The engines have started to rumble for the new Formula One season which has started over this weekend in Australia. But its not the same from last year due to the numerous changes made to the rules by the governing body FIA. The major thing that will have the teams sweating out is the return to the use of slick tyres.It makes all the teams compete on level grounds,. The next big change has been made to the front and rear wing designs ensuring less downforce. This will in turn ensure the speed of the cars a bit reduced than lst year. But the biggest debate is reserved about the use of KERS(Kinetic energy reuse system),which allows cars to store the energy saved during deceleration and use it to get maximum speed in a straight with just a push of a button. There has been a lot of speculation about the use of this system. Also stated is the winner takes all system for deciding the championship. So it promises to be an interesting season with so many changes,but the biggest question is can it sustain the interst levels of last year when the championship was decided in the last corner of the last lap in the last race o0f the season.Lets wait and see.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Is Man Utd Experiencing a Slump?
The recent events unfolding in the premier league have thrown the title race open for liverpool to catch up. But apart from this the most glaring aspect is the raggedness of ManUtd. Their display for months have been of thr mark but they have been able to scrap out results in their favour. But now their ruthlessness has been dismantled by consecutive league defeats. Incidently this is the first time after 150 games they have faced consecutive defeats in the league. Suddenly everyone who wanted to avoid the red devils before,wants a piece of them now.But they have Sir Alex at the helm and he knows how to get the ship out of troubled waters. But this time it may not be easy as it looks,because Liverpool have their captain Steven gerrard in the form of his life and would want title glory after all these years in the wilderness. So Sir Alex Ferguson may even indulge in the tried and tested tactic of indulging Rafael Benitz in a mind game. Remember 1996 when the then Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan succumbed to the mental warfare of ferguson and surrendered the title to the red devils. But i don't think Benitez is a man like Keegan and so we can expect a tough fight till the very end. All that the footballin world and fans worldwide now need is that ManUtd can shrug of its rustiness and play the kind of football that made them the world beaters in the treble year of 1999.
Friday, March 20, 2009
May the best team win
Things are getting heated up in the Barclays Premier League as manutd have been trashed by Liverpool which has reduced their points advantage to 4 points. Although ManUtd have a game in hand , the result has made Liverpool and Chelsea excited at the prospect of toppling the reigning Champions . And make sure both teams will be going at full throttle to ensure that ManUtd does not make it a hatrick of titles. It's a matter of pride for Liverpool as they don't want ManUtd to equal their recrd of 18 domestic league titles.Also Chelsea want to prove that they retain the same hunger and grit after the Scolari saga.But knowing ManUtd, they will want to avenge for that trashing and expect them to be more show more resolve and grit in the upcoming matches. So lets hope that the remaining matches live upto the expectation and show to the world taht English football league is the best league in the world at the moment.
Champions league Draw
I am very excited at the prospect of seeing the UEFA Champions league draw for the quarter finals. It's because my team ManUtd are one among them. Also in the fray are some of europe's elite teams such as Liverpool,Arsenal,Bayern Munich, Barca, Porto,Villareal,Chelsea. This is the first time that four English teams are in the mix for a quarter finals spot.The draw takes place today (Mar 20) at switzerland around 6.30 IST. To know the full details keep visiting this site. Ill keep you posted with all the details and also the reactions of the players.....
(Please pray that Liverpool are pitted against Barca)
(Please pray that Liverpool are pitted against Barca)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Change in Formula One
FIA has just released a new ruling that will reward the driver with the most race wins in a season with the world title.
In a dramatic move less than three weeks before the start of the new season, the International Automobile Association (FIA) has opted to change the format, which, if used in 2008, would have seen Felipe Massa crowned champion.
The governing body's World Motor Sport Council has agreed to the proposal put forward by Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management.
The allocation of points will remain the same as last year's 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 sequence.
The rest of the standings, from second to last place, will also be decided by the current points system with the constructors' championship unaffected.
"If two or more drivers finish the season with the same number of wins, the title will be awarded to the driver with the most points," the FIA said in a statement.
Last Match Loss Syndrome
It's happened twice now within a 60 day window. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unstoppable Indians have faltered at the last hurdle and missed brownwash opportunities against the Sri Lankans and now the Kiwis. Against England in November 2008, they had managed a clean slate partly by default-the last two games were cancelled following the Mumbai carnage giving India a 5-0 series win.
Most commentators have lamented this inability without making much of the losses in the end. Reason- every Indian fan is overwhelmed at the quality of cricket played by the Indians in recent months. For some like Sanjay Manjrekar a 4-0 win looks really good on paper, which, it indeed does and helps remember the performance better some years hence. For Ravi Shastri the performance like the one in Auckland simply defies logic.
Just as with most things, there's a flip side to this argument. Rather, one can surely see positives in the last game loss syndrome. In Sri Lanka, the Indians quickly recovered from the shock defeat and won a hard fought T-20 fixture that went right down to the wire. In New Zealand, if they come back once again to win the Test series starting three days from now, none will complain about the inconsequential loss in Auckland. May be such losses are a timely reminder that the Indians, playing the best cricket they have ever played, should not turn complacent.
On the other hand, India, in their own interests, may well want to do their best to shed off this last match gift syndrome. Inconsequential matches have every bit the potential to give a vanquished side the necessary oxygen it needs to stage a comeback. Australia versus South Africa in Australia in January is a classic example. Down and almost out, that one Mitchell Johnson delivery in Sydney with 4.3 overs of the match remaining, which nailed an injured Graeme Smith, was enough to give the Australians the lifeline they so badly needed. The belief was back. And Johnson, post that delivery, is a transformed bowler, one who can aspire to the mantle of the best in the world on current form. His first spell against South Africa at Durban was simply unplayable and if an inconsequential victory can do this to a team, it is time Dhoni's India learns its lesson as soon as possible.
Not without reason is it suggested that winning is a habit and once you have your opponent on the mat, you should strive to keep him there.
In view of this rather tantalising scenario, the forthcoming Test series will be one of immense interest. Having beaten the Australians and the English, the Indians will be that bit desperate to win another Test series in New Zealand after forty two years. If they accomplish the mission they have set out to achieve, they will surely be in the reckoning to be labelled the number one international cricket side on form in all formats of the game.
Finally, an Indian victory in the Test series will also put to rest all my theories over a last game loss.
Can't wait for the action to begin.
Most commentators have lamented this inability without making much of the losses in the end. Reason- every Indian fan is overwhelmed at the quality of cricket played by the Indians in recent months. For some like Sanjay Manjrekar a 4-0 win looks really good on paper, which, it indeed does and helps remember the performance better some years hence. For Ravi Shastri the performance like the one in Auckland simply defies logic.
Just as with most things, there's a flip side to this argument. Rather, one can surely see positives in the last game loss syndrome. In Sri Lanka, the Indians quickly recovered from the shock defeat and won a hard fought T-20 fixture that went right down to the wire. In New Zealand, if they come back once again to win the Test series starting three days from now, none will complain about the inconsequential loss in Auckland. May be such losses are a timely reminder that the Indians, playing the best cricket they have ever played, should not turn complacent.
On the other hand, India, in their own interests, may well want to do their best to shed off this last match gift syndrome. Inconsequential matches have every bit the potential to give a vanquished side the necessary oxygen it needs to stage a comeback. Australia versus South Africa in Australia in January is a classic example. Down and almost out, that one Mitchell Johnson delivery in Sydney with 4.3 overs of the match remaining, which nailed an injured Graeme Smith, was enough to give the Australians the lifeline they so badly needed. The belief was back. And Johnson, post that delivery, is a transformed bowler, one who can aspire to the mantle of the best in the world on current form. His first spell against South Africa at Durban was simply unplayable and if an inconsequential victory can do this to a team, it is time Dhoni's India learns its lesson as soon as possible.
Not without reason is it suggested that winning is a habit and once you have your opponent on the mat, you should strive to keep him there.
In view of this rather tantalising scenario, the forthcoming Test series will be one of immense interest. Having beaten the Australians and the English, the Indians will be that bit desperate to win another Test series in New Zealand after forty two years. If they accomplish the mission they have set out to achieve, they will surely be in the reckoning to be labelled the number one international cricket side on form in all formats of the game.
Finally, an Indian victory in the Test series will also put to rest all my theories over a last game loss.
Can't wait for the action to begin.
The Day of the Underdogs
1996
Nobody gave Sri Lanka a chance before the World Cup - they were 100-1 outsiders - but their fairytale victory was completed with a comprehensive defeat of Australia in the final in Lahore today. No true sporting underdog has ever won a major tournament with such relentless conviction. After demolishing England and India in the quarter- and semi-finals, Sri Lanka brushed Australia aside with ease. Aravinda de Silva made a wonderfully pure 107 not out, to add to three wickets, two catches, and one of the more inevitable Man-of-the-Match awards, and Arjuna Ranatunga glided the winning runs with 22 balls and seven wickets to spare.
2007
A St Patrick's Day miracle in Kingston. Ireland arrived in Jamaica for their first World Cup as makeweights, but they departed as heroes after ousting the former champions, Pakistan, at the first hurdle in a nerve-shredding contest at Sabina Park. Inspired by their 6'7" seamer Boyd Rankin, Ireland dismissed Pakistan for 132, but the drama had only just started. Rain breaks, umpiring howlers and an inspired Mohammad Sami threatened to ruin an increasingly raucous party, but Niall O'Brien anchored the chase with a nerveless 72. In another game, Bangladesh humbled neighbours India in Port of Spain, making it a glorious day for the underdogs.
Nobody gave Sri Lanka a chance before the World Cup - they were 100-1 outsiders - but their fairytale victory was completed with a comprehensive defeat of Australia in the final in Lahore today. No true sporting underdog has ever won a major tournament with such relentless conviction. After demolishing England and India in the quarter- and semi-finals, Sri Lanka brushed Australia aside with ease. Aravinda de Silva made a wonderfully pure 107 not out, to add to three wickets, two catches, and one of the more inevitable Man-of-the-Match awards, and Arjuna Ranatunga glided the winning runs with 22 balls and seven wickets to spare.
2007
A St Patrick's Day miracle in Kingston. Ireland arrived in Jamaica for their first World Cup as makeweights, but they departed as heroes after ousting the former champions, Pakistan, at the first hurdle in a nerve-shredding contest at Sabina Park. Inspired by their 6'7" seamer Boyd Rankin, Ireland dismissed Pakistan for 132, but the drama had only just started. Rain breaks, umpiring howlers and an inspired Mohammad Sami threatened to ruin an increasingly raucous party, but Niall O'Brien anchored the chase with a nerveless 72. In another game, Bangladesh humbled neighbours India in Port of Spain, making it a glorious day for the underdogs.
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