with me.

Suppose at a time in your life you are stuck in between the thorns than if you think like a cricketer, that nothing is impossible in life/cricket,It is anybody's game and anyone can win till the last moment-of-life/ball of match than you will surely feel that you have become a fighter and you will come out all guns blazing against the problems just like the slam bang T20 format where A Rohit Sharma can milk 26 runs in the last over to win the match on his own when everyone else would have signed off the match in favour of the opposition.Similarly such situations in life test our nerves like cricket matches sometimes turn out to be at the end and whosoever hold the nerves wins.

Cricket also tells that every run is important and you should always take it ball by ball and throw yous body around when in the field , similarly every moment of life is precious and one should never have a laidback approach.You should be attentive and alert at every single instant because:

Opportunity Knocks Very Swiftly.........You Must Be Able To Hear It!!!!!!!

It is a Gentlemen's game which teaches us to be self disciplined at times and be descent in our behaviour so that we are admired just like a good cricketer who respect the decision of umpire whether correct or not so correct.Here in life Almighty is our umpire and we all should respect his decisions because he never acts to harm you , it's just that we should see the positives coming out of his acts .

So move on in life like a cricketer and observe the difference.

by: Shashank/May 19, 2009