The power of a superstar can never be underestimated. Viswanathan did it for chess, Sania Mirza is doing it for tennis in India. Apart from making the game popular they have galvanised a generation to pick up the sport, infuse confidence, given a reference point.
Baichung Bhutia has been the face of Indian football for long. Now, a 23 year old who answers to the name of Sunil Chhetri looks ready to take on the mantle.

"It's a great compliment for me," says Chhetri, who was named Indian NFL player of the year last season after scoring 12 goals. "I don't believe in all the comparisons but the expectations have definitely increased. There is the pressure to perform; it only pumps me up to do better whether I am playing for the country or club."

The suave, energetic player from Delhi, who speaks faster than he dribbles the ball, is, like Bhutia, a fleet-footed striker with a boyish face and floppy hair. Like Bhutia, he has his roots in the foothills of the Himalayas -- his forefathers came from Nepal. "He has the talent to make it big," says JCT Coach Sukhwinder Singh. "Whether he will remains to be seen," says Singh, whose team's colours Chettri currently dons. "We have to understand that people like I M Vijayan and Bhutia played consistently at that level for a long time. Chhetri has to do a lot and work harder." "(As strikers) you can't compare Bhutia and Chhetri. Bhutia is more explosive; they are two different, class players." Singh took Chhetri under his wing more than two years ago when he came to JCT after three seasons with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan.
"I didn't have to change around with his style; all I told him was what to do and what not to do with the ball. When you talk of skills, there are two parts to it: one is basic talent and second is decision-making. We have helped him in decision-making, the tactical side, and improving his concentration."

"He has football in him," added the JCT coach. "I had football in my blood, since my parents also played it," Chhetri says. "When I started playing football I wasn't aware of the format or what the future holds. It was just a passion; I didn't work too hard for it. "First it was the passion; when he played for Indian schools it was "for a certificate", and then it was the money and fame that made Chhetri stay with football. "Five hundred bucks pocket money for a 17 year old is not bad!" he exclaims at the memory, when he was thrust into a professional set-up when he signed with Mohun Bagan in his teens. "Till then I didn't know football was so big. When I was playing for Indian schools they (Mohun Bagan) saw me and called me for trials. That time it was just fun, but in the past two, three years I have started taking the game very seriously."

Just like the club call-up, an India call-up happened to Chhetri early.
"That felt like a dream come true. I think wearing an Indian jersey, whichever sport you play, gives a different high. Playing in the senior team is a great change, the teams are tougher -- that's where the big boys play!"
"Earlier, I used to be too excited and thrilled and nervous just to be playing in the team. But now that the expectations are greater I am working harder."
For a person whose "dream came true" at 17, he is startlingly realistic. Ask him about his European (the ultimate in football) ambitions and he replies sheepishly, "Indians can't choose! I'll take whatever they give me." After some pushing, he comes up with an answer: "Barcelona!" "I am not thinking too much about it. I want to go out for sure; I am preparing a CV to send out. There are so many things to learn." Though he laments that not many people recognise football players beyond traditional centres Kolkata,

and Kerala , Chhetri says it is time the players, media and public give up the blame game and come together.

"The Nehru Cup was a huge tournament. Football is not very popular from where I come, but the stands were full during the matches. Every time I scored the crowd would go crazy. Zee Sports did a great job telecasting that tournament. It just shows that for football to develop everyone has to come together."
"We are all to be blamed for the condition of the game in India. Football is the best game, it's enjoyed all over the world, but it's not given due respect in India."
"If people stay awake to watch a Chelsea versus Manchester United game late at night, I am sure they'll appreciate if we play good football. Even I would love to stay awake and watch Baichung Bhutia play. We need the right players, the right media, the right television coverage, grounds, jerseys; combine all departments to do well."
Apart from his obvious ball skills, Chhetri's understanding of the arena he operates in is different from the normally myopic football vision. He voices his concerns without an edge of cynicism, and is ready to work on the solutions.
He has the game, the attitude and the marketable 'X' factor.
Move over Bhutia, Chhetri is here!

Wipro launches video interviews to save cost

The next time you get that interview call from India's third largest IT services provider, Wipro Ltd ,you will probably be asked to do it via video.
Wipro has already screened hundreds of applicants through video kiosks it has set up at three of its campuses - two in Bangalore and one in Chennai. The company shortly plans to extend this concept, and install over 1,000 video phones at all its 20-odd campuses across the country. Each campus accommodates over 2,000 people.

The process is simple, according to Dhananjay Ganjoo, vice-president (enterprise), Nortel India. The kiosk comprises a video phone, provided by Nortel Networks, with a 4x4 inch screen. The cost of each phone is around $250.
The candidate walks into a video kiosk and dials a pre-determined number at the given time. The human resources (HR) person or panelist at the other end picks up the phone and the interview starts.
"We implemented this to save on costs, time and eliminate impersonations, given that we recruit nearly 5,000 candidates every quarter," explains Jethin Chandran, GM (IT Planning & PMO), Wipro.

The Gartner Group estimates the procedure can reduce companies' travel costs for recruitment by 15 to 20 per cent.
Video phones also appear to solve the problem of impersonation or fake r�sum�s that have plagued the IT industry in particular, which loses crores of rupees in the bargain.

Last year, IT majors like IBM India, Wipro, Satyam , Infosys and TCS had to terminate the employment of thousands of such candidates. And a 2006 KPMG study revealed that 15 to 24 per cent of resumes in India are fake and one out of three r�sum�s mis-represents facts. The study noted that the IT, financial, entertainment and telecom sectors face the highest risk.
"To avoid impersonation, the video phone is equipped with a memory card that can capture the photograph of the interviewee," explains Chandran. The photo of the candidate and the interview results are then digitally sent to a central database.

Technology, note analysts, has been providing firms with innovative ways to cut hiring costs, and save time. Take, for instance, the video r�sum�s from Reliance World and Monster.
Reliance World, in association with Ilaza VDO, has VDO Resume - an online system that integrates a video file into the candidate's r�sum�. RWorld has over 240 outlets across the company.

Then we have video conferencing, which is done by companies like IBM, HP, Cisco, Nortel and Nike the world over.
"At Cisco, we use a lot of technology including TelePresence, IP phones, video conferencing, wikis, blogs, etc. to increase employee productivity," said Subash Rao, Director, HR, Cisco India.

He added that, till date, over 37,000 meetings were held, out of which nearly 8,000 meetings included participants who avoided travel by attending meetings over TelePresence, which meant savings of $62 million in travel avoidance.

Marion Jones:Glory gone

October 9, 2007

After years of denying the use of steroids, Marion Jones finally came clean last week.
The American sprinter, one of track and field's biggest stars after winning five medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, has long denied that steroids played a role in her success.

But she pleaded guilty in the Federal court in White Plains, New York, on Friday, to lying to federal investigators about her steroid use and admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
Jones told the court she swallowed tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, also known as "the clear," which she said had been given to her by her former coach Trevor Graham.

She has subsequently relinquished the five Olympic medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Games and retired from the track.

Why was Farhan Akhtar's Don better than RGV's Aag?

While many filmmakers boast of doing things out of the ordinary, some of them are drawn back to the age-old magic of Sholay, Don, Umrao Jaan , or then others are trying to bring to the audiences the once-upon-a-time black-n-white box office rockers in colour. But it is the Naya Daur , and it's best that age-old classics remain untouched on their thrones of gold, than adapting them to current day and age situations, and then going ballistic about their new avatar, which is hardly new at all.

And that, we think, is the mistake RGV made. The film was an exact replica of Sholay , but remained unmatched in class and performances. Farhan Akhtar, too, was tempted to make a tribute to the movie he had grown up watching – Don. And though we bashed it for casting SRK as Don in it, let us tell you that his twist-in-the-tale was far more exciting than the picking up of Sholay and placing it on a new canvas. The old wine in new bottles, is just not working! And more so if you have the exact same story to tell.


Take Umrao Jaan as yet another example. We watched it on a television channel recently and vowed that the film should've fared better than what it did. It was simply told and beautifully executed, but the shaan and ada of that era, was obviously missing. But our filmmakers won't understand, or maybe they do but are just trying their luck shooting in the dark. What was a success story once, may just create history again! But dear Directors, only if told with the same charm, magic and panache.

Of all the re-makes and colour re-releases, Farhan Akhtar's Don seemed to have 'donned' more colour than the rest. Reason? It had enough commercial value to hold the audience' attention. And the story left even the yesteryear audiences stunned at the end of it. The masses didn't feel cheated, and were happy to have got a whole new experience when they walked out of the theatres. This old wine in a new bottle was tweaked. And that made all the difference.

New cars at used ones' rates!

Dealers of leading car manufacturers, including Maruti Udyog,Hyundai, Ford, Fiat and Tata are tying up with used-car owners to liquidate old stocks of car models that have been phased out or replaced by upgraded models.

The popular models in the market include the Hyundai Sonata (replaced by the Embera in August 2005), the Maruti Baleno (replaced by the SX4 in December 2006) and the Hyundai Accent Viva (production of which has stopped), among others (see table).

Prices of premium models like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Corolla were also expected to fall once the company launched upgrades, people in the know said.
"I have been contacted by car company dealers across the country to help dispose of their line of stock generated ever since car manufacturers phased out the older models.

The dealers are ready to offer huge discounts for the vehicles," confirmed Aarif Fazulbhoy, director, Fazulbhoy Motors, one of the largest car dealers in the city.
Due to restrictions imposed by car makers, dealers cannot advertise on their own for either discount offers or freebies on phased-out models that are hard to sell. The dealers then have no option but to sell these models through used-car outlets.

"Offers start to come in from all over the country as soon as a car maker launches an upgraded version of a model," said another reputed used car dealer. Such used car dealers generally get offers from cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, and states like Rajasthan and Haryana.
Generally, the commission charged by a used-car dealer varies between 10 and 15 per cent of the total cost of the car.

Bhajji makes his case for Twenty20

Here's an interesting poser for the Indian selectors. Should they go in for specialist spinners or opt for bits and pieces players who double up as spinners for the Twenty20 World Cup?

While the selectors' mind will be known on Tuesday, one of the contenders, Harbhajan Singh, has already put his hand up to be counted. India's No 1 spin option until recently, the 'Turbanator' is currently toiling in English county cricket for Surrey. The shortest format of the game is considered to be cruel to bowlers in general, and spinners in particular, but Harbhajan told TOI from London: "In Twenty20 there are a lot more chances to take wickets than in any other form, especially if you are a spinner. The batsmen are forever looking to hit and that gives you a chance to take wickets. You just have to keep hitting the right spot." What might impress the Indian selectors is that the highest wicket-taker in English Twenty20 cricket for the last two seasons has been a spinner.

Left-arm spinner Nayan Doshi, son of former India spinner Dilip, has topped the charts and has made a case for slow bowlers. Nayan, incidentally, was Harbhajan's teammate at Surrey till he walked out of his contract. "Most wickets are taken by spinners even now. (Chris) Schofield (a leg-spinner) is doing well this time," added Harbhajan of his teammate. According to Harbhajan Singh, two seasons of Twenty20 cricket in England have provided him with the right ideas on how to go about playing in this format. "Obviously your mindset changes a bit. Remember, in Twenty20 you are going to be hit. But your mind has to be sharp all the time because of the fast-paced nature," opined Harbhajan. While most teams, including India, hedge on picking specialists, Harbhajan bats for his tribe. "Taking wickets is the best and only way to win matches whether it is Tests, ODIs or Twenty20. Even in Twenty20, if you score a lot of runs it is of no use if your bowlers do not bowl well. At the end of the day batsmen still get out the same way."

Baroda's off-spinning all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, brother of India discard Irfan, is considered an option. Yusuf is a clean striker and a tight offie, making him a perfect combination for Twenty20. But Harbhajan is not one to be cowed down by such threats. "Even I can bat. I have a good record in Twenty20 as I showed in the domestic tournament. I can also hit the ball a long way," said Harbhajan. As Harbhajan waits to know his fate on Tuesday afternoon, he presented his case one final time in his own style. "And in any case this is a World Cup, not any small tournament. You have to pick your best players," he said.

India's Sania reached a career-high ranking of 30 on the latest WTA list released Monday following her recent exploits at the US Open hard court series.

Sania, who was ranked 31 the previous week, reached the quarter-final at the Acura Classic, before going down 6-1, 6-2 to eventual champion Maria Sharapova.

The 20-year-old Hyderabadi maintained her doubles ranking of 26. Rohan Bopanna, who has won three Challenger titles with Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in as many weeks, broke into the ATP doubles top-100 for the first time, to be ranked at 92. The Indian, though, suffered a setback in the singles rankings. He lost seven places to be come down to 222 while Davis Cup teammate Prakash Amritraj slid six places to 268. Karan Rastogi came down a rung, to be ranked 340. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi held on to their positions at number eight and number 21 respectively in the doubles.

Another foodie experience

Was at Deccan Rendezvous yesterday night....Actually I was performing there..so another complimentary dinner...and boy,was it sumptuous!! There were quite a few things on the menu..I started off with the Alu & Fruit chaat,which was decent..something I'd not eaten anywhere earlier,followed by Spicy Potatoes in Coriander Sauce. Now this particular dish was a bit of a disappointment. The name and the looks of the dish were much better than the eventual taste. Interesting though..

In the main course I opted for the Mexican Grilled Fish,Kheema Mutter,Murg Roghani,Paneer Tikka Masala and Dum Alu. (Accompanied by butter naan of course)
Now the Fish looked great,but was a tad undercooked. It took time to chew it,which wasnt very amusing. The Kheema Mutter was absolutely scintillating. Fantastic. I swear if they'd hidden the name of the dish I'd be fooled into thinking that it was a veg dish! Never eaten a veg dish which tasted so much like a non-veg one! The Murg Roghani was good,but on the oily side. Paneer tikka masala was on the sweeter side and again,oily. No spicy taste that is otherwise normally associated with this dish. The Dum Alu was again,pretty good. The gravy tasted great,the potatoes were well done. But again,the oil....

I rounded off with Walnut Cream Pie and Rasmalai. Now this Cream Pie is something I'd never had anywhere earlier,and it was interesting. A bit on the drier side,but the mashed akrod(walnut) tasted quite nice...a pleasant change from all the regular deserts..However it wasnt so good that I could be tempted for a 2nd piece.

All in all,another great food experience at Deccan Rendezvous...Which again compells me to think..Am I among the rare people who have had good experiences at this place? Btw,all this was in the Conference Hall upstairs and not in their restaurant-Glass Window. The service was also good,except for 1 problem...there were too many power cuts for my liking.

Die Hard 4.0

Die Hard is back!! John McClaine is back!! A bit bald yes,but nevertheless..the super top cop returns. Here's a review of the movie published on a prominent website.

America is in chaos. Hackers are shutting down every computer system and network in the country, and cop John McClane is huddled up with a couple of geeky hackers in a basement that couldn't be any nerdier. The chief baddie, a deranged superhacker, makes his ultimatum clear, via webcam.

A distraught McClane turns to his hacker buddies to start coming up with a plan, placing his hand over the webcam as he talks. He's interrupted by the villain, Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant). 'Mr McClane, covering the camera does not turn off the microphone.'
'nuff said. Bruce Willis, now 52, isn't the yippee-ki-yay mo*bleep* cowboy he once was -- and even if he were, he's way past his sell-by date. Compared rightly (and obviously All-Americanly) to a Timex watch in a digital age, McClane can't cope with the country taken over by vindictive hackers.

All he knows is that these guys need to be shot. Oh, and he needs to save his daughter -- there's always gotta be some emo-involvement for John. It's as blockbuster as it gets, and the reason we love McClane -- who calls an astonishingly acrobatic villain names like spider-boy -- is because he's old-school.

So here we have this big, big, big film, the most amped-up Die Hard ever, full of explosions and chases. It's not as bloody as the other films, and bald John ain't as given to death and the profanity as we're used to -- though one assumes the latter will be much affected by the DVD release, free of the unholy PG-13 rating the big-screen release is straddled with. This one is more a typically summer blockbuster than the gritty violence the franchise is known for.
Directed by Underworld director Len Wiseman, Die Hard 4.0 echoes standard Hollywood popcorn, a movie echoing Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay.

Sure, there's some John McClane 'wit', but while some of it is nostalgic and fun, mostly it's obvious and contrived. He orchestrates a car crashing into a helicopter, and when his hacker sidekick Matt Farrell (Justin Long) marvels at the feat, he shrugs it off. 'I was out of bullets,' McClane tosses at the audience, evoking grin and grimace in equal, simultaneous measure. Yeah, it's that kinda movie -- and heck, it's been a while.

Oh, and about the rejoinder to McClane's unforgettable 'yippee-ki-yay' quote, well, it's there, and a bullet runs through it. Hell, that hurts.

As is convention for any decade-old action hero returning to the big screen, Willis finds much room for fathering his sidekick. Long, the less-malevolent of the genius hackers, starts off unrealistically cocky, but grows to predictably awed admiration. Besides, with a life increasingly under fire, there're few of us who wouldn't feel safer on John's side.

Anyway, as mentioned in the beginning, America is under threat. In this world of Youtube, the hackers trade letters clipped from newspaper headlines for a montage of words taken from various Presidential speeches to piece together their (admittedly goofy) threat to the nation. It's a fun idea, going from Clinton to Nixon to long stretches of George W Bush to make their position clear, reminiscent of all those movies with rubber President masks used for bank jobs. Gabriel and his svelte lover Mai (Maggie Q) are shutting down all systems, one by one.

Is it a coherent plot? Heck, no. It's just a big disaster movie, but thankfully, there's enough raw pace to keep you relatively involved in John's story, without worrying about the inconsistent details -- which include a mysterious computer virus capable of actually making your hard drive explode.

The stunts are massive, yet mercifully not overdone, graphically speaking. The film is pretty old-school in its overall styling, and the meat is well done. You may be a stunning, lethal hacker-assassin, but as Maggie Q discovers, when you try and kick John McClane's bottom, he responds in kind, worrying not about chivalry as he punches the villainess in the chomper, again and again and again. And that's him on mild, of course.

There's lots to whine about, particularly an overlong second half -- a 30-minute trim would have done the film a whole lot of good, as would a lot more Maggie Q, arguably the sexiest hacker ever -- but it's pretty much as good as it gets. The first Die Hard was a savagely funny actioner with a great character, a film that worked outside of traditional action audiences just as well. The second and third films sucked, and this one is a standard-issue Hollywood summer release -- lots of bang and boom, a dollop of avoidable emotion but enough testosterone to soak your popcorn in.

The only reason this film works is because of Willis. He wears John McClane like a raggedy second skin he's more than used to, and it's an irresistible performance from an actor arguably past his prime -- well, his primest, anyway. This is more a roleplaying job than an acting one, and -- exuberant as a 12-year-old with a plastic stengun -- Willis has a blast. It's totally worth it to watch him play.

In the end, of course, it's all about welcoming back Mr. McClaine. And you know what they say about old memories.

They die hard.

Save income tax,make money!!

Here's an interesting article I found somewhere on the internet. For those interested in saving tax,read on.

Don't we all like making money? Especially if our money grows in value even as we save tax?

Interested? Well, it's not too difficult. One of your options is investing in tax saving mutual funds (ELSS). Those of you who invested in ELSS funds last year must be pretty happy.

According to Value Research, a premier mutual fund research company, investing in certain ELSS funds would have seen the value of your money grow by more than 50 per cent in the last one year.

Simply put, if you had invested Rs 10,000 on June 21, 2006, it would have multiplied to more than Rs 15,000 by June 22, 2007.

What's more, an investment of Rs 1,00,000 in these funds under Section 80C would have been exempt from tax. This would have helped you save on your taxes as well as earn good returns on your investments.

This chart shows the top 10 tax saving mutual funds:

Open Ended - Equity: Tax Planning (one year return as on June 22, 2007)

Fund NAVs as on June 22, 2007 Returns (per cent)
Principal Tax Savings Rs 87.47 55.26
Principal Personal Tax Saver Rs 148.99 54.96
Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Rs 101.92 53.86
Kotak Tax Saver Rs 16.30 53.56
Fidelity Tax Advantage Rs 14.05 52.00
Canequity-Tax Saver Rs 17.49 48.28
Magnum Taxgain Rs 47.53 47.70
Birla Equity Plan Rs 64.18 46.93
ING Vysya Tax Savings Rs 28.63 45.40
Franklin India Index Tax Rs 33.2 41.83

I dont know why (well I actually DO know why,but still...) but I'm really apprehensive about tomorrow. I spent most of today and yesterday and many such yesterdays being horribly worried and scared stiff about getting into a job once again. I'm so so apprehensive about it,that its kinda impossible to describe it in words. A second stint/comeback...call it what you want,but any amount of words wont change the basic truth..and that is that I'm about to step into the minefield once again. The previous minefield left me seriously wounded and handicapped...who knows what this one might do.

Anyways,forget about that. This is one such topic which,even if debated in parliament,wont come to an end. Let's move on to something else. For instance,what other things I did today. One of them,something that took up almost the entire day,was shopping. Pyramyd has announced a denim festival in which they are offering a reasonable discount on casuals,coupled with a gift voucher which can be redeemed for a pair of sunglasses. I spent most of the day availing of this facility. However I was pretty disappointed with the sunglasses. Hardly any range to choose from. As expected ,the Pyramyd people have been cunning in their plans and its execution.

Anyways,the shopping left me really exhausted. Had a very late lunch at Mona Foods. Ate chola bhatura. twas nice...something that I had wanted to do since quite some time. Although I must confess,I had heard lots about it (good things) from people and so I'd gone with high expectations,and they weren't entirely fulfilled. I felt that it was good...decent...but somehow I had the feeling..some kind of intuition that there must be other places too which match up to this place wrt chola bhatura..

Okay that's enough for today. I'm worried sick about tomorrow. Cant write anymore. Gotta sleep. Or atleast try to...

Now get paid for reading SMSes...it's true!!!

3 IITians have come up with a whole new revolutionary concept that will change the future of telecom advertising and marketing...Here is what it is.

mGinger.com pays you to read ads on your cellphone!

These ads are only about your interests.Not only that, you get to decide when you want these ads. ie...you can receive these ads at your convenience and also get paid for it!!!

Based on my calculations I can easily make enough money to free up my cell phone bill.

This is a revolutionary concept that has been introduced in India and which will change the face of mobile and telecom advertising soon. It's already been much touted and praised by almost all the news channels and print media.

For those who would like to know more about its validity and authenticity,check out the article in TOI dated 23rd May 2007. Similar articles have also appeared in many other newspapers as well as on news channels like BBC,CNN etc.

Check it out...

http://www.mginger.com/index.jsp?inviteId=241085

See how much you can make. Have fun calculating...and sign up. You will like it...

Karaoke's and MIDI's galore

Wow!! Karaoke's and MIDI's have made life so much more easier for performing artists...No more worrying about performing live and the tensions associated with it. No more worrying about musicians coming late,showing attitute,throwing tantrums,not prepared with a हटके song...

Now all that one needs is a good laptop,Van Basco's Karaoke Player or something similar,and your collection of MIDI's and karaoke files and lo!! It's all done! Just connect your laptop to the sound system and you're ready to rock and roll. And if you happen to get hold of a good MIDI to MP3 or MIDI to WAV converter,then there's absolutely NOTHING like it. Just convert all your MIDI's into MP3 or WAV files,burn them onto an audio cd,and you're done! You dont even need a laptop henceforth for your performances. Just put the damn cd into a regular cd player and get the show movin!!

Howz that for simplification?

Deserts!!

The title says it all....Deserts!! oh wow!! They are just yummy!! Truly a fitting way to complete a good meal. Something that can by itself,take a meal from being 'good' to 'great'!!

I had just the kind of experience tonight. The meal was a decent one...the paneer tikka masala was okay,nothing to brag about. The chicken banjara was good enough. The dahi wada was really good,so was the Russian salad. The lack of time prevented me from trying out the Mutton Curry and the Roasted chicken and I decided to directly skip to the deserts. And why wouldnt I? Esp. since I'd seen before hand that there was gonna be Chocolate Souffle!! And it was AWESOME!! Unlike any other I've ever eaten. It was just too good. I ended up having 5 helpings of the Souffle!! Ultimately the catering staff ran out of Souffle so they had to get a fresh stock just to cater to my unending requests! Hehe...twas a nice experience that one,tonight. Am looking forward to having some more of that stuff soon.

End of an era?

Well,Stephen Fleming's decision to resign from the ODI captaincy following New Zealand's 81 run loss against Sri Lanka in the 1st Semi-Final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup signals the end of an era. An era in which one Fleming held the reigns of captaincy for over a decade,being the father figure of a team which never quite boasted of world-class performers or superstars that other cricketing nations could boast of. But the man in charge,with his acute thinking and aggresive cricketing mind,did reform his team from a bunch of 11 players to a team which started winning matches purely on the basis of teamwork and collective efforts rather than individual brilliancy.

In his decade long captaincy record,Fleming lead New Zealand in 217 ODI's,winning 98 and losing 106. The decision to resign from the ODI captaincy was made so that he could concentrate on his batting and improve his individual performances.

However,if given the opportunity,Fleming says he would still like to be at the helm of affairs in Test cricket,while continuining to play as a pure batsman in ODIs.

Summer Heat

The summer is on in full swing!! And quite literally in full swing it is!! As if my f****d up life isnt bad enough,the sweltering heat just adds fuel to the fire. Thankfully my good old trusted friend,my Pepsi remains as loyal as ever. Through thick and thin. Boy,I cant imagine how many bottles of Pepsi I must have gulped in this summer...well,its not over yet...there's more to come...

Beginner's Luck

Well,I hope it works out this time atleast....it must be the 4th or 5th time that Im trying it out. Its gotta pay off some time atleast. And if you cant get things done the straight way,try the crooked way. Get it by hook or by crook.