Gilchrist apologizes, says sorry to Sachin Tendulkar

Gilchrist called up Sachin Tendulkar to apologise for his comments. Gilchrist had questioned Sachin's honesty and called him a bad sport. I had earlier mentioned that Gilchrist was playing with fire by criticizing Sachin. I guess he had to say sorry to Sachin in order to secure his post-retirement cricket career.

Gilchrist called up Sachin and personally apologised for the caustic comments that he directed towards the humble man. Now I guess he won't have to be worried about getting chucked out of the Deccan Chargers team. Later he can also take up a job as a cricket commentator. It's all about money, honey!

Gilchrist Book on Sachin

So, let us see what Adam Gilchrist can come up with, in his autobiography. We already know about the juiciest part, where Gilchrist questions Sachin Tendulkar's honesty and sportsmanship. Gilchrist said that Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh are sore losers.

It's not a mere co-incidence that Adam Gilchrist's book is releasing at this precise moment, when it's the Aussie who are losing. I have always felt that the Aussie were sore losers themselves, not really being habituated to that phenomenon. But Gilchrist has the gumption to call Sachin Tendulkar a bad sportsman.

HaHa, that has to be the joke of the millennium. Gilchrist also claims that Dravid and Laxman have caused more damage to Aussies than Sachin. Well, don't worry Gilly, Sachin will make up for it in the next two test matches and will clear all your doubts!!

Gilchrist questions Tendulkar honesty, calls him sore loser

Whoa!! What's this? Gilchrist is saying that Sachin Tendulkar is a sore loser. And he also questions Sachin's honesty? Wow, that's so interesting and a nice way to release a book. Gilly, my boy, you sure know how to publicize your book..

But Mr Gilchrist, there's one thing that you are going to realize now. You are in deep, deep trouble!! You can bid adieu to your IPL dreams. You can always apologize so that you can come back to India and earn some quick money. But I wouldn't be surprised if there is a public outcry and Deccan Chargers remove you from captaincy and kick you out of their team.

But I don't understand, how any Aussie player can criticize Sachin Tendulkar? I know Gilchrist wants his book to be sold, but what is more likely is that Gilchrist's book might be torn to pieces, or worse (better?), burnt.

What a great marketing strategy. But in the long term, Gilchrist,it's going to hurt you real bad. You are trying to tarnish the reputation of one of the most humble and modest human beings,
Sachin Tendulkar. It's nice if you like to play with fire, but mark my word, that fire is going to engulf you. WATCH OUT, here comes the fire ball..

MS Dhoni or Kumble

MS Dhoni's brave declaration must have impressed the cricket experts. He left the Aussies with 516 runs to chase with almost a-day-and-a-half of play still to be played. The Aussies might think that they are in with a chance and might try to chase down the target set by MS Dhoni. That will give MS Dhoni a chance to set attacking fields and prevent the game from turing into a tame draw. Is Dhoni a better captain than Kumble?

MS Dhoni or Kumble, that is the question that the selectors will have to ponder upon, when they meet to select the team for the last two test matches. A lot will depend on the result of this match. If MS Dhoni leads India into a memorable victory, Kumble may have to sit out.

Not that Indian fans should have a reason to complain, the only criticism that was being levied upon MS Dhoni was his inability to bat well in tests. With a near century in the first innings followed by a useful half-century in the 2nd innings, Dhoni must have, for the time being, put to rest the questions that were raised about his performance in test matches. Personally, I'd prefer
MS Dhoni over Anil Kumble anyday .

Let's see how things turn out..

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been doing exceedingly well, both as a captain and as a batsman. His wicket keeping skills are also improving. His handling of the young leg spinner, Amit Mishra has been quite good. Has Indian cricket found a new superhero? It all depends on how long he can last. If Dhoni can carry on like this for another 5-8 years, he may go down in the history books as one of the most influential Indian players to have played the game.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni reportedly earns as much as Sachin Tendulkar, if not more. If money is a bad criterion to judge him by, then how about his cool attitude towards the game? How about Dhoni's never-say-die spirit? How about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's humility, something that is often cited as one of Sachin Tendulkar's greatest quality?

Am I a big fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Well, not really. But how can I ever forget what he did for us at the T20 World Cup? How can I ever forget how he taught the rude Aussies a lesson in the ODI Tri-series in Australia? And Mahendra Singh Dhoni has got great leadership qualities, something that Sachin Tendulkar failed to exhibit when he captained the Indian cricket team.

Just for the record, I am die-hard Sachin fan too.

Amit Mishra takes 5 wickets

Amit Mishra has struck again, his 5th wicket- Siddle. Earlier, Shane Watson also got out to Amit Mishra, after scoring a brilliant and much useful 78 runs. Australia has not managed to avoid follow on (268 all out). But I don't think that India will impose follow on.

Amit Mishra has taken a 5 wicket haul in his debut test match. What will Kumble do next? Will he sit out and allow Amit Mishra play? On form and fitness grounds, Amit Mishra scores better than Anil Kumble.

Australia avoids follow on

It looks like Australia will be able to avoid follow on. But they still have to do a lot to come out of the hole, they have dug themselves in. Amit Mishra, the debutante, has done well for himself in the first innings. Will Australia be able to bat well in the 2nd innings? For that first we have to see if Australia avoids the follow on. Even if Australia avoids the follow on, they have to bat last on a 5th day pitch. LoL, either way, it doesn't sound too good for the Aussies?

Should Anil Kumble retire now

Should Anil Kumble retire now? I know it's just the first match for Amit Mishra, but let's be practical. How long can Anil Kumble continue like this? He's injury prone and not getting any younger. Let's face it, had Kumble not been made the captain of the test team, he would have retired long time back. Remember what he said, when he was made the Indian test captain? Anil Kumble said that being the test captain motivates him to continue playing for India.

That means, prior to his becoming captain, he was not feeling motivated enough to play for India. Now that's just not acceptable! Kumble's comeback is likely to mean that Amit Mishra will be going out, despite a good performance by the lad. Again, that is just not acceptable. Let's wait and watch how things will pan out over the next few days.

Amit Mishra or Kumble

Amit Mishra's strong performance against Australia will start a debate over Anil Kumble's inclusion for the next test match. Sunil Gavaskar has already stated that he'll prefer Amit Mishra over an unfit Anil Kumble. In the 2nd test match, Dhoni has also come good, both as a batsman and as a captain. That is sure to raise another issue- Should Kumble come back as captain? Or should Dhoni be allowed to captain India in the third test match too?

Common sense would suggest to go with Amit Mishra in the next test match. But then, when did commom sense ever have a role to play in Indian cricket? I wouldn't be surprised to see Anil Kumble make a comeback and Amit Mishra , despite a strong performance, being shown the door.