ADAM GILCHRIST, THE LEGEND

The curtains are down all of a sudden. Adam Gilchirst's decision to retire came as a surprise to the cricketing world. But its the nature of all great players to surprise everybody. Now we can call him a legend. He will find himself along side with somebody of the calibre of Sir Vivian Richards. Surely he is the greatest wicket keeper batsman, that the game has seen up to now. Seventeen test hundreds batting at number seven is simply awesome. The very concept of wicket keeping has changed only because of this man. His superb ability with the glove and the bat made keepers all round the world to struggle (apart from Boucher). Every body started to question their batting abilities. Other teams saw lots of new faces for this job but they were no where near to this great player. The world would probably never see another player like Gilchrist because players like him, Ponting, Tendulkar surface only once.

He waited a long time to make his entry because Ian Healy, another great Australian wicket keeper delayed his retirement. But once he retired, Gilchrist got his long deserved opportunity and set all cricket pitches around the world on fire. Wicket keeping alongside batting was taken to new heights. Cricket today have a new standard for this special job. Yes, its the GILCHRIST STATDARD. A young kid who wants to become a wicket keeper finally have an idol to look upon.

NORTHERN LIGHT

Light; its bright and lively. Everything around us is in need for it. Without light there is simply no existence for anything. What will happen to life on earth when the sun consumes all its resources ? Probably human beings will find an alternative source well ahead.

But this is northern light, floats above the Scandinavian skies. Natural beauty on the skies, a different world, only in pictures for now.

ITS AMAZING HOW THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM MANAGE TO WIN A TEST OVERSEAS.

It has been an absorbing four days of cricket at the WACA in Perth. The result is quite an anticlimax for those who have written off the Indian team. At the beginning of the test match the cricket followers might have thought that Australia would go on and create history by winning seventeen consecutive test matches. It’s because India was already two-nil down and they are up against the Ausses on the fastest and the most bouncy track in the world at Perth. Shaun Tait, the fastest bowler in Australia was included in the playing eleven with an intention to bounce out the Indians. It would have been a cakewalk for the Ricky Ponting's side and thus the world record was inevitable. But all these thoughts and feelings were put to rest after the Indian win, once again denying the Ausses a world record. After Anil Kumble won the toss and decided to bat first then some of the cricket experts commented that India should have bowled first on a fresh red hot killer pitch (as per the reputation of WACA). Hats off to Kumble and the team. It was a brave decision to bat first, especially with Shewag opening the innings after a long time. One would have thought that Shewag would fall prey to Brett Lee and company. All those speculations came to an end as soon as the match got started. The Indian openers started with great determination and the innings gained momentum immediately. Not too often one can see a concerned Ricky Ponting early in a test match. His eyes said it all. Even though they managed the breakthrough, probably the damage was already done. I think the first wicket stand was enough for the strong Indian middle order to carry on. The Indian team combination was right this time. In the previous two tests the innings just did'nt gained momentum at all at the beginning. Dravid, Tendulkar, Lakshman once again showed their class and magic touch. Brett Lee bowled superbly; Clark was very accurate like he normally does. Apart from them no other Australian bowler looked to trouble the Indians much. Shaun Tait was very disappointing. He was all over the place and thus got hammered. India could have batted Australia out of the game in the first innings itself. But very poor shot selection by Dravid and Lakshman at crucial moments was the hurdle. These kinds of shots from players of their caliber are not expected. But Pathan and Dhoni ensured India got past the 300 run mark. The first innings score of 330 was not a good one but proved to be enough at the end.

Australia started their innings with two inexperienced openers. The absence of Haiden was a crucial factor in this match. Pathan and RP Singh got much more swing and purchase from the wicket unlike the Australian bowlers. The openers failed to get going and got out to good deliveries. Perhaps the Australian attitude of aggression backfired this time. They tried to blaze away instead of grafting an innings. Ishant Sharma was also very impressive in his spells. Australia’s score of 212 runs was a poor total, which meant that India needed to consume just one ball (80 overs) to give Australia a healthy target.

Once again India’s second innings performance was not mind blowing. They must improve on this if they are to become the number one test side in the world. The innings of RP Singh was the most crucial one at that moment. The 30 runs he got was the defining event of the test match. Had the target been around 350, the Australians would have fancied their chances. But 413 runs in the fourth innings was an uphill task for any team even in a flat and a placid track. The WACA pitch had much to offer for the Indian bowlers. Every body bowled their heart out. Ishant Sharma bowled the spell of his lifetime on the 4th day morning. Ricky Ponting, the best batsman in the world did not have a clue which way the ball was going. Eventually the script was painted “Ponting caught Dravid bowled Ishant”. This young boy has the potential to go the distance. Now it’s up to Ishant to keep himself fit and ready for the glorious time to come by. India created history by winning at the WACA, the first subcontinental team to beat Australia there. Finally the fort build by pace, bounce and seam movement is conquered.